Steelers’ Harrison angry about link to Al Jazeera story
Steelers linebacker James Harrison sits on the bench during game against Kansas City in 2012.
A Pittsburgh Steelers helmut sits on the turf before an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
BALTIMORE – Steelers linebacker James Harrison angrily denied Sunday a report saying he received human growth hormone treatments from an Indiana-based clinic.
According to an investigative report released Sunday by Al Jazeera, Harrison was one of several current and former professional athletes named by Texas-based pharmacist Charlie Sly in a secretly recorded video. Others named include Denver quarterback Peyton Manning, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard and former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson.
Sly since recanted his story, telling ESPN he made it up.
That didn’t make Harrison happy.
“They never supplied me with anything,” Harrison said of Indianapolis-based Guyer Institute, where Sly worked as a pharmacy intern.
“I’ve never taken steroids, point blank period. End of discussion.”
Harrison, 37, is in his 13th NFL season, all but one of which has been spent with the Steelers. He is an avid weightlifter, often posting videos online of his workouts.
“I don’t know man, I guess it’s just easy,” Harrison said of why he felt he was named. “You’ll want to believe it. You know what, ‘James Harrison is strong because James Harrison is taking something.’ (Heck) no! James Harrison is strong because he worked at it.”
HGH was banned by the NFL in 2011. The NFL and NFLPA agreed to testing for the substance in 2014. No player tested positive for HGH since the testing was put in place.