When Najee Harris met Nancy Pelosi
In a Friday posting on his YouTube channel, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris chronicled a day in which he attended a Major League Baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants and an NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.
The baseball game was played in San Francisco, and the basketball game was played in Sacramento.
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Along the way, the Bay Area native was introduced by Larry Baer, the chief executive officer of the Giants, to Nancy Pelosi, the U.S. representative for California’s 11th District and the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Harris said he didn’t know who Pelosi was, and she clearly didn’t know who he was either.
“I’m not into politics. I am educated about it, though,” Harris said in his commentary on his video. “… That’s Nancy Pelosi. You guys into politics, you guys know about that. But I still don’t know really who that is. They told me after, and I was like, ‘Hey, can I take a picture?’ When y’all saw me and Larry talking, he was just giving me the rundown of exactly who it was, what she does and all that stuff.”
Harris had been introduced to Pelosi as a star in the NFL for the Steelers, and the politician told the running back, “I was there that day in Philadelphia,” which confused Harris.
Pelosi may have been alluding to the San Francisco 49ers’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 29.
“She thought I was in the Super Bowl,” Harris said.
Baer explained that Harris played for Pittsburgh, not Philadelphia, to which Pelosi said: “Oh, America’s team.”
When Baer told Pelosi that Harris had been a first-round draft choice from Alabama, “the No. 1 school in the country for football,” Pelosi appeared to acknowledge that superlative.
“I meet a lot of people who I don’t know who they are until after,” Harris said.
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Alabama’s career leader in rushing yards and touchdowns, Harris is preparing for his third season with the Steelers.
In his first two NFL seasons, Harris ran for 2,234 yards and 14 touchdowns on 579 carries and caught 115 passes for 696 yards and six touchdowns.
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Harris is the fourth player in NFL history with at least 2,234 rushing yards and 115 receptions in his first two seasons, joining Edgerrin James, LaDainian Tomlinson and Saquon Barkley.
Pittsburgh reports for training camp on July 26 at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.