I don't respect Rodney Harrison

[WickerBill]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2999994


New England Patriots strong safety Rodney Harrison will be suspended by the NFL for four games, sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen, after admitting to federal investigators and to league officials that he used Human Growth Hormone.

[greenie]

Bummer. Great player.

[Insomniac]

Neither do I. Credit for coming clean and being a man about it, but no excuse. Cheating is cheating.


This is Rodney Harrison and I am basically here to let you all know that tomorrow the commissioner will announce I have been suspended by the NFL for violating the league policy for substance abuse. That suspension will be four games. I want to make it clear that not once did I ever use steroids. I did admit to the commissioner that I did in fact use a banned substance. My purpose was never to gain a competitive edge. Rather my use was solely for the purpose of accelerating the healing process of injuries I sustained while playing football.

I have not made excuses nor will I make excuses. I made a mistake and I am very sorry for that. I understand that I am a role model from high school, to college, to young kids. I do not condone my business, my behavior. I am very, very embarrassed by it. I am disappointed in myself. For any young person, any high schooler, any college athlete, I have been [inaudible] with my actions and I would ask, and I would not want to be the example for them, to never jeopardize what they believe in, to never jeopardize their health. And they always have to love themselves.

At this time, I would like to ask all you guys, because I know you have a hundred million questions for me, but this is a mistake, and this is something that I have done. This is nothing that my teammates were involved in and I ask that at this time the respect of my teammates not to be violated. This is something Rodney Harrison did, Rodney Harrison did alone. My teammates did not do it. So as they are preparing for the Jets and the San Diego game and Cincinnati and those games after that, I would ask that you just would give them the respect not to badger them with questions, because they do not have any information. As well as my family -- I have kids, I have a wife, and I would just ask for the respect for my family. It was something I did and they should not have to go through it.

I will be absent from the team for the next four weeks. That is a penalty that I have to serve. I intend to return and do my best to really help this team in any capacity I can help this team get back to winning the championship. It has been a tough time for me. The last week or two, even before this, I have apologized to my family, which has supported me, all my friends, and now I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to my teammates. Like I said before, they never were involved with this. This is something I did and I apologize to them for being a distraction because that is the last thing we need going into the regular season. I never intended for that to happen. I apologize to the entire New England Patriots organization and the fans who have supported me so faithfully over the past five seasons here, through Super Bowls, injury, through ups and downs. They have supported me. I definitely, definitely appreciate them. At this time, that is my statement. I am not answering any questions. Like I asked before, I appreciate your patience and I just ask that you respect my teammates and my family. Thank you.

[emjaya]

Four games? Is that all. :saywhat:

[WickerBill]

It just seems weird to use a growth hormone to aid healing. I know it is done, but it is also (mostly?) used to aid in muscle and bone expansion.

Add to that that it's generally undetectable, and we only know about it because he admitted it to the spooks... it makes it hard for me to believe A. he only used it for injury and B. there aren't hundreds of guys in the NFL on the stuff.

[Insomniac]

Four games? Is that all. :saywhat:

That's the penalty for the first time violators. Note that he was never actually caught by any testing since the NFL does not test for HGH. Only reason he got caught was that he bought the stuff from a company that got rasided and the Feds got his name from them. If he lied to the Feds, they could've hit him with perjury charges I assume. The part I dont get is why was NFL security there at his meeting with the Feds and why didn't he or his lawyer insist that they weren't?

Also, given that his knee was shredded in the beginning of the 2005 season (three torn ligaments) and he was back on the field for 2006, that in hindsight was a very good recovery. With people coming back from ACL injuries faster, I wonder if HGH use in treatment of injuries is more widespread?

[Ed_Severson]

My purpose was never to gain a competitive edge. Rather my use was solely for the purpose of accelerating the healing process of injuries I sustained while playing football.

Would somebody care to explain to me how accelerating the healing process is not done for a competitive edge?

kthnxbye

[Insomniac]

It just seems weird to use a growth hormone to aid healing. I know it is done, but it is also (mostly?) used to aid in muscle and bone expansion.

Add to that that it's generally undetectable, and we only know about it because he admitted it to the spooks... it makes it hard for me to believe A. he only used it for injury and B. there aren't hundreds of guys in the NFL on the stuff.

HGH does expand the muscle and that's what he needed for the knee injury to get back faster. He was off of it for a while and needed to rebuild the strength and stability in it. I don't think it actually builds muscle/bone mass, but allows your body to recover faster after workouts. So he really didn't need to "heal" since his knee was repaired surgically, it was the rehab part the HGH helped him with.

I don't know if anyone knows when, or if, he stopped using it though.

[Insomniac]

Would somebody care to explain to me how accelerating the healing process is not done for a competitive edge?

kthnxbye

In the most literal sense, if it was used as treatment to regain his strength during rehab and he stopped using it at the end of his rehab (before he got back on the field) then I assume that is what he meant. So not for a competitive edge on the field, but something to get him back on to it. But, regardless, it's not allowed by the NFL as treatment, if that's "all" he did.

[nissan gtp]

at least he didn't "find Jesus" ;)

[Methanolandbrats]

at least he didn't "find Jesus" ;) Or start collecting dogs :D

[Gnam]

Four games? Is that all. :saywhat:
That's just for getting caught. The penalty for using steroids/HGH is to fill out a customer satisfaction survey.

Still, even though his admission of guilt wasn't spontaneous, he makes it clear he was wrong and isn't going to lawyer up. Refreshing. :thumbup:

[Ziggy]

First off, Rodney Harrison is a brilliant player who is a poor sport. He takes it out in the form of cheap shots. When the chips are down, he plays dirty.

He's a very big, fast guy.

I understand the whole rehab process. There is no doubt that these HGH have been used by athletes the world over. He really tore his knee up, and he did make a quick and what seems, solid recovery.

Everybody should take the blinders off. These men make more money than 99% of us can ever earn. These are serious numbers for which can only be earned for a short time. Nobody is gonna chase father time through age 40. Ronnie Lott is the only guy I can think of, along with Rod Woodson, who had a career at such a high level for such a long time. Harrison figures into this catagory. He really is a good player

But I dont like him (he may not like me, I can deal with that) However, he did come clean about it himself (and the gun to the head anology is no doubt true, getting him to lie) at least he has the God given sense to realize lying would only get him in the hole deeper.

I give it a push. I got bigger problems to worry about ;)

[greenie]

^^^

I generally agree w/that (except I don't consider RH a cheap shot artist - that's a safety's job).

The NFL is a brutal existence, and there is plenty of drug use going on because they have to hang in there somehow. You make a great point about the quick window of a player's career - I'm pretty sure that the average wash out is still under 5 years. The NFL pension doesn't kick in until you reach 5 years, and doesn't pay out till the players hit 45. That may have changed, but that's the way it was in the late 90s and early 00's for sure.

A lot of the players hit injury settlements before they get cut in preseason (veterans that is), and apply for and get workers' comp. I know that for a fact.

Can't blame them for trying to make a living.

[Badger]

I believe over 50% of the league has used performance enhancing drugs at some point. If it was rampant in baseball, it's only logical to think it was even worse in football.

[chop456]

bone expansion.

Heh heh heh.

http://www.myspaceanimations.com/images/beavis_butthead_static.jpg

[/12yearold]

[Insomniac]

I believe over 50% of the league has used performance enhancing drugs at some point. If it was rampant in baseball, it's only logical to think it was even worse in football.

They didn't even test for it in baseball until recently.

[greenie]

I believe over 50% of the league has used performance enhancing drugs at some point. If it was rampant in baseball, it's only logical to think it was even worse in football.

I'll bet it's higher than that. I knew a lot of NFL players in a certain Southern city in 97 -98, and the drug use was very high. At the time GHB was legal (you could buy it at GNC), and that was used as a work out booster (and a party favor). Also, they tested for drugs every Thursday - so the Sunday night parties were awash w/everything that flushes from the system in a couple days.

[Insomniac]

Days before the Patriots beat the Tennessee Titans at a freezing Gillette Stadium in the 2004 playoffs, safety Rodney Harrison placed his first order for HGH, according to a story in Sunday’s Albany Times Union.

The story, which cites unnamed law enforcement sources, said Harrison received a package of preloaded syringes at his home about two weeks before the Patriots beat the Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Harrison would go on to make several discreet calls placing more orders over the next three years, the paper reported.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/football/patriots/view.bg?articleid=1032573

According to that, he started receiving HGH (and presumably using it) before his knee was exploded in 2005. Ironically, it was that Super Bowl he broke his arm in. He made it through 2004 then had his knee shredded in 2005 and broke his scapula in 2006 and sprained his MCL in 2006.

[spinner26]

his coach should have to sit at LEAST four games plus whatever fine he has to pay.

Fuggin cheater!:flame:

[Insomniac]

his coach should have to sit at LEAST four games plus whatever fine he has to pay.

Fuggin cheater!:flame:

I think short of a lifetime ban, people would yell it's not enough.

Look, he violated a rule not allowing them to record signals. Stealing signals is not against the rules. It's the recording of them that is. On top of that, they were not used during that game. They were archived for use later.

Other coaches have come out and said they did this in the past, others have said it would be of no benefit since they are constantly changing signals because they know people do what the Patriots were CAUGHT doing. (They are certainly not the only team to ever record signals.)

The fine means nothing. The loss of the #1 will hurt more. The Patriots have hit on every #1 (too early to know on Maroney, but he looked good last year and way too early to know on Meriweather). They have used their #1 to maneuver in the draft as well. They are losing some of that flexibility and a very high likelihood someone who would contribute for 5 years, or maybe more.