From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Moushey, director of the Innocence Institute of Point Park University, and a past Pultizer Prize finalist talked with Blog ‘N’ Gold about his book, and its somewhat enigmatic subject:
BNG: You’ve made a career interviewing criminals, crooks & rogues, so you said weren’t at all intimidated by a tough guy like James Harrison. That said, was he a difficult subject in terms of getting him to open up?
MOUSHEY: It certainly wasn’t easy. I worked on background for two months (between Christmas and the Pro Bowl) after signing the deal with him. When I finally sat down to listen to our first four-hour interview tape, I talked more than he did. I thought it was one of the worst interviews I’ve ever done (and that includes mob bosses who said things like “I ain’t got nothin to say about nothin.” Over time, he loosened up and by the time we finished the job, he would expound on just about any topic I asked him about, including things he did not want to talk about (like his domestic abuse case).
Read the rest here.
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Two years ago, he was just another backup outside linebacker with the Steelers. Today, he owns their season sack record with 16, was league defensive player of the year and author of the longest play in Super Bowl history, a breathtaking 100-yard interception return for a touchdown to end the first half and very likely stem Arizona’s upset bid.
There’s also an impending book. Yes, this shy, private linebacker collaborated on a biography, perhaps because he had to talk only to its author, Bill Moushey (with Bill Parise). Titled “Never Give Up,” a snarling Harrison is shown on its cover. It was Moushey, a former Post-Gazette writer, who suggested Harrison’s shyness.
“I think he puts a somewhat impenetrable shield up to keep people away from him, borne out of an intense shyness,” Moushey said. “He won’t go in front of crowds, doesn’t like to do that kind of stuff, unless it’s involving kids. His fear of flying combined with his shyness has caused him pretty much to turn down anything people throw his way. He’s been offered all kinds of headline appearances and he just doesn’t do it.”
Read the rest here.
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
“Steelers fans think they know the hard knocks-to-hard knocks story of last season’s NFL defensive player of the year. They don’t.”
Read the full story here.
From Steel City Insider:
“Make certain, of course, that if there was any more to Harrison’s past, Moushey would’ve found it and reported it, so there was relief on my part — as someone who talked to Harrison on his very first day at spring practice, and someone who traveled to his Akron home for my 2008 book ‘Steeler Nation,’ and someone who considers Harrison to be misunderstood — that nothing new has surfaced.
“What this outstanding investigative reporter did was discover the details of Harrison’s transgressions and clarify the misconceptions. Of course, Moushey did this in an unapologetic way. He told the truth, and the truth here is something we all can handle.”
Read the rest here.
Saturday, Nov. 14 (1 -3 p.m.) Borders Express, Robinson Towne Center (near Dicks).
Friday, November 27 (2 – 4 p.m.) Barnes and Noble, Greensburg, Pa.
(7-9 p.m.) Waldenbooks, South Hills Village
Saturday, November 28 (1-3 p.m.) Borders, Clearview Mall, Butler
Friday, December 4 (4-7 p.m.) Borders Express, Beaver Valley Mall.
Saturday, December 12 (3-6 p.m.) Borders, Northway Mall.
Saturday, December 19 (1-4 p.m.) Borders Express, Beaver Valley Mall.
