Earlier today, James Harrison became the first NFL player ever suspended for a helmet-to-helmet hit. It was an unprecedented course of action for the league, and the world waited to see how the always-intense Harrison would react. He chose his words carefully on Twitter:
Lol? That's it, James? Just a little bit of laughing out loud? Not even enough laughing out loud to justify capitalizing the 'o' and the second 'l'? I'd have at least expected an "OMG WTF L8R." Use your words, James.
Shortly after the fit of laughter, Harrison added, "Thank you to all my fans and supporters, I'm just going to move on from here and get ready for my next game." Then, this afternoon, he posted a picture of himself getting some deep acupuncture, which just looks nasty.
I'd guess that this morning's ruling didn't come as a shock to Harrison. He and the Steelers probably had a little bit of advance notice to process this. Openly laughing about it isn't the worst response in the world, either. It mocks and disrespects the decision without saying anything that'll get him in further trouble. It's rather shrewd.
The Rams, Pittsburgh's week sixteen opponent, will probably feel the real force of Harrison's reaction. Let's hope it happens legally.