20 years ago, on December 24, the Pittsburgh Steelers led the Browns 41-0 in the fourth quarter. And it was at that moment that Browns fan Nathan Mallett, who had celebrated his birthday the previous evening, would make a decision that would end in disaster.

"You look a little different from the last time I saw you, baby," James Harrison said as he took a seat at the Napa Prime Chophouse & Cigar Bar in Marshall. Waiting for him was the fan that he made taste dirt two decades ago.

“You look the same,” the fan said, starting the meet on far better terms than their first interaction.

Frustrated with the Browns' performance, Mallett said: "If I was out there on the field, I could get to Roethlisberger before anyone on the Browns’ defense." And just like that, Nathan Mallett decided to do exactly what he said.

As the Browns fan ran toward the midfield, the Steelers' linebacker James Harrison didn't miss the chance to stop him. As Mattell tried to run past Harrison, the NFL star channeled his inner Brock Lesnar and suplexed him in front of 73,136 spectators.

Even Morrison remembers that Mallett looked around and then "looked up at me. You were like, ‘Oh yeah, I got your a-- now!’". The Cleveland police took it from there, and as Mallett recalled during their reunion: "You slammed some sense into me."

Nathan Mallett is now 16 years sober, married, and has an 8-year-old son. It's a life in which James Harrison inadvertently helped Mallett build. The two chatted about a lot of things, from Harrison’s football stories to a Browns-themed song that Mallett’s band performs.

But Mallet's punishment in 2005 didn't end with James Harrison's suplex

The moment went viral, and Mallett spent that night in a cell. The court charged him with criminal trespassing. Judge Joan Synenberg sentenced him to five years of probation and 250 hours of community service.

Court-mandated attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous classes, and a series of fines were also a part of his punishment.

That fall, he was placed under house arrest only on days when the Browns played a home game. The Browns also banned him from attending games for the next five seasons.

But Mallet had no grudge and turned his life around. “I’m pretty pumped that we were able to do this,” he said, and thanked James Harrison, who could only sit back, nod his head, and shoot Mallett a look of appreciation.

Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi