Hey all --
When I first got wind of the news surrounding Rodney Harrison's suspension, my first thought was "anyone but Rodney."
Rodney has become one of my favorite players in the Patriots' locker room. He is frank, sincere, a devoted family man and takes an interest in many of the reporters he sees on a near-daily basis.
Last season, I was having some personal issues -- which have since been positively resolved -- and somehow I got to telling Rodney about them one particularly bad day. He immediately reached into his bag, pulled out his Bible, and read me a passage: "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me (Philippians 4:13)."
It meant a great deal to me, and it is something I will remember for a long time.
Rodney could have denied the espn.com report, he could been like other players who lie or hide. Instead, he faced the media head-on like so many receivers he's taken down over the years. He apologized -- specific apologies, not some generic, sorry-to-whomever-I-might-have-offended junk -- and he made sure to address the young players who may look to him, the former fifth-round pick from a I-AA school who made a name for himself in an unforgiving league.
All of that said however, there are several issues to be discussed. I am not naive to the intense physical demands required by NFL players, and neither should any football fan. It is by far the hardest professional sport on the players' bodies, yet it is the only league where contracts are not guaranteed. To play requires that the damage you may be doing to yourself be ignored, that any aches and pains be dealt with as quickly as possible ("rub some dirt on it").
To that end, it is almost understandable to see why Harrison would take HGH (the substance he reportedly admitted to taking). He was nearly 33 years old when his left knee was shredded almost two years ago in Pittsburgh; he was 34 when Bobby Wade's questionable block partially tore his MCL on New Year's Eve. Those injuries can take time to heal -- time that an NFL player just doesn't have. There's always someone younger, and likely cheaper, waiting to take your job.
When Marty Schottenheimer cut Rodney loose in 2003, he felt the two-time Pro Bowler's best days were behind him -- and that's when Rodney was 30.
Junior Seau, Rodney's longtime teammate in San Diego and New England, is a 38-year old physical linebacker who has been in the league for 18 years. He knows how crazy it is to play football for as long as he has, saying a few weeks ago, "This game is not made for human beings to be running around smashing each other in the head for a long period of time."
In his recent book, Tedy Bruschi called Rodney the most intense teammate he's ever had. A Sports Illustrated poll of NFL players last year led to Rodney being named the "dirtiest" player in the league -- the truth is, he's probably one of those players that you hate to play but love to have as a teammate. He has played 13 seasons, won two Super Bowls, and set a new standard for safeties (he's the only defensive back in NFL history with more than 30 interceptions and 25 sacks). That's hard to walk away from.
But the simple fact is Rodney admitted to doing something that's illegal in the NFL. For that, he is being suspended and will have to live with the repercussions of what he did, inside his locker room and around the NFL. Despite his assertion that he took a substance to help him recover quicker, he may face questions now about whether anything he's done in his career was legitimate.
Rodney's situation will undoubtedly be a distraction in New England, and that's something the team tries to avoid like the plague.
And while we're all trying not to be naive, we shouldn't be naive to the notion that he's the only player to use HGH (I don't know of any other players; this is an opinion); it is great for recovery, both from workouts and from injuries. Side effects include joint pain and possible increased risk of diabetes, but given some of its positives, those could seem minimal.
Hey, we all make dumb decisions sometimes, from small to serious. Eating a second brownie when one was enough. Looking over a classmate's shoulder during a big test. Getting behind the wheel when you've probably had one drink too many... There are consequences to those decisions, and what you do afterwards is what makes a man or a woman.
shalise
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Rodney's still my MAN! As stated, we all make dumb decisions some serious some not so serious. The way Rodney stepped up and took responsibility is what makes Rodney the MAN. The older I get the more I regret the dumb decisions that I made in my youth. I can not change those decisions, I can only hope to learn from them. Once again Rodney has shown leadership by the way he handled this decision.
Warren
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Great post by Shalise . . . I agree 100%. Rodney will take the four weeks off and come back better than ever! The good news is that Samuel is back and it'll keep the corners covered with Samuel, Gay, and Hobbs. This frees Meriweather and Sanders to fill in at safety . . . the question mark is Wilson ... is he healthy? Does he remember how to tackle, because last year he was having a tough time.
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Did Rodney show you the passage in the Bible that says....
"Thou shall cheat in order to play football."
?????
I am sure if this was a Colt or a Yankee, you would be singing a different tune.
Stan - It may be true that my thoughts would be different if he played on another team; I don't cover those teams on a daily basis and haven't gotten to know any of those players. He was wrong, he knows he was wrong, but as I wrote, please don't think he's the only one. He's just the only one you know about right now. - smy
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He's a dirt bag like any other person who uses drugs to improve their performance. Why are they any different than the common drug user on the street? Well, because they have money, enough said. I do not respect anyone who uses drugs and believe they should just step away from the lime-light.
Mike - are men who take Viagara dirtbags?? That's a "performance enhancer"... - smy
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Dumb decisions? The guy makes a multi million dollar salary that he might not have made without the drug. People pop a tylenol without a second thought. I wouldn't think twice about taking a relatively safe drug that would help me stay in the game longer. Running head on into a 320 pound guard is a questionable decision. Trying to recover afterwards is self preservation.
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To Stan who calls Rodney a dirtbag, Rodney and anyone else who's used drugs to improve their performance. I'd like to see you call him that to his face first off. Second, he wasn't using performance enhancing drugs as should be clear, he was using something which helps you heal faster. He has had some serious and especially painful injuries, all of which could have ended his career. The guy is incredibly motivated to play and probably plays with more intensity than anyone I've ever seen. Comparing the drug he took to drugs people take on the street is comparing apples to oranges. He wasn't getting high. He wasn't treating psychological pain, he was treating physical pain and injury. Perhaps if it were you suffering his injuries you would choose to prolong the injury and pain and potential to end your career because you feel taking something to help heal would make you a dirtbag. I suppose I'm a dirtbag because medication I take keeps me alive. People who take a Viagra must be dirtbags too. My wife is a dirtbag by your description because she takes asthma drugs which help her breathe better. And just about every person I know takes a drug for some ailment, or at some point in their lifetime took a street drug for pleasure or experimental purposes. The whole world must be full of dirtbags by your definition. Perhaps there is a drug which can help you see things more clearly. Rodney Harrison wasn't taking crack, or heroin, or crystal meth, nor was he pushing that on anyone. The guy was trying to survive and contribute and not see his career and life's work end. Viva la Rodney Harrison. I have nothing but respect for Rodney Harrison. Rodney Harrison is my hero, and I declare September 1 Rodney Harrison Day from now on.
Art - while I don't know about making Sept. 1 Rodney Harrison day, I found your post very interesting. Thank you for the contribution. - smy
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Shalise, thanks for the details and the personal touch. It's easy to forget these guys who seem super-human are regular people, too. Coming back from injuries, heck, even strokes, only magnify the myth. Rodney will pay his due with the suspension and stand up like a man when the day is done -- and while he might not get to the hall of fame -- he's got his rings, he's got his records. And he's still got the respect of many, many fans.
So, now back to football. Sanders/Meriweather? What's the status on Wilson's injury? Nobody has signed Hawkins yet - any chance he's on your speeddial?
Great work, Shalise -- it's clear you've got the best coverage of our secondary :)
Jason - Wilson's injury is a bit of a mystery right now, but it can't bode well for him if he is hurt again (especially since this is a contract year for him and he's due to make over $2mil this year). I think they really like Sanders, and his play in the postseason was a big step forward for him. Hawkins is definitely on the Pats' speed dial, and I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a call... - smy
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Mike,
Who made you God to judge so many? Why are people that have suffered with drug addiction dirtbags? Comparing someone with such psychological problems that they turn to drugs to try and solve them to Rodney's use is not even relevant. Take a look in the mirror and I am sure you will find that you yourself have made mistakes in your life. Rodney did what many humans do. He made a mistake. It was clearly the wrong decision and he accepts the consequence.
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Friends,
As someone who has used HGH to recover from injuries, I find the use of the label "dirtbag" to be both adolescent and ignorant. I was severely injured in a Helo crash while flying with the Navy. HGH was part of my regimen, along with PT and other medications and services. I spent more than 2 months at Bethesda Naval Hospital and would have been there longer without the HGH. Fortunately, I can still walk without too much difficulty, but I cannot imagine having to endure longer treatment(s) and further pain, just because some one thinks I should?
Rodney broke the rules. He's paying for it. However, to compare him with REAL scumbags like Vick or Pacman, etc, is a gross distortion. At least Rodney has the courage and dignity to admit his mistakes like a man, instead of running off to hire lawyers and PR teams to mitigate the damage. He made a mistake, but he's dealing with it the way I'd like my own son to deal with a mistake.
Respects,
Gwedd - thank you for sharing your personal story, and thank you for the sacrifices you made as a member of our armed forces. I wish you all the best. - smy
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S- Why do you give RH credit for not denying the ESPN story?? He couldn't. He had already been busted by the Feds.
The apologists here are ridiculous. He was breaking the law and NFL rules.
Its "almost understandable why he took HGH"?? You could say the same thing for every player in the league. The line of reasoning is sophomoric.
barney - My line of reasoning that it is understandable why NFL players would want to take HGH does stand for all players in the league. If every Sunday for 20 to 24 weeks you were in several car crashes a day -- which is what the physical blows players absorb in a game has been compared to -- you'd want to feel as good as you could as fast as you could too. He could have gone the Michael Vick route and denied, denied, denied -- even after his name was brought up by investigators -- or given some meek "apology" after his suspension was announced. He did neither of those things, which to me means something.
What Rodney did was wrong according to NFL rules, and he is paying his penance. If he's lost you as a fan, that's another consequence he has to deal with. - smy
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