Former Patriot Harrison rips Gronkowski for post-SB antics

A war of words erupted Wednesday when former New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison criticized Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, claiming the second-year tight end "disrespected himself" by dancing and removing his shirt at the team's postgame party after losing Super Bowl XLVI.

Harrison told WMVP-AM radio in Chicago that had he still been with the Patriots, the 22-year-old Gronkowski would not have been so, shall we say, overt.

"I guarantee you this, if Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi, Larry Izzo, Richard Seymour or myself had been at that party, [Gronkowski] probably would have got his head rung," Harrison said. "There's no reason for that to happen."

Ironically, Harrison admitted that he's only going on word of mouth about Gronkowski's post-game antics, that he had not seen a photo or video of Gronkowski dancing at the party. Harrison made his comments on The Waddle & Silvy Show on the station, also known as ESPN 1000.

"When we lost the Super Bowl, any of my Super Bowl losses, I was so devastated the last thing I ever wanted to do was party, let alone dance or take off your shirt," Harrison said. "It's just immaturity. It's not right. He made a mistake and I'm sure he feels absolutely stupid about it at this point. There's a time and place for everything."

An NBC football analyst, Harrison played in the 1995 Super Bowl for the San Diego Chargers and again in 2008 with the Patriots. His teams lost both games.

Harrison, who said he was told that Patriots veteran offensive lineman Matt Light was also dancing around without a shirt after the 21-17 loss to the New York Giants at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, admitted he was "surprised" at Light's actions, and that had he still been in uniform, he would have set some teammates in their place.

"The leadership has to step up and someone has to pull [Gronkowski] to the side and say 'Look young man, this is inappropriate, this is not the time nor the place. You need to grow up,'" Harrison said. "And that's what it comes down to. I like this kid. I think he's a good kid, works hard, is unselfish. But he made a mistake.

"There's a certain way of representing yourself and your family and that's not the right way."

The Patriots have yet to comment on the party, which was held at the nearby Victory Field, which is the home of Indianapolis' Triple-A minor league baseball team. But Harrison admitted his surprise that either team officials or head coach Bill Belichick have not addressed the simmering controversy.

"That's something internally that they're going to have to deal with," he said. "I'm sure Bill Belichick is addressing it. I'm sure he's very disappointed about that."

Former Patriots defensive coordinator and Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini told ESPN that, unlike Harrison, he didn't have an issue with Gronkowski's antics.

"I don't think he was celebrating the loss. What they were celebrating was the accomplishment of getting there," Mangini said on SportsCenter. "It's the last time they're going to be together. There's going to be so much change with free agency and the draft. This is the last time this group of men are going to be together, and they have their families. Did he take it too far, was there alcohol? I don't know any of those things. But I don't think it was a celebration or him not caring about the fact they lost. It was more the event of being together in that moment."

That theme was echoed by Light when he addressed the crowd at the party, according to the Boston Herald.

"Is everybody OK?" Light said, the Herald reported. "I tell you what, if ever there was a time to raise your glasses it's right now. We're gonna toast to the greatest organization in the NFL. It's time to toast the 2011 New England Patriots."