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During Monday Night Football's broadcast of the Steelers-Bears game on ESPN, commentator Steve Levy gave some background information on the team's newest rookie running back. ESPN likes to tell its viewers about any special stories behind any of the players on the field and elected to talk about Najee Harris.
Explaining ESPN's mistake about Najee Harris
According to ESPN via Total Pro Sports, Harris was homeless at one point in his youth. Levy said that Harris was so used to sleeping on the floor that, when he arrived at Alabama, he continued sleeping on the floor for his first few months. Apparently, Harris' dorm bed wasn't a good fit and took some getting used to. However, Harris recanted the statement on Twitter.
In the tweet directed at ESPN's story, Harris denied the allegations. The way he phrased his denial made the idea of his sleeping on the floor seem outrageously inaccurate. According to Harris, he had no trouble sleeping on a bed and didn't need the floor at all. This leaves the question of how Levy got to this conclusion and made the mistake on live television on ESPN.
According to Total Pro Sports, the story was the correct story, but it was the story of Josh Jacobs, not Najee Harris. Josh Jacobs was also a running back at Alabama who had experienced homelessness. It was he who slept on the floor out of comfort. To be clear, Najee Harris was homeless at one point, but the running back slept in his bed with ease when he had his own in college.
To be fair, lying implies that Levy was knowingly twisting the truth. While this could be the case, it seems more likely that he simply twisted his facts by accident. However, it remains unclear how Levy mixed up the information. Did an intern or assistant give him bad information? Did he do the research and misremember what he had read? Was there, somehow, a combination of both?
To date, Najee Harris has rushed 150 times for 541 yards and four touchdowns this season. He's currently averaging 3.6 yards per carry. He was drafted to help Ben Roethlisberger, who hit a wall near the end of last season.
After finishing 1-4 and starting 2021 1-3, the Steelers may be righting the ship as the team is now 5-3 and one game away from tying with the Baltimore Ravens. However, to go the distance, they will need their rookie running back to be operating at peak speed. Hopefully, he will be able to focus on the task at hand, instead of setting the record straight.
Will ESPN correct their mistake during next week's broadcast?
