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Steve Levy has apologized for getting a key part of Steelers running back Najee Harris’ story wrong on “Monday Night Football” in Week 9.
Levy, ESPN’s play-by-play announcer for the game, was explaining how Harris overcame homelessness in his youth to be a star at Alabama. He also shared an anecdote about Harris’ sleeping arrangements during his first year at the school.
“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 on the broadcast. “Said he was just more comfortable, he was more used to that.”
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That certainly sounded like a cool story. However, it wasn’t true, as Harris revealed on Twitter later that night.
Bra I ain’t sleep on no dam floor in college. I slept on my bed
— Najee Harris (@ohthatsNajee22) November 9, 2021
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Levy acknowledged his mistake on Tuesday afternoon. He tweeted an apology to Harris and donated to Harris’ charitable foundation to make it up to the Steelers RB.
I got this part wrong Najee, my mistake. Your story is inspirational & mission to positively impact is admirable.
I’ll be donating to the Da’ Bigger Picture Foundation and encourage others to help Najee’s greater purpose where they can.https://t.co/GlbxzRfXSD
— Steve Levy (@espnSteveLevy) November 9, 2021
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So, how did Levy get this story wrong? Well, it turns out he may have been thinking of another former Alabama running back, Josh Jacobs.
Jacobs’ decision to sleep on the floor was detailed in a 2018 story by Bleacher Report.
When he arrived at Alabama, Josh Jacobs spent his first few months sleeping on the floor in his dorm room. Not because he didn’t have a bed. But because after years of sleeping on couches, on motel floors and in the back seat of his father’s maroon Chevy Suburban, he was more comfortable there.
That explains where Levy went wrong. Jacobs and Harris went to Alabama and were selected with the 24th overall pick in the first round of their respective draft classes.
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