With so little known about how or why Matthews, Peppers and company were mentioned in this report, it seems unlikely that there will be enough evidence for the league to reasonably suspend them for any violations of the CBA’s performance-enhancing substance policy.
Advertisement
Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers and James Harrison will be interviewed next month by National Football League officials in connection to a media report that linked them to the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The interviews for the now signed players are set to be conducted on the first day of their team’s training camp.
Additionally, free agent linebacker Mike Neal, a former Packer, will be interviewed on or before July 22.
But USA Today, citing an unnamed source, reported that an investigation into Manning’s possible involvement also is progressing.
The subject of the Al-Jazeera America report, former anti-aging clinic intern Charlie Sly, has since recanted.
“In fairness to all, including the players involved”, Birch’s letter reads, “we must move forward with the interviews”.
The NFL has notified the NFLPA that it will continue its investigation and interview the players named in the report.
In the letter, he wrote: “The players that were further advised that, with their full and timely cooperation, the investigation would be conducted and with minimal disruption”.
NFL senior vice president for labor policy and league affairs Adolpho Birch said in a letter to NFLPA counsel Heather McPhee that the league has tried to arrange interviews through union since early April with several players linked to performance-enhancing drugs in the film, which was broadcast in December.
“While the investigation has proceeded”, he continued, “we have yet to interview the players”.
“The NFLPA represents its players in conjunction with any investigation by their employer”, the union said in a statement obtained by the AP. Accordingly, this will advise that the interviews of Messrs. After the report came out, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the league would launch an investigation into its veracity. Matthews and Peppers, both of the Green Bay Packers, and Harrison, of the Pittsburgh Steelers, are set to answer to officials next month. An NFLPA spokesman declined comment to the newspaper. The NFL has not provided any other evidence, nor has it informed the NFLPA or players that any such evidence exists.
Advertisement
The NFL plans to interview players named in an Al-Jazeera America report a year ago linking them to performance-enhancing drugs.
