Rodney Harrison Admits He Left Super Bowl LI Early, 'Felt Terrible'

Anyone who watched Super Bowl LI can admit that the New England Patriots looked hopeless for much of the game before their eventual 34-28 overtime win.

The Atlanta Falcons were dominating all aspects of the contest as they took a 28-3 lead in the third quarter and finished the period up 28-9. Understandably, some Patriots fans stopped watching the game before they made the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history.

And one of those people was former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison, who physically left the game at NRG Stadium.

“I ended up leaving in the third quarter,” Harrison said Tuesday on a conference call, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “I was getting harassed by Falcon fans, so it got to a point where it was so bad, I just left. I felt like we were going to lose, and we were actually going to get blown out. I ended up going back to the hotel, sitting in the bar watching it along with probably 300 other fans all rooting against the Patriots. The Patriots end up pulling it out, so I felt terrible for leaving, but at the same point, I was happy the Patriots won.”

Harrison had a little more motivation than most Patriots supporters can claim, as a majority probably weren’t completely surrounded by heckling Falcons fans. At the same time, though, Harrison maybe should have stayed in the stadium, considering Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s track record.

“His theme has always been about finishing,” Harrison said of Belichick. “The Falcons, that’s something they haven’t been able to do, whether it’s the Super Bowl or the last couple of weeks. That’s probably something (Falcons coach Dan Quinn will) be preaching to his team this week.”

The Patriots and Falcons square off in Foxboro, Mass., on “Sunday Night Football” beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET.