Pittsburgh Steelers OLB James Harrison embraced the role of villain when in 2010 the NFL targeted him for illegal hits, even as teammates such as Ryan Clark defended him. The league began cracking down on certain egregious hits on defenseless players, including quarterbacks, as it faced mounting pressure, as well as lawsuits, for the violence within the game.
In the same game against the Cleveland Browns in 2010, Harrison concussed two players. The league determined one to be legal because the player in question was a runner. We began to familiarize ourselves with the concept of a “defenseless receiver” in the aftermath.