James Harrison said he’s been persecuted and prosecuted in the media.
Advertisement
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported Harrison would meet with the league on August 28 at team headquarters with stipulations for the interview, including that questions be limited to the brief reference to Harrison in the Al-Jazeera video. If they agree to talk to the league, they would essentially be setting a precedent for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to haul in any player to the league office who was accused of something – as these players were in an Al-Jazeera report back in December.
When it comes down to it, I want to play, but its certain rules and things they need to go through that they didnt even go through just to start an investigation, Harrison said at training camp.
“I think it’s pretty typical of how things have been going with them lately”, Rodgers said of the National Football League pursuing the investigation.
“Like I said before, I don’t have a problem with doing an interview”, Harrison said. Whatever evidence they think they may have or reasoning for questioning me is out of my control. “I wouldn’t be on the team, it would hurt the team, it would hurt my teammates and coaches, so it was easier to do the interview”.
So whether Harrison’s interview is televised (which would be great) or simply privately preserved for future reference and use, it becomes critical for Harrison and the NFLPA to insist on the creation of a clear record of everything that transpires during the interview.
In late June, the NFLPA released a statement that said, “The NFL has chosen to initiate an investigation of these players based upon now-recanted statements that appeared in an Al Jazeera report”. A fourth player, former defensive lineman Mike Neal, has not yet agreed to speak to the NFL.
Any suspension will remain in effect until the players meet with league investigators and then Commissioner Roger Goodell will decide whether to lift any disciplinary action.
NFL Players Association attorney Heather McPhee sent a letter to the NFL on Thursday, accusing it of trying to “bully and publicly shame” Harrison without offering evidence beyond a brief mention on TV past year that was recanted by the accuser. However, he also said that each of them will decide individually whether to do so.
On Tuesday, I asked Bears kicker and NFLPA rep Robbie Gould about Goodell’s ever-increasing power and the down-the-road ramifications for all players.
Advertisement
“That was something we should have had negotiated into the CBA because there shouldn’t be somebody who is the judge, jury and executioner, as they say”. The players have refused to be interviewed without being presented with what they’ve called credible evidence. “But, the truth will come out and everything I said when the allegations came out I still stand by, so I just try to kind of put that in the rearview mirror and focus on the season”. “I don’t know. It’s annoying, there’s no doubt about that”.
