Chris Harris Jr. is a cornerback for the 50th Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. Harris played a key role on a fierce Broncos defense squad throughout the season that kept the Carolina Panthers in check during Super Bowl 50. Some attribute post-game comments he made as the cause for Carolina Panthers’ star quarterback, Cam Newton, to leave the post-game press conference prematurely.
A devoted family man, Harris’ achievements go beyond the football field. He is known to fight for the underdog. His foundation, Chris Harris Jr. Foundation, produces a free camp for kids called the Underdog Football Academy.
Harris recently spoke to rolling out to discuss his Super Bowl victory and balancing life and football.
I want to jump right into the post game comments that you made after the Superbowl game. Now, I know your passion was evident seeing that you’d just won your first Superbowl, but did you intend for Cam Newton to hear you? Did you know that he was on the adjacent side?
Oh no, I had no clue that he was there. There was a wall that was separating all of the players and, for me, I was just doing my normal interview. You couldn’t even see how many people I had interviewing me, so yeah I had no clue at all.
It’s a lofty dream for most young people who play football to play in the Super Bowl. How does it feel to be a Super Bowl champion?
Aw man, it’s a dream come true: going to the Super Bowl for the second time and winning. The first time I was not able to play because of my torn ACL. I said to myself, along with Von Miller, that we are going to do whatever we can to get back here and we did. To be able to bring a championship back to Denver means everything.
What do you remember the most about Super Bowl 50?
The whole week was just special. The 50th year seems so special compared to the last Super Bowl that we went to. We just wanted to do whatever we could in order to bring it home. Winning the Super Bowl for our owner, the city of Denver, and a lot of the veteran guys was the ultimate goal.
You have a beautiful wife and children. Plus, you do a lot of philanthropic work. How do you balance life on and off the field?
I owe it to my wife. I think having a strong wife and having a solid family are things that have helped me out a lot. I can just go out there and focus on football and nothing else.
