Starkey: League Wrong To Pursue Harrison Interview
- Although Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette doesn’t necessarily doubt ex-Guyer Institute pharmacist Charlie Sly’s allegations regarding performance-enhancing drugs in the NFL, the writer blasts commissioner Roger Goodell over the league’s desire to interview the Steelers’ James Harrison concerning PEDs. The 38-year-old linebacker was among several players Sly accused of receiving PEDs and-or painkillers from Guyer Institute in a 2015 Al Jazeera documentary. Sly has since recanted his claims, however, and with that in mind, Starkey doesn’t see the credible evidence necessary to pursue an interview with Harrison. The NFL Players Association echoed a similar sentiment in a letter to the league earlier this week, and Harrison took to social media to express the limited terms under which he’d agree to an interview.
Latest On NFL’s PED Investigation
THURSDAY, 6:52pm: The NFL fired back at the NFLPA on Thursday, noting that sufficient grounds for an investigation are indeed present and the union’s stance is “fundamentally at odds with the CBA,” NFL senior vice president of labor affairs Adolpho Birch said in a letter to the union obtained by USA Today.
“While we readily agree that such evidence is required to support the imposition of discipline, nothing in the CBA or the policy imposes such a requirement before possible violations of the policy may be investigated,” Birch wrote. “Obviously, the standard that you advocate — that the league cannot undertake an investigation unless and until it has established the facts and claims to be investigated — would simply ensure that there would be no investigations at all.”
Birch’s letter also mentioned the active players summoned in this investigation have an obligation to comply or face possible league-imposed discipline. The letter did not contain anything pertaining to Manning, who is retired and not currently represented by the NFLPA.
WEDNESDAY, 10:48am: Tuesday, the NFLPA sent the NFL formal letters on behalf of four players named in Al Jazeera’s December documentary. In the letter, the union demanded that the league produce “sufficient credible evidence” before prying into the business of James Harrison, Clay Matthews, Mike Neal, and Julius Peppers.
[RELATED: NFL Plans To Interview Peyton Manning]
“Especially in a business where the mere mention of a player-employee’s name can generate ratings for a broadcaster, the NFLPA and Mr. Harrison do not believe that unsupported, unsubstantiated verbal remarks provide ‘sufficient credible evidence’ to initiate an investigation of, and require an interview with, an employee,” the union wrote in a letter defending Harrison (Twitter link via Albert Breer of The MMQB).
Without “sufficient credible evidence,” the NFL is not permitted to punish players for suspected use of performance enhancing substances, per the terms of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. The NFLPA’s letter cites this section of the CBA and argues that the since-recanted recordings Charles Sly do not meet the qualifications:
“Sufficient credible evidence includes but is not limited to: criminal convictions or plea arrangements; admissions, declarations, affidavits, authenticated witness statements, corroborated law enforcement reports or testimony in legal proceedings; authenticated banking, telephone, medical or pharmacy records; or credible information obtained from Players who provide assistance pursuant to Section 10 of the Policy.”
In addition to Harrison, Matthews, Neal, and Peppers, the NFLPA was inclined to tell Peyton Manning not to participate in the league’s investigation, because it feels the NFL lacks jurisdiction in that area, Breer tweets. Still, Manning may participate anyway, because of the possibility that he may wish to become a front office executive (Twitter link). Because he is retired, he is being handled separately and he cannot truly be forced to act one way or another by either the league office or the union.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Zeise: Steelers Should Extend Brown Over Bell
- If the Steelers are deciding on whether to give a long-term deal to rusher Le’Veon Bell or receiver Antonio Brown, they should choose the latter in a runaway, opines Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Brown is four years older than Bell, but Zeise points to running backs’ short shelf lives and the position’s fungibility as reasons to favor the wideout. It helps Zeise’s argument that, despite Bell’s 10-game absence, the Steelers had the eighth-best yards-per-carry average in the league last season, when DeAngelo Williams amassed 907 yards and 11 touchdowns on 200 carries in his age-32 campaign. Brown, meanwhile, tied for the league lead in receptions (136), finished second in yards (1,834) and found the end zone 10 times. He still has two years left on his deal, whereas Bell is entering a contract year.
James Harrison Lashes Out At NFL
The NFL has made plans to interview all of the players (yes, Peyton Manning included) implicated in last year’s Al Jazeera America documentary, but not all of them are thrilled about it. Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who has clashed with commissioner Roger Goodell in the past, laid out his conditions for an interview on Instagram this week (sic):
- Mike Wallace, who joined the Ravens on a free agent deal this offseason, believes that he has actually improved since his days with the Steelers. “I think I’ve gotten better, even though (the) numbers don’t say so,” the 29-year-old Wallace said of his career since leaving the Steelers in 2013, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. “I think I’ll get better this year, and I’ll show some people I have a lot up my sleeve.” In March, the Ravens inked Wallace to a two-year, $11.5MM deal with a $4.5MM signing bonus. He also due a $1MM roster bonus on the fifth day of the 2017 league year. His option for year two must be exercised or declined by the end of the 2016 league year.
Steelers Sign Brandon Johnson
- The Steelers signed running back Brandon Johnson to fill the roster spot vacated when kicker Shaun Suisham was released, the club announced. Johnson, who walked on at Penn State, is now taking a similar route to the NFL, were he’ll sign as a undrafted free agent after trying out at Pittsburgh’s minicamp last month. He managed only four carries during his senior season, and mainly served as a special teams player.
Jordan Zumwalt Working At ILB, Faces Long Odds
- Jordan Zumwalt, the Steelers‘ sixth-round pick in 2014, spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons on injured reserve with a hip injury, and the hip surgery that ended his 2015 campaign before it started took over five hours to complete and included a brutal recovery/rehabilitation period. Now hopefully healthy, Zumwalt has been working exclusively at inside linebacker in offseason workouts, as Ray Fittipaldo of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes, and he still has a chance to make the club in that role as the Steelers seek to replace Sean Spence and Terence Garvin. The odds, however, remain stacked against him.
NFL To Interview Players Named In PED Doc
2:41pm: The players in question are and have been willing to submit to interviews, but things have been delayed due to the bureaucratic differences between the two sides on the scope of the interviews and other factors relevant to the process, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. The NFLPA is concerned about the precedent that these interviews could set, given the credibility issues that have been raised about the documentary. Going forward, the union is concerned that something as arbitrary as accusations of drug use via social media could lead to league examination, which is the type of thing the NFLPA does not want to invite.
12:09pm: The NFL has informed the NFLPA that league officials will show up on the first day of training camp to interview three players named in the Al-Jazeera America documentary linking them to performance enhancing drugs, according to USA Today’s Tom Pelissero. 
[RELATED: NFL, NFLPA Clashing Over PED Investigation]
Packers linebackers Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews and Steelers linebacker James Harrison are all scheduled for interviews the day camps open. For Peppers and Matthews, that means interviews on July 26th. The Steelers, meanwhile, open camp on July 29th. Former Packers linebacker Mike Neal is currently without a team, but he’ll be interviewed on or before July 22nd, per the letter.
Conspicuously absent from the notice, however, is any mention of former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. However, a source tells Pelissero that the investigation into Manning’s involvement is ongoing.
Since Manning is no longer an active player, he cannot be forced to speak to the league about the accusations though, by the same token, he is free to discuss anything he wants with the league without being hindered by the NFLPA. However, Manning is reportedly hoping to hold a front office position at some point, and that could motivate him to discuss things with the NFL.
Neal, meanwhile, still wants to play football and he believes that the documentary has “heavily, heavily, heavily, heavily, heavily” influenced his extended free agency.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Shaun Suisham Cut By Steelers, Will Retire
10:06am: It sounds as though Suisham is retiring following his release today. In a statement to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link), Suisham reflected on his career and discussed life after football:
“Unfortunately, the injury I sustained in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game last preseason was catastrophic and has proven to be critical to continuing my career. My journey in the NFL has come to a crossroads. I was raised in Wallaceburg, Ontario, as a hockey player and have been on an improbable 16-year journey as a kicker, competing at the highest level. The absolute nature of my position has given me the opportunity to test my resolve, and I have grown both professionally and as a man. Undoubtedly, I will miss the challenge of game day and the preparation that is required. Change is hard, but I’m comfortable with where I am in life as a husband and father.”
9:20am: The Steelers announced that they have released kicker Shaun Suisham with a failed physical designation. According to the team’s announcement, Suisham suffered a setback in his recovery from an ACL tear.
“Unfortunately Shaun incurred a setback in his recovery from knee surgery that won’t allow him to compete in a timely manner,” Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert said in a statement. “Shaun has played a significant role in our success during his time in Pittsburgh. He has been the consummate professional on the field and in our community. We wish he and his family all the best in the future.”
Suisham recently admitted that he wasn’t sure if he would be ready for training camp at the end of July.
“Any sort of a battle is not an issue with me right now because I am not healthy,” Suisham said. “I will continue to work to get there, but I don’t know when that will be. I don’t have a time frame. Hopefully, it is for training camp.”
Suisham signed a four-year, $12.5MM extension in 2014, making him one of the top 10 highest-paid kickers in the NFL. Now, by releasing him, the Steelers will save $2.4MM against the cap. Chris Boswell, who appears to have won the kicker battle that never really got underway, makes the NFL minimum $525K.
Suisham spent the 2015 season on IR and Boswell sank 29 of 32 field goal tries while he was sidelined. Even though Boswell did enough in the eyes of many to win the kicking job for 2016, the Steelers still wanted to give Suisham every opportunity to try and claim the role for the coming year. Unfortunately, the 34-year-old was not able to heal up in time.
Over the course of his ten-year career (excluding his lost 2015 campaign), Suisham has suited up for the Cowboys, Redskins, and Steelers. In his last five years with Pittsburgh, Suisham has nailed 84.1% of his field goal attempts and 99.3% of his extra point tries.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bruce Arians: Steelers Betrayed Me
- Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians told Andrea Kremer of HBO that he felt “betrayed” when the Steelers let him go after the 2011 season, ending his five-year stint as their offensive coordinator (via Jeremy Cluff of the Arizona Republic). “I had admired Mike Tomlin so much. And I really thought he was a coach who really cared about his people. And for him to do this, well, I felt very disillusioned,” said Arians, who accused Tomlin of reneging on a promise to renew his contract. Arians believes the perception that he was too close with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger – with whom he won a Super Bowl – contributed to his demise in Pittsburgh. The 63-year-old also told Kremer he was “legitimately retired” after his tenure with the Steelers concluded, but Colts head coach Chuck Pagano then hired him as Indianapolis’ O-coordinator. Arians ended up as Indy’s head coach for 12 games, leading the team to a 9-3 record as Pagano battled leukemia. That success paved the way for Arians to land in Arizona, where he has helped the Cardinals to a sterling 34-17 regular-season mark and three straight playoff appearances.
Steelers, Le'Veon Bell Not Talking Contract Yet
- The Steelers and star running back Le’Veon Bell aren’t discussing a new deal “right now,” he told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, because the 24-year-old isn’t willing to delve into extension talks until his surgically repaired knee is 100 percent. Bell – who’s entering a contract year – missed seven games last season because of a torn MCL and PCL, though he now feels “great.”