The James Harrison scowl was well entrenched in the world of the NFL well before he joined the Patriots in 2018. So when those first couple of weeks came and went in New England, any standoffish approach by the veteran was understood.
But then Tom Brady worked his magic.
Appearing on "The Pat McAfee Show," Harrison discussed his integration into the Patriots' locker room and specifically the pass rusher's approach toward Brady.
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"When I first got there, obviously the first person I met was Tom, and he just introduced himself as if I didn't know who the hell he was," Harrison said. "But he does that with everybody. He's just a genuinely good person.
"I wanted to hate him when I got there, so I'm like, 'He's feeding me some B.S. He's just being a good guy in front of me.' I'm sitting back watching him for like, a week or two, and finally, I had to tell him. I'm like, 'Dude, I wanted to come here and hate you ... But I sat back and watched you.' That's why everybody likes him. He's a good dude!"
According to Harrison, Brady's approach toward the future Hall-of-Famer wasn't any different from the most innocuous practice squad player.
"From the practice squad guy that comes in the first day, he's like, 'Hey, how you doing? I'm Tom Brady,' like they don't know who the hell he is. That's just him," Harrison said. "That's his personality. He's just a good dude."
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