Jonotthan Harrison may not have been picked during the 2014 NFL Draft, but that doesn't mean that the free agent center from the University of Florida didn't play. He did, and played well.
Over three seasons with Indianapolis, Harrison saw action in 44 of 46 games, starting 19 times at center during the 2014 and '15 seasons. The following year, he played every position on the offensive line, including as a third tight end, and made four starts at left guard.
Looking to continue making a contribution on the field in 2017, Harrison chose to sign as a restricted free agent with the Jets.
"At the time, the Jets were the best opportunity for me to grow as a player and to compete for a starting role," he said. "Some of the other offers that I had as I entered free agency were true backup roles. There wouldn't really be a competition, per se. The Jets had a great opportunity for me to go in there and compete and help support the offensive line."
Going against the Jets at MetLife Stadium the previous season as a member of the Colts, Harrison saw firsthand the support they received from their fans and the New York City/North Jersey area. And now playing there while wearing the Green & White…
"Very, very different. Obviously. Both teams hold a very, very special space in my heart, but, yeah, it was very different," Harrison said. "Going from, and I'm air quoting, 'small town Indiana,' to the big city and MetLife, it was a very different feel of a stadium. To be there as the home team was a night and day experience."
In 2018, his second year with New York and fifth in the NFL, Harrison played in every game, making eight starts at center.
And while the Jets were only able to win four games in Todd Bowles' last season as their head coach, what Harrison carried out off the field as the forefront of the team's Tackle Bullying program during visits to school around New Jersey was the equivalent of going undefeated.
"That was huge to me because I was severely bullied my whole life growing up. I was bullied by my peers. And I technically was bullied by my teachers at times, other adults. I still struggle and suffer from residual effects of the bullying," Harrison said.
"So it was just a huge cause of mine. And in my head, if I could even impact one person who was dealing with what I dealt with, my purpose was fulfilled. I really enjoyed working with Stomp Out Bullying and any other bullying foundations."
The Jets recognized Harrison's efforts by presenting him with that year's Lyons Award, named after former defensive lineman Marty Lyons, which goes to the player who gives from the heart through charity and community involvement.
"That meant the world to me, honestly," Harrison said. "I wasn't expecting it, and I wasn't doing community service in an attempt to get the award. I just was doing something I was passionate about. It was related to me, personally. And that was truly, truly an honor. That award's the highlight of my NFL career."
And he had plenty. In 2019, Harrison was the Jets' nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
"That also meant a lot. And like I said, anything that I did wasn't for the accolades," Harrison said. "Anything I do, I do well. That's something that my parents instilled in me, and that's all I was doing. I kept my head down. I worked. I did what I had to do, helped out where I could, and just tried to remain humble as much as possible."
That season, he was also the only offensive lineman to play in every game.
"That's what I prided myself on, being 'old reliable,' faithful. Am I perfect? Not by any means. But did I work my butt off and compete at the best of my ability always? Yeah, for sure," Harrison said. "That's the one thing I can hang my hat on. Maybe I missed the block here and there. I'm human. But I gave it my all, and everyone knew that they were going to get max effort out of me."
With the Jets for three of his ten years in the league – besides Indianapolis, he was also with Buffalo, Atlanta, and Miami – Harrison, his wife, Megan, and their 19-month-old son, Kingstton, make their home in North Georgia, where he owns a training facility, Strength Society, in Alpharetta.
"I couldn't do a push-up when I first got to high school, and I started strength training and loved it, and realized I was pretty good at it," Harrison said. "It was a great stress relief for me initially. And when I got to college, I interned as a strength coach for a semester and realized that I'm really passionate about strength training, and learned more about the benefits of it.
"Take it to the NFL, and between my off-season trainer and all the different strength coaches that I came across throughout my career, my passion and knowledge increased that much more. I realized that that's what it took to stay healthy, strength training, functional strength. That's what you need for longevity, to age gracefully, and that's what kept me healthy on the field.
"And so now that I'm off the field, my goal is to bring that to the general population, to the everyday person, the aging athlete. I want to show why functional strength is so valuable and offer an efficient way to get functional strength training in."
After holding a soft launch since mid-July, the grand opening will take place on Friday, September 12. Harrison and his co-founder, Kat Roberson, hope that their potential clients realize the benefits of functional strength training.
"No matter your walks of life, whether you have a nine-to-five desk job and you're sitting all day, functional training is what you need to strengthen those muscles that you're not using so your body feels better," Harrison said. "Whether you have knee pain, back pain, shoulder pain, functional strength training actually helps rather than popping a bunch of Ibuprofen or prescriptions or anything like that.
"I truly believe in functional strength training. I got done with a 10-year career, and I still feel great. You know, I'm well over 300 pounds, and I still move very well. My knees aren't hurting, my back isn't hurting, and all of that's due to functional strength training.
"I just want to offer that to people. I'll have you in and out the door in less than an hour. It's a hospitality service. The weights are there for you. You just show up with a sweat towel, a bottle of water, and get to work. We clean up after you and you go on your merry way."
