It's easy to forget, but just more than two years ago, James Harrison walked away from the NFL. In late August of 2014, Harrison announced his retirement from football.
That retirement didn't last long. He ended up returning to the Steelers, appearing in 11 games during that season. He hasn't slowed down since. At the age of 38, Harrison just wrapped up a regular season that saw him notch at least five sacks for the third straight year -- in the process, he became the Steelers' all-time sack leader.
So, how does he do it? And by "it," I mean his ability to to withstand the natural process of aging to continue his reign as the Steelers' best pass rusher.
As Harrison revealed in an interview with NFL Network's Andrea Kremer last week, he spends somewhere around $350,000 per year on "body work." That $350,000 goes to:
- An acupuncturist
- A dry-needling person
- A trainer
- A doctor
- A natural path doctor
- A masseuse
- A masseur
- Another masseur
- A physio-chiro masseur
- Another chiropractor
So, apparently if you invest $350,000 per year into your body, you'll be strong enough to play volleyball with medicine balls.
Skip to the 1:40 mark of the video below to hear Harrison describe his team that helps him keep his body in top shape:
.@Steelers LB James Harrison talks about his legacy and honoring his father's name in a sitdown w/ @Andrea_Kremer. https://t.co/89oIxIIX8t
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 8, 2017
As Harrison noted in the video, the tricky part is going to be maintaining that team and workload once he retires, which by the way might not happen when the Steelers' playoff run ends. In December, Harrison said that he still hasn't decided if he'll return in 2017.
"I'm probably in a better spot now than last year," Harrison said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I know how my body reacted. I've played every snap for the last two or three games. I would say I'm further along in that process of how my body will react in terms of where I was in the process last year.
"I want to play this game and see where the playoffs lead us. I'll make the decision after that."
Harrison is in the final year of his contract with the Steelers. And it's worth noting that he didn't decide to return for this season until May. So, Steelers fans could be in for a lengthy wait as Harrison weighs his options.
