Three of the four players accused in the Al Jazeera documentary of PED use have decided to submit to the league’s talk-or-else interview demand. PFT has obtained a copy of the letter sent to the league on behalf of Steelers linebacker James Harrison.
In the letter signed by NFLPA Associate General Counsel Heather McPhee, the union accuses the league of a “public shaming” media strategy, and also blames the league for leaking the letter threatening Harrison and the other players with a suspension before it was given to Harrison or the union.
The letter also points to the question that has sparked the controversy culminating in the NFL’s alleged bullying of the players: “Is the NFL aware of any credible evidence -- other than the recanted remarks by one individual shown by Al-Jazeera -- that indicates there is any validity to the remarks about Mr. Harrison?”
The letter takes the position that the PED policy does not authorize the NFL to demand an interview under threat of suspension, and that Article 46 has no application in this case. Nevertheless, Harrison has agreed to be interviewed “to answer NFL investigators’ questions about the only remarks about him in the Al-Jazeera report,” which consists of Charles Sly saying Harrison is a “f--king beast,” that Sly supplied him “with some stuff,” and that Harrison specifically takes Delta-2.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, similar letters were sent on behalf of Packers linebacker Clay Matthews and Packers linebacker Julius Peppers. (The similarities resulted in a typo in Harrison’s letter, regarding his willingness to be interviewed on August 24 “at the Packers’ facility. He will make himself available at the Steelers’ facility.) Free-agent defensive lineman Mike Neal has not agreed to be interviewed.
The fact that Neal has declined the demand to be interviewed means that his situation will likely become the test case for determining whether Article 46 trumps the PED policy. The fact that Harrison (and presumably Matthews and Peppers) have placed restrictions on the questions they are willing to answer could set the stage for further disagreement and controversy during the interviews -- and possibly an effort to suspend them after the fact, if they are deemed to have not fully cooperated with the investigation.
UPDATE 5:33 a.m. ET 8/19/16: A revised letter on behalf of Harrison indicates that he will make himself available at 5:00 p.m. ET on August 30, 2016 at the Steelers’ facility. That’s five days after the deadline articulated by the NFL in Monday’s letter.