James Harrison explains why he didn't stand with Pats during national anthem

The 39-year-old pass rusher logged two sacks in his debut in New England

Pass rusher James Harrison is the newest member of the Patriots and he hasn't had a lot of time to assimilate -- both between the white lines and on the sidelines. This goes a long way in explaining why he didn't join his teammates during the national anthem:

As the Patriots lined up along the sideline for the national anthem, James Harrison stood alone by the bench. pic.twitter.com/X2hPth5aTz

— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) December 31, 2017

But Harrison, who was released by the Steelers last week and signed by the Patriots a few days later,  has a perfectly good reason for not standing with his new teammates: He didn't know he was supposed to. 

"I did not know what was going on," Harrison said after the Patriots beat the Jets in the regular-season finale, via NESN.com. "I was not clued -- they did not tell me about that. It don't matter. That's where I normally stand. I've been standing for, I don't know, 15, 16 years."

Meanwhile, Harrison played 28 snaps in his debut -- which is 12 fewer than he played all season with the Steelers -- and managed two sacks and a forced fumble. 

James Harrison gets the SACK! #GoPats pic.twitter.com/eyiTRFYNir

— NFL (@NFL) December 31, 2017

Heading into Week 17, the Patriots' defense ranked dead last, which is exactly why the team signed Harrison who, at 39, remains one of the league's best pass rushers.