NFL Upholds Steelers' Harrison Suspension

(NewsCore) - Steelers linebacker James Harrison will miss Monday night's game against the 49ers after the NFL upheld his one-game suspension without pay for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy.

The NFL confirmed the ruling Friday, the NFL Network reported, after official Ted Cottrell heard an appeal from Harrison on Wednesday. The league had pledged to send the decision to review ahead of the game in San Francisco, which will see a matchup of the 10-3 teams.

The hit, which occurred late in the Steelers' 14-3 win over the Browns on Dec. 8, left McCoy with a concussion and a broken left hand. Harrison was flagged for a 15-yard penalty on the play.

McCoy was likely to miss the Browns' trip to Arizona on Sunday after continuing headaches kept him out of practice this week. Seneca Wallace was poised to replace him against the Cardinals.

Announcing its original punishment, the NFL concluded that McCoy was "defenseless" on the play, since he had just released the ball.

A tweet from Harrison after the suspension first was announced, said "Lol!!!" His teammate, linebacker LaMarr Woodley, tweeted, "Wow is all i can say right now."

Harrison incurred $120,000 in fines last season, becoming the most visible target of the NFL's crackdown on helmet-to-helmet hits.

The fines led to Harrison saying he "hated" commissioner Roger Goodell, calling him a "crook and a puppet" in a summer interview with Men's Journal magazine.