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ESPN's Steve Levy apologizes after incorrectly saying Najee Harris slept on dorm floor during 'MNF'

ryan young
Staff writer
·2 min read

No, Najee Harris didn’t sleep on the floor in his dorm room at Alabama.

That, though, is what ESPN’s Steve Levy said during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 29-27 win over the Chicago Bears on Monday night — which prompted the running back to take to twitter after the game.

Levy, during the “Monday Night Football” broadcast, told a false story about how Harris was “more used to” sleeping on the floor when he got to Alabama after growing up living in a homeless shelter.

"Even when he got to Alabama on the full-ride [scholarship], got the fancy dorm room, he spent the first few months in Alabama sleeping on the floor," Levy said during the game. "Said he was just more comfortable, he was more used to that."

Though Harris did spend years with his family living in a homeless shelter in the Bay Area, the story about him adjusting at Alabama isn’t true. Levy likely mixed up Harris with former Alabama running back Josh Jacobs — who did sleep on the floor of his dorm room for that very reason upon arrival in Tuscaloosa, according to Bleacher Report’s Adam Kramer.

Both Jacobs and Harris were running backs who attended Alabama and are now in the NFL — Jacobs is in his third season with the Las Vegas Raiders — and both were homeless for a time growing up.

Levy apologized to Harris on Twitter on Tuesday, and announced he had made a donation to Harris’ foundation.

Harris finished with 62 rushing yards and a touchdown on 22 carries on Monday night in their win against the Bears, which marked their fourth straight. The 23-year-old has ran for 541 yards and four touchdowns so far this season, his first in the league after the Steelers took him with the No. 24 overall pick.