Yahoo Sports 
Rodney Harrison questions Junior Seau's decision in Super Bowl XLII
In a controversial statement during NBC's pregame coverage in Sunday, Rodney Harrison seemingly blamed since-deceased teammate Junior Seau for the Super Bowl XLII loss that cost their team the first 19-0 season in NFL history.
The former New Engand Patriots defensive back and current NBC analyst suggested he pleaded with Seau to change pass coverage on the Plaxico Burress touchdown that gave the New York Giants the lead for good at 17-14 with 35 seconds remaining, but Seau refused.
Seau, a 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker, posthumously headlines the most recent Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
Seven years after that play, Harrison's comments are somewhat curious, especially since Seau died of a suicide in May 2012. But it's important to keep in mind that the former Patriots teammates had a longstanding friendship that spanned nine seasons together in San Diego before reuniting in New England.
[WATCH Super Bowl XLIX LIVE on NBC Sports - Kickoff 6:30pm ET]
Harrison has long been somewhat of a scapegoat for the loss to the Giants, since the four-time All-Pro player failed to knock the ball loose on David Tyree's famed helmet catch, despite his best efforts. In returning to Phoenix — the site of Super Bowl XLII — Harrison recalled the play in a conference call earlier this week.
"The one thing that stands out for me outside of that David Tyree catch was the fact that my good old buddy [the late] Junior Seau, who I played 12 years with, nine years in San Diego and three with the New England Patriots, I felt like I let him down," Harrison said. "I'm sitting here with two Super Bowl rings and I'm very proud of them. But I was hurt and disappointed because I felt like I couldn't make that play so my buddy, who should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, that he wouldn't get a ring like this. It's very disappointing."
So, while some viewers on Twitter suggested Harrison was "throwing shade" at a great player who is no longer with us, it's important to consider his comments in the context of his friendship with Seau.
