This week, Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke to retired NFL running back and Alabama Crimson Tide legend Damien Harris.
In his interview with Easton Jr., Harris, who recently teamed up with Dr Pepper for the Pepper Portal at the ‘Third Saturday in October’ annual showdown between the University of Alabama and the University of Tennessee. He also shared his thoughts on the suspension of Detroit Lions defensive back Brian Branch following his altercation with the Kansas City Chiefs.
“We talk about Dr Pepper and college football, I mean, what two things go hand in hand, literally, hand in hand, a football in this hand, or a TV remote, if you will, a cold Dr Pepper,” said Harris, “I mean, college football on the TVs, six different games. That is what Saturdays are for. I think the SEC championships that I played in, going into halftime thinking, I wonder who’s doing the Dr Pepper toss today. I wonder how many they’ll get. I hope they get a scholarship today. So when you think about college football, there is no better partner, there is no better brand ambassador for what college football is about than Dr Pepper.”
Dr Pepper will host a special gameday event this Saturday to debut The Pepper Portal, a first-of-its-kind interactive fan experience connecting rival college football towns. The event will take place from 3:30 PM to 7:30 PM at Rama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and from 4:30 PM to 8:30 PM at Cool Bean Bar and Grill in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Earlier in the week, the NFL suspended Branch for one game without pay for unsportsmanlike conduct after he struck Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, which ignited a fight following the game last Sunday night.Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
“I would say the biggest thing with that situation, which is first and foremost, Brian Branch made a mistake. He’s not a bad guy, he’s not a dirty player, he’s not somebody that should be on everybody’s hit list. “He made a mistake,” said Harris, “What Nick Saban taught me was everybody’s gonna say your name and talk about you, and then once they’re done, they’re either gonna use two one or two words ‘and’ or, ‘but’ they can say Brian Branch is a really good football player, and he handled himself well with a loss, dealing with some things that frustrated him, So if they use ‘and’ when they’re done talking, they’re usually going to say something else good, or they’re going to say, Brian Branch is a really phenomenal guy. He’s a great football player, ‘but’ he made a lapse in judgment in the heat of the moment when emotions are high. I mean, just like a normal human being.”
Branch was a Pro Bowler last season and a college standout at Alabama. He appealed the suspension, but it was upheld on Wednesday.
“He made a mistake in the heat of the moment, but something negative is going to come with that. So, always give people a reason to say, and Brian Branch is a great guy,” said Harris. “He’s a great leader for his team, and I know that he’s going to learn from the mistake he made at the end of the Kansas City Chiefs game. That’s the way that you want to go about yourself as an athlete, as a performer, but also just as a human being. You don’t ever want to give somebody a reason to say, ‘but’ after they get done talking about you.”
