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James Harrison Prepared To Sit Out In Al-Jazeera Case

The latest fallout from the infamous Al-Jazeera PED report from last December is that the NFL has demanded meetings between the league and each incriminated player. The list originally included James Harrison, Peyton Manning, Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers, and Mike Neal.

Manning apparently complied with the league’s requests back in January and retired after winning the Super Bowl, but the rest of these players are still on the hook. A letter to the NFLPA stated that failure to arrange a meeting and “meaningfully participate” in the investigation will result in a suspension for conduct detrimental beginning August 26, and lasting until the player has fully participated and Commissioner Roger Goodell has determined that the suspension should be lifted.

While it may seem that the easiest course of action would be to just comply with the league’s wishes, and that may be true from the team’s perspective, it’s not quite so simple. This investigation by the NFL seems to be in violation of the terms of the NFL-NFLPA drug substances abuse policy, which requires “sufficient credible documented evidence” (per ESPN) before the league can discipline a player. The report most certainly does not meet this standard, and the primary source for the story later recanted his statements to Al-Jazeera. Harrison’s main issue with doing as the league asks is the precedent it sets. The argument is that anybody could report anything they want about a player, then the league could potentially use that to launch an investigation and potentially dole out a suspension.

The 38-year old Harrison says he is willing to take the advice given to him by the NFLPA, which for now is to go about business as usual (and not submit to questioning). We’ll see if it comes to an actual suspension, but if it does, it will be a big hit for the Steeler defense. He was a key component of the outside linebacker rotation last year, and In the limited week 1 preseason action he flashed his strength and explosiveness off the line. He clearly has plenty left in the tank to continue to be effective in a situational pass rushing role. The fight for player rights, though, has far more long-term consequences for both the Pittsburgh Steelers and all players in the NFL than a few games, or even a season.

It seems most likely that the NFLPA will blink first and advise the players involved to submit to the interviews with league officials. For what it’s worth, Harrison himself is not worried about the actual results of the interview, just the consequences of bowing to the wishes of the league. So if the players’ association decides to go that route, we will hopefully see Harrison on the field without missing any time. With that August 25th deadline just eight days away, we should have an update on the situation soon.

Michael Otmanski

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  • So you’re saying we shouldn’t start witch hunts after unverified reports are leaked? Feel ya there man. Long live the king in the north, we’ll see you in Feb Goodell. Nice article.