James Harrison Rejects Obama White House Invitation

by Jon Azpiri | May 18, 2009 at 11:39 am

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James Harrison has said that he will not join his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates when the Super Bowl champions visit President Barack Obama at the White House this week.

Harrison said that visiting the White House was "no big deal." His decision doesn't appear to be politically motivated since he also rejected an invitation from George W. Bush's White House after the Steelers won the Super Bowl in 2006.

"If you want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers, invite us when we don't win the Super Bowl," he told Pittsburgh's WTAE-TV. "So as far as I'm concerned he would have invited Arizona if they had won."

Harrison is right that the Cardinals would have been invited had they won the Super Bowl. It's a long standing tradition that championship winning teams visit the president at the White House, something that ends being nothing more than a non-partisan photo-op.

Not everyone is thrilled by Harrison's decision. NBA player Grant Hill appeared on a sports radio talk show and criticized Harrison's move.

Grant Hill, while filling in for Mike Golic on the Mike & Mike Show, expressed his displeasure with Harrison by saying “I’m ashamed…It’s an honor. It’s a team event. For him not to want to go, I just don’t get it….That’s sad.”