Megan Rapinoe reacts to tribute from Alabama football star Najee Harris
By John Buhler
Megan Rapinoe loved the praise she got from Alabama football star Najee Harris.
When Najee Harris said Megan Rapinoe was a huge source of inspiration for him as an athlete, we were all pleasantly caught off-guard by the kind words he said at the 2021 Rose Bowl introductory press conference.
The Alabama Crimson Tide running back finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting, as the senior is expected to take home the Doak Walker award and be a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Rapinoe may be a United States Women’s National Team soccer legend, but even she was flattered by the respect one native Californian athlete had for another.
https://twitter.com/mPinoe/status/1344135452505198594
Najee Harris is proud to hail from the same state as Megan Rapinoe
“She’s from California, first of all, and she listens to Nipsey. Nipsey Hussle, one of my favorite rappers, too,” said Harris. “She gave a shoutout to him.” The popular entertainer was killed last year. While hailing from the same state is cool and all, Harris really likes what Rapinoe stands for as a woman and as an ambassador for change in America.
“Really all the stuff she stands up for. She’s a feminist and how the females, how women in the world gets treated unfairly and how they get paid different and different stuff than men. She stands up for all that. I like how she does that. And obviously, the social injustice that happens, she plays a part in all that.”
“And for her to be a woman and saying all that stuff, and it could be scary for her, for being a woman in what they will say is a man’s world, and her just playing a part, standing up, not listening to all the naysayers out there and really just standing up for what she believes in, it’s motivating. And it’s inspirational.”
“Me, as a male, I guess you could say, like maybe not too many males will like say they look up to a woman nowadays. But I really look up to her, just for what she does outside of sports. And I guess I had to give her a shoutout and stuff.”
Harris’ Crimson Tide is expected to throttle the No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Rose Bowl on Friday afternoon. Assuming they advance to the national championship, Alabama will face the winner of the Sugar Bowl between the No. 2 Clemson Tigers and the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes for all the college football glory. Harris has a chance to turn pro after a perfect 2020 season.
With a great player and leader like Harris, Alabama really does have a shot at going undefeated.
Best college football players of all time from every state. dark. Next
For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.