The NFL has sent a letter threatening the imminent suspension of four players for their lack of cooperation related to a report that implicated them in a plot to acquire performance enhancing drugs.
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Harrison is among a group of four players that include Green Bay Packers linebackers Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers and linebacker Mike Neal, who is now a free agent.
In a memo to the NFL Players Assn. on Monday, Adolpho Birch, NFL senior vice president of labor policy and league affairs, said the league has made “at least seven attempts” to arrange interviews with the players.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison said he is weighing his options in regard to whether to cooperate with the National Football League investigation into steroid allegations that surfaced late previous year via a report by Al-Jazeera.
Do you remember when now-defunct Al Jazeera America accused a number of professional athletes-most notably Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning-of using performance-enhancing drugs acquired from the Guyer Institute in Indiana? “Bring Roger (Goodell) with you”, Harrison said.
If the NFL did suspend the players, it’s likely the NFLPA would file a lawsuit claiming that the league had overstepped its bounds in forcing the players to submit to interrogation and asking for an injunction to stay the suspensions.
Harrison said that he was “unsure” if he felt he was being used as a pawn in a larger fight between the league and the union but again reiterated that he is not opposed to being interviewed to get the situation out of the way but under one condition. “As previously stated, we will make every effort to accommodate the NFLPA’s availability, within the outlined time period”. Thompson was asked five more questions on the subject, refusing only to answer whether Matthews and Peppers have spoken to league investigators now that the NFL has placed an August 25 deadline for them to do so.
The NFL isn’t accusing Harrison and company of using PEDs, it’s doing its due diligence to look into a report about the use of PEDs among some of its players.
Their punishment would then start the following day on an indefinite basis, to be ended at the discretion of Commissioner Roger Goodell once an interview has been completed.
“Somebody could come out and say that James Harrison is a pedophile”, Harrison said.
JETS: Running back Matt Forte says he’ll “definitely” be ready to play in the regular-season opener against Cincinnati despite a hamstring injury that has prevented him from fully practicing during training camp. Which at this point, also appears to be the plan for Matthews and Peppers.
Matthews, Peppers, former Packer Mike Neal and Steeler linebacker James Harrison were singled out in this week’s letter from the league.
BILLS: Defensive tackle Marcell Dareus was suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy for the second time in two years.
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“We can not accept your unilateral assertion that the cursory, untested statements you have submitted satisfy the players’ obligation”, Birch wrote. Brady will be suspended for the first four games of the season.
