James Harrison denies use of PEDs in sworn affidavit
By Hunter Cooke
James Harrison has denied use of PEDs in a sworn affidavit based on his alleged use by Al-Jazeera.
The Al-Jazeera documentary is somewhat of a controversy. Some say they’re bunk and that there’s nothing wrong, some say while they’re imperfect, they’re indicative of a culture of PED usage in the NFL and MLB. The NFL has planned to interview Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers and James Harrison about their alleged use.
Today, Harrison submitted an affidavit through the NFLPA stating that he did not take any PEDs and that by submitting this, he has fully cooperated with the NFL’s investigation. The cover letter attached states:
"“in the absence of the existence of any documented, credible evidence, this affidavit constitutes reasonable cooperation”"
Harrison had originally planned to comply with the NFL’s interviews, but only at a time and place of his choosing.
The documentary linked many professional football and baseball players, including Peyton Manning, to a controversial Indiana clinic that provided clients with human growth hormone and other various performance enhancing substances. A former employee of the clinic was interviewed for the documentary but later recanted his statements, saying that they were recorded without his consent.
This will be Harrison’s 14th season in the NFL, 13 of them with Pittsburg. He’s been cut and resigned by the Steelers multiple times over his career, most of them coming during his early years on the Steeler’s practice squad. He retired in 2014 but returned to the Steelers after they sustained multiple injuries to their defense.
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