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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.
Harrison had a hearing with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Friday, the sources said, and the Patriots could announce the suspension as early as Saturday, when all teams must reduce their rosters to the regular-season limit of 53 players.
A league spokesman said Friday the NFL will not comment on the Harrison case. Harrison could not be immediately reached for comment. A Patriots source told ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli that the team is aware of the sanction against the 13-year veteran and is "dealing with it." The team source declined to say when the Patriots became aware of Harrison's involvement.
League sources confirmed to ESPN and ESPN.com that at least one NFL assistant coach has also been questioned in recent months by investigators as part of the probe. Sources said that the coach remains a person of interest in the investigation.
The Albany (N.Y.) Times-Union reported earlier this year that an unnamed NFL team physician used a personal credit card to purchase $150,000 in testosterone and HGH last year. The physician told investigators the drugs were for legitimate prescriptions.
The admission by Harrison has not been made public, but his name was among those known to federal and New York officials conducting a large-scale investigation into an Internet pharmaceutical distribution ring for steroids and other performance enhancers, such as HGH.
The investigation was instigated by the Albany County district attorney, and involved New York Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement agents and an Orlando, Fla,-based federal task force. In February, state and federal agents and representatives from other law enforcement entities raided two Signature Pharmacy outlets in Orlando, and several Florida clinics alleged to have supplied prescriptions for performance enhancers to professional athletes.
Also, the owners of Applied Pharmacy Services in Mobile, Ala., which is alleged to have provided performance enhancing drugs to athletes were indicted in Albany County.
As part of the Florida and Alabama raids, it is believed that investigators discovered the names of several athletes, but it is not known if Harrison was among them.
Earlier this year, Albany County district attorney David Soares said that he would provide the NFL, Major League Baseball and any other leagues the names of players believed to have made purchases through the alleged distribution ring.
NFL and Major League Baseball officials subsequently traveled to Albany to meet with Soares and other investigators.
The loss of Harrison would certainly be a blow to the Patriots, who have struggled each of the past three seasons with devastating injuries in the secondary. And it would be a setback for Harrison, who has been limited to only 13 games over the last two seasons because of serious injuries.
Coach Bill Belichick and vice president of personnel Scott Pioli have worked hard to build depth in the secondary unit, but their efforts seem to be annually undermined.
Harrison, 34, has begun to decline a bit, but is still regarded as one of the league's most physical safeties, and a leader on the New England defense. He signed with the Patriots in 2003 as a free agent, after being released by the San Diego Chargers, with whom he spent the first nine seasons of his career.
It is likely that Harrison will be replaced in the lineup by either third-year veteran James Sanders or rookie Brandon Meriweather, the team's first-round pick this year.
The four-game suspension will cost Harrison $470,588 of his scheduled 2007 base salary of $2 million.
It marks the second suspension of Harrison's career. In 2002, he was suspended one game by the league for a helmet-to-helmet hit on then-Oakland Raiders wide receiver Jerry Rice. Harrison has also been fined over $200,000 by the league for his aggressive play.
Chris Mortensen is an NFL analyst for ESPN. Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
Harrison had a hearing with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Friday, the sources said, and the Patriots could announce the suspension as early as Saturday, when all teams must reduce their rosters to the regular-season limit of 53 players.
A league spokesman said Friday the NFL will not comment on the Harrison case. Harrison could not be immediately reached for comment. A Patriots source told ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli that the team is aware of the sanction against the 13-year veteran and is "dealing with it." The team source declined to say when the Patriots became aware of Harrison's involvement.
League sources confirmed to ESPN and ESPN.com that at least one NFL assistant coach has also been questioned in recent months by investigators as part of the probe. Sources said that the coach remains a person of interest in the investigation.
The Albany (N.Y.) Times-Union reported earlier this year that an unnamed NFL team physician used a personal credit card to purchase $150,000 in testosterone and HGH last year. The physician told investigators the drugs were for legitimate prescriptions.
The admission by Harrison has not been made public, but his name was among those known to federal and New York officials conducting a large-scale investigation into an Internet pharmaceutical distribution ring for steroids and other performance enhancers, such as HGH.
The investigation was instigated by the Albany County district attorney, and involved New York Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement agents and an Orlando, Fla,-based federal task force. In February, state and federal agents and representatives from other law enforcement entities raided two Signature Pharmacy outlets in Orlando, and several Florida clinics alleged to have supplied prescriptions for performance enhancers to professional athletes.
Also, the owners of Applied Pharmacy Services in Mobile, Ala., which is alleged to have provided performance enhancing drugs to athletes were indicted in Albany County.
As part of the Florida and Alabama raids, it is believed that investigators discovered the names of several athletes, but it is not known if Harrison was among them.
Earlier this year, Albany County district attorney David Soares said that he would provide the NFL, Major League Baseball and any other leagues the names of players believed to have made purchases through the alleged distribution ring.
NFL and Major League Baseball officials subsequently traveled to Albany to meet with Soares and other investigators.
The loss of Harrison would certainly be a blow to the Patriots, who have struggled each of the past three seasons with devastating injuries in the secondary. And it would be a setback for Harrison, who has been limited to only 13 games over the last two seasons because of serious injuries.
Coach Bill Belichick and vice president of personnel Scott Pioli have worked hard to build depth in the secondary unit, but their efforts seem to be annually undermined.
Harrison, 34, has begun to decline a bit, but is still regarded as one of the league's most physical safeties, and a leader on the New England defense. He signed with the Patriots in 2003 as a free agent, after being released by the San Diego Chargers, with whom he spent the first nine seasons of his career.
It is likely that Harrison will be replaced in the lineup by either third-year veteran James Sanders or rookie Brandon Meriweather, the team's first-round pick this year.
The four-game suspension will cost Harrison $470,588 of his scheduled 2007 base salary of $2 million.
It marks the second suspension of Harrison's career. In 2002, he was suspended one game by the league for a helmet-to-helmet hit on then-Oakland Raiders wide receiver Jerry Rice. Harrison has also been fined over $200,000 by the league for his aggressive play.
Chris Mortensen is an NFL analyst for ESPN. Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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