PITTSBURGH -- James Harrison's decision not to visit the White House with the rest of his teammates Thursday has generated more attention than the linebacker's 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLIII that helped earn the Steelers a trip to the nation's capital.

"They're making a big deal out of this. 'Oh, my, James Harrison is not going to the White House, he must be a devil worshiper!'" Harrison said Tuesday, during an off-season team workout on the South Side.

Harrison also skipped the Steelers' visit to the White House in 2006 following their Super Bowl XL victory when President George Bush was still in office.

"Why is it a big issue now that I'm not going if it wasn't a big issue the last time? Hey, James ain't changed. I guess my profile did but I didn't change. I'm not going because I don't want to go," said Harrison.
Raw Video: Watch Harrison's Latest Comments

Harrison was a backup for the Steelers when they won Super Bowl XL, but has seen his stock rise considerably since then.

He was named the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the 2008 season and signed a six-year deal worth $51.175 million -- the richest of any defensive player in the franchise's history -- with the Steelers in the offseason.

While Harrison's motivation for not making the trip doesn't appear to be political, he jokingly noted that Washington, D.C. isn't the safest area.

"It's not a good neighborhood over there either. It's a bad neighborhood," said Harrison.

In addition to their stop at the White House, the Steelers will also visit Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Teammate and fellow linebacker James Farrior said he expects Harrison to not pass on that opportunity.

"I told him if we go visit troops in the hospital he'd have to make his own way there. He said that he would," said Farrior.

Harrison said instead of going to see President Barack Obama, he'll stay in Pittsburgh to work out and get ready for the upcoming season.

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