Najee Harris focused on Steelers’ big games, not alma mater Alabama’s

Najee Harris loves his ol’ alma mater. But it’s fair to suggest that most residents in the Heart of Dixie are much more emotionally invested in the Alabama Crimson Tide’s SEC championship game than Harris is.

“I am not worried about it,” Harris said after Friday’s Pittsburgh Steelers practice. “I am more worried about the Baltimore Ravens.

“But I do hope (the Crimson Tide) do good. They got my support, I guess.”

Harris was part of two national championship-winning teams at Alabama, including last season when he won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back and was most valuable player of the SEC championship game.

The Crimson Tide are back in the title game Saturday, against No. 1 Georgia, perhaps with a spot in the College Football playoff on the line. But Harris didn’t sound as if he is making it a priority to watch it.

For that matter, in the state of Alabama and within the two communities of the universities involved, the Alabama-Auburn “Iron Bowl” game is probably bigger than the SEC title game. And Harris said he wasn’t even giving too much attention to that.

“Aw, c’mon, man. I play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, man,” Harris said. “My time there was fun at Alabama. I have a lot of teammates there still. I wish all of them the best, but it’s their time to put on a show and their time to shine for the Crimson Tide. It’s my time to do what I can to support the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s the best way I can say it.

“I will always support them, and I will come back as much as I can, but I got something here that I got a chance to win. That’s why they got me here, so I am just trying to do what I am here for.”

Najee Harris on how Mike Tomlin relates to his team during periods of adversity/slump like the Steelers are in now pic.twitter.com/McbvQGmbiC

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) December 3, 2021

What Harris is in Pittsburgh for this week is to help the Steelers beat the Ravens in a rivalry that perhaps is a professional equivalent of the Iron Bowl.

Again, Harris doesn’t seem overly wrapped up in it.

“I don’t know too much about it,” Harris said of the Steelers-Ravens rivalry. “We are just trying to win games. I don’t really think about it. Me personally, I am just trying to win a game. I don’t really care about the rivalry too much; I am just trying to go in there and do what I can to help the team win.”

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