Steelers' Najee Harris Questioned Mike Tomlin On How A Legendary Jerome Bettis Made The Hall Of Fame

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a long history of NFL excellence. One benchmark of that is how many players they have inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with 30. That places them sixth on the list for all teams. Now one current player is questioning how a Steelers legend made it in at all. 

It is remarkable that the Steelers are in the top 10 for most Hall of Famers given that they found success much later than many of the other top franchises. While the Steelers are considered one of the older NFL franchises, founded by the Rooney family in 1933, there are older teams, the Chicago Bears started in 1920. Teams like the Bears and the Green Bay Packers were winning early championships, but Pittsburgh did not smell success until the 1970s. 

Since the 1970s, the Steelers have appeared in eight Super Bowls, winning six.  A big part of what has helped the Steelers build successful teams is their smashmouth defenses and run-heavy offenses. So it is surprising to hear one running back questioning the accolades received by another running back. 

Steelers' Najee Harris Pushed Back On Mike Tomin About A Former Player's Gold Jacket

Steelers running back Najee Harris recently appeared on an episode of teammate Cam Heyward's podcast. The show, Not Just Football with Cam Heyward, was filmed during the 2023 training camp. During the show, Heyward and Harris, as well as Heyward's co-host Hayden Walsh, discussed the "shelf-life" of the running back.

Since running backs take such a physical beating during their career, there has been a lot of talk lately about how they need to be considered differently when it comes to contracts. They may have less time than other players to be able to earn money, while still putting their body in harm's way each play. Harris brings up a player like Frank Gore, who has been in the NFL longer than most backs, but frequently gets cast aside as not being Hall of Fame material. 

Gore has played a whopping 16 seasons, mostly for the San Francisco 49ers. During his career, he was selected to the Pro Bowl five times. Harris said that he believes how long a back lasts in this league has much to do with how they prepare and condition. He even admitted that he has spent time working out with Gore, hoping to learn from him and find the secret to his fountain of youth. 

The debate surrounding Gore and the Hall of Fame concerns the amount of yardage he accumulated in those 16 years. Gore stands third on the all-time rushing list with 16,000 yards. Gore will be eligible for the first time in 2026 and it will be interesting to see if he makes it on the first ballot. 

According to Heyward and Harris, the argument is if his total rushing yards are enough on their own. Is it a knock that it took him 16 years to amass them? 

"Frank Gore is a Hall of Famer. I'll get pushback saying he's a compiler, but for a guy to play that long and be third all time in rushing [he's a Hall of Famer]," said Heyward.

Harris agrees saying that he also sees Gore as a Hall of Famer. He was doing something right to last for so long and to rack up that much yardage. According to Harris, if a certain former Steelers player is in the Hall of Fame, then Gore should be too.

"There's another argument, and I love Jerome [Bettis], but some people say does Jerome belong in there?" Harris added, "It's like he's the fifth all-time leading rusher, so why wouldn't Frank Gore if he's the third all-time leader?"

Jerome Bettis was inducted in 2015, he was not a first-ballot nomination. He was a key member of the Super Bowl XL team where the Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks in his hometown of Detroit. When he retired, he was fifth all-time in rushing with 13,662 yards on 3,479 carries and 91 touchdowns. He surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark in 64 games.  

He was nicknamed "The Bus" for his particular style of running - low, bruising, and powerful. No defenders ever wanted to line up across from him.  But he didn't stop with rushing, he also racked up 1,449 yards on 200 receptions with another three touchdowns. And as if that wasn't enough, he even threw three passes, all for touchdowns. That still didn't satisfy Harris who said he questioned Head Coach Mike Tomlin about it. 

"I asked Mike T., I was like, 'How was Jerome Bettis a Hall of Famer?' He said you rarely see guys, a power back, play that many years because of their style of game. He changed it in a way."

Harris doubles down on defending Gore and says that in his mind, you can't say Bettis belongs in Canton and say that Gore does not. Heyward suggests that Gore's longevity in the game almost hurts him. It kind of dilutes his stats because they are spread over so many years.  But according to Harris, it is the opposite. 

Of course, Harris, and every other running back, wants to have the opportunity to have a long and healthy career, like Gore's. Harris' fans want that too. The best-case scenario for the Steelers and for our third-year power back Harris is for him to last a long, long time and rack up a ton of yardage. At least that's what I am cheering for.

What do you think about the Bettis/Gore Hall of Fame argument? Is it comparable? Does Bettis deserve to be in? How about Gore? Click to comment below.

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