The Guy Named Harrison: Book One

105

Before they flew home to Charlotte this afternoon, Harrison and the rest of the Panthers players had to report for their Super Bowl postgame press conference. Usually the press conference took place after the Super Bowl, but since it was so hard to get the players from their teammates, friends, and families, it was moved to the following morning.

Harrison sat behind the desk wearing his Super Bowl jersey that Carrie sprayed for him multiple times to get the smell out. He also wore a pair of sweatpants, and his Super Bowl Championship hat. On the desk to his left was his MVP trophy and on his right was the Lombardi Trophy.

His eyes scanned the crowd of reporters before the conference began. He found Carrie towards the back leaning against the wall. Harrison shot her a smile that she shot right back. Carrie wasn't going to be asking questions today, but instead taking notes. She had unlimited access to him anytime.

At exactly 9am, reporters began asking him questions. "Harrison, first of all congratulations. And I would like to ask what was going through your mind when you saw Antonio Brown wide open in the end zone?"

"Thank you. To be honest, quite a few words I'd rather not repeat right here," he said with a wide smile, getting his crowd of reporters to laugh.

"Harrison!"

"Yeah?"

"People are calling that play the next immaculate reception. What is your take on the comparison between your interception and Franco Harris' reception?"

"I'm a defender," he answered playfully. "But being as much a football fan now as I was when I was younger, I still consider the immaculate reception to be the greatest play in NFL history. It's hard to make a comparison between the two. Franco Harris ran that for a touchdown to keep the Steelers playoff hopes alive. If I wouldn't of caught that, the game could've went into overtime. The immaculate reception occurred on a much bigger stage. It changed the outcome of an entire game."

"Thank you."

Then onto the next question. "Can you tell us what it was like to make that interception?"

"It actually hurt my hands a little bit. Ben Roethlisberger throws pretty hard." Everyone laughed. "At first when I was on my way over, I wasn't thinking about catching that pass. My main priority was to keep Antonio Brown from catching it. As I got closer, I realized I had a chance at picking it off. So I went for it."

"Earlier this season, the word around the league was that Ben Roethlisberger was considering retirement. After this Super Bowl, do you think he will stick around for one more year, or head to retirement?"

Harrison answered. "I honestly don't know. What he chooses to do will be the best for him. I understand considering retirement. He's one of the older quarterbacks in the league, although that does not show on the field at all. He wants to spend more time with his wife and kids. I understand that. In fact, I thought about it for a little bit after we found out Carrie was pregnant. He's done a lot for the Steelers and has become a Hall of Fame caliber quarterback."

Someone else called his name. "Yeah?"

"When is Carrie's due date, and how excited are you to welcome your first child?"

Harrison's smile stretched all the way across his face as he made eye contact with his fiancée. "We're both so excited. She's due September 8th. And of course her and I will spend a lot of the offseason preparing for our baby's arrival."

"Harrison? What's it feel like to be a Super Bowl champion?"

"It's a feeling I can't even describe. All of the guys and I put in so much work this season to get here. I'm so damn proud of them and how they preformed. Each and every one of us contributed to this Super Bowl victory."