Former Jets DT Damon Harrison isn't fond of his 'Snacks' nickname

Former HC Rex Ryan dished out the nickname

10/27/2018, 12:51 AM
Nov 24, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; New York Jets nose tackle Damon Harrison (94) against the Buffalo Bills at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports / Andrew Weber
Nov 24, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; New York Jets nose tackle Damon Harrison (94) against the Buffalo Bills at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports / Andrew Weber

Damon "Snacks" Harrison has a new home. And he may want a new nickname, too. 

The veteran defensive tackle was traded to the Lions this week, as the Giants started to trade off their assets to kickstart a rebuild. During his time in New York with the Jets and Giants, Snacks has always been the name the talented run stopper has answered too.

But it's not his true nickname as he explained.

"I grew up with a nickname," Harrison explained to Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett. "That's not my nickname, so this was given to me in the NFL. It meant I was sticking around. It just hung around. My mom calls me Snacks now, too."

The nickname came about during Harrison's rookie season in 2012, when Jets head coach Rex Ryan and defensive line coach Karl Dunbar dubbed the Snacks moniker. It stuck immediately, and it carried over when he signed with the Giants as a free agent in 2016. 

But growing up, Harrison went by a few names like Heavy D, Boss Hogg and Big Dame. 

Now, the big man doesn't want to entirely abandon the name football fans know and love. His Twitter handle, for one, is still "@snacks." And honestly, Snacks could have been something much worse. 

"It could have been worse," he said. "There was a guy named Lunch Meat."

However, this is the first time in his seven-year career that he is out of the tri-state area. So, with a new beginning, Harrison is looking for Detroit to give him a new nickname.

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