Steelers New OT Ryan Harris Talks About His Muslim Faith, Speaks Out Against Trump
On Wednesday, Steelers offensive tackle Ryan Harris was asked a question that has been asked of many high-profile Muslims of late: what do you think of Donald Trump?
Harris, who answered a similar question in December and criticized Trump then, didn't hesitate to do it once again this time around.
From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
"The right to pursue freedom and liberty in this country and practice your own religion, that's as American as it gets. If you're against that, to me and to others, it's un-American. I'm so thankful, from going to school at Notre Dame to all the way in the NFL, everybody's had nothing but respect for me.
That's the majority of this country and that's the majority of experiences for Muslims. It's been great my entire life. That's the unfortunate thing, the headlines, you can see some of the negativity, but that's not been my experience."
Besides worrying about the political climate, Harris also has to worry about trying to get in shape for the upcoming season while fasting and praying during one of the holiest periods of the Muslim year, that being the holy month of Ramadan, which begins this year on June 5th and ends on July 5th - right in the middle of OTAs.
From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
"Practice will be tough for me. But there are other things you can do; you are encouraged to feed hungry people for every day you don't fast. You are encouraged to read the book, read the Koran, establish ties and kinship with family members, and be part of your community.
"So those are other aspects you can do to kind of fulfill that. I'll get some days of fast in, but it's been tough, being a lineman and already kind of 'smaller.'"
The Steelers signed Harris this past offseason as an unrestricted free agent. Harris played for the Broncos last season and will be joining the team at the White House next week and on June 12 when the team receives its Super Bowl rings.
He'll be competing against Alejandro Villanueva for the starting left tackle spot this year.
Bryan Altman is, for some reason, an unabashed fan of the Rangers, Jets and Mets. If he absolutely had to pick a basketball team it would be the Knicks, but he'd gladly trade them for just one championship for any of his other three teams.
Questions or comments? Feel free to follow Bryan on Twitter or send him an email.
