The Pittsburgh Steelers were part of one of the most exciting championship games in NFL history in Super Bowl XLIII. That remains their last victory in the big game, and Santonio Holmes earned MVP of the contest. While he was deserving, especially because of his circus catch to win the game, James Harrison revealed that he was originally supposed to earn that honor.
“I should’ve got it,” Harrison said Monday on his Deebo and Joe podcast. “They wanted to give it to me. It was an argument about it. When I got to the podium, they hadn’t picked it yet. They thought it was gonna be me. But sources say that somebody put a hold on it, said if I get it, they wasn’t going to be doing nothing else with the NFL.
“On the punt return, I mushed the dude who tried to cut me… I got a flag for that… That play right there, they were like, ‘He shouldn’t get it because of that.’ It was just one person, though. No longer with us. Just go back to the game, think about who’s no longer with us. Very, very popular person, though.”
It’s unclear who Harrison said stepped in and stopped him from being named the game’s MVP. John Madden was on the TV color analyst for that game, and he had real problem with Harrison’s punt return penalty, even saying he should’ve been ejected for it. Madden passed away a few years ago, and perhaps he was the one Harrison said kept him from being named MVP, but that’s not certain.
Harrison certainly did enough to warrant being in the MVP conversation. He made arguably the biggest play of the game, picking off Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner at the end of the first half and running the interception back for a touchdown. It was an impossible play, but Harrison pulled it off with help from his teammates.
Not only did that extend the Steelers’ lead to 10 points going into halftime, but it also kept the Cardinals from scoring. They were at the Steelers’ 1-yard line before Harrison’s heroics. It looked like they were at the very least going to kick a field goal to tie the game.
Instead, Harrison halted all of their momentum and gave it to Pittsburgh. While the Cardinals still made a valiant comeback, they ultimately fell short. However, the Steelers won by four points, so Harrison’s play looms large in the grand scheme of things.
The play that cost Harrison believes cost him MVP honors came with a little over three minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals punted to the Steelers and downed the ball at Pittsburgh’s 2-yard line. However, Harrison was seen punching and shoving Cardinals safety Aaron Francisco, who was trying to block him. He got called for unnecessary roughness and the ball got backed up to the goal line.
It’s fair to be frustrated with Harrison losing his cool. He should’ve better controlled his emotions, and that play ended up hurting the Steelers. While it only backed them up by one yard, they got called for a penalty in the end zone a few plays later. That gave the Cardinals a safety and sparked their comeback attempt.
Maybe things would’ve been different had the Steelers been given that extra yard. However, Pittsburgh still won the game, so it doesn’t matter too much. Harrison still gets a lot of credit for his pick-six. MVP or not, he’s still etched in NFL history.
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