James Harrison is a man caught in the middle in what would appear to be a power play between the National Football League and its union.
For now, Harrison will continue to listen to his NFL Players Association lawyers who have advised him not to agree to an interview with the league, which is still trying to investigate an eight-month old report by a now-defunct television network. That story claimed he was sent a performance-enhancing substance banned by the NFL.
The source for that report later said he had lied to the network about his claims.
Nevertheless, the NFL has pursued Harrison along with two current Green Bay Packers, Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews, to consent to an interview with its investigators on the matter, even though they have no more evidence than the flimsy TV report.
In doing so, the league has perpetuated a negative story for seven months that seems to be headed nowhere. It has no proof and Harrison has denied ever using a banned substance, even in a sworn affidavit that was delivered to NFL headquarters.
But it has not been enough for the NFL, which went to great lengths to establish its power by breaking Tom Brady, perhaps the league’s biggest star, in order to establish its authority to suspend him for four games over Deflategate.
Now it’s time for the league to put the hammer down on Harrison et al in what we might call Inflategate even though there is little evidence they used PEDs. The league sent a letter to the union advising it that if the players did not consent to be interviewed by Aug. 25, they would be suspended starting Aug. 26.
“I’ll do what I have to do, they’ll do what they have to do, we’ll make that decision when the time comes," Harrison said today at training camp in Latrobe. “Nobody wants to be suspended, but you know...
“When it comes down to it,” Harrison said, “I want to play but [there are] certain rules and things they need to go through that they didn’t even go through just to even start an investigation, you know?”
It would seem to be a simple act for Harrison to allow the interview, deny everything as he did in his affidavit, be done with it and get on with his 14th season. But it is obvious the union lawyers have advised him not to do just that.
“It’s the union," one Steelers source said as to why the issue has not been resolved.
Yet it also appears that the NFL has stiffened over the challenge to its authority that every team in the league but one allowed it to have in the vote for the collective bargaining agreement in 2011. The Steelers players were the only ones to vote it down.
“It’s too ticky-tack right now," said Ramon Foster, the Steelers’ union player representative. “I mean, the NFL isn’t the one who even did this investigation, so why are they asking about someone else’s investigation? It’s a use of power.”
Foster said Harrison never has tested positive during random PED tests required by the collective bargaining agreement, including one the linebacker said he took this morning at Saint Vincent College.
“Never," Foster said. “To show power, that honestly is all this is about right now — power. I think it’s right what Debo is doing — don’t show up to it. They can’t make him do that.
“He’s never been found guilty of PEDs. What more do you want? I think they just want to show they’re covering their bases. The guy never [urinated] dirty [in a test], never had any kind of issues. It’s kind of ridiculous.”
Harrison also has had a contentious relationship with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the league. He said in a magazine article that if the commissioner were on fire, he would not urinate on him to put it out, that he hates him. He also was incensed with fines the league issued him over his style of play on defense that they deemed not within the new safety rules. They even suspended him for a game because of it in 2011.
Before camp, Harrison announced that he would grant the interview provided Goodell attended the session and that it be at Harrison’s home.
“Like I said before,” Harrison reiterated today, “I don’t have a problem with doing an interview. Come to my house. Bring Roger with you.”
As to why he has resisted agreeing to an interview on the NFL’s terms, Harrison said: “I mean, if that’s the case, then somebody could come out and say James Harrison is a pedophile. Are they going to suspend me, put me under investigation for being a pedophile just because somebody said it? I mean, I’m not going to answer questions for every little thing that some Tom, Dick and Harry comes up with.”
Harrison said he is willing to continue his fight if that is his lawyers’ advice.
“I’m just doing what I’m advised to do. It’s the right thing to do ... I follow the advice of my attorneys.”
Those with the union?
“Of course, yes the union attorneys, those are my attorneys, NFLPA."
But Harrison paused when asked if he would agree to the NFL’s request if the Steelers advised him to go ahead and do it. He then said, “I mean, you know, I guess I’ll just have to deal with that when the time comes. I’m sure it would lean me in that direction because I don’t want to let my teammates down, I don’t want to let the organization down.
“But we’ll deal with that when the time comes.”
The Steelers may be staying out of it.
“I won’t advise James of anything," Mike Tomlin said today. “That has nothing to do with us. That’s between him, the [players association] and the league, and I assume he is going to do what he needs to do.”
First Published: August 16, 2016, 3:57 p.m.
Updated: August 16, 2016, 6:44 p.m.
