Players Named In Al-Jazeera Report To Interview With NFL

Update:

Tom Pelissero reports that Packers OLBs Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers sent letters to the NFL proposing to be interviewed next week at the Packers headquarters in Green Bay.

• According to Pelissero, it sounds like next Wednesday, August 24 will be when the interviews are conducted in Green Bay if the NFL agrees to the meetings.

This comes in contrast to Steelers OLB James Harrison , who said he would meet with the league after their self imposed deadline of August 25.

Meanwhile, Dan Graziano reports that free agent OLB Mike Neal will consent to be interviewed by the NFL after changing his mind.

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Steelers OLB James Harrison tells Aditi Kinkhabwala that the NFL doesn’t have any credible evidence against him.

“They don’t have credible evidence,” Harrison said. “Period. End of discussion.”

Harrison added that he agreed to speak with the NFL because he didn’t want to hurt the Steelers and this way he would also stand up for himself, per Kinkhabwala.

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ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports that the players linked to Al-Jazeera report will interview with NFL as they had requested.

According to Mortensen, Steelers OLB James Harrison will conduct his interview from Steelers’ facility on August 29, but wants the questions limited to topics addressed in report.

The NFL informed NFLPA earlier in the week that Harrison, Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers and free agent OLB Mike Neal would need to cooperate or would be suspended on August 26.

Mortensen adds that the dates for Matthews and Peppers to meet with investigators is not specifically known, but his sources said they have agreed to meet and the NFLPA remains in support and in an advisory capacity.

However, Neal has not yet agreed to meet with NFL, per Mortensen.

In regards to Neal, Pro Football Talk points out that he could end up being the “test case” for Article 46 vs. the NFL’s PED policy legal battle.

The NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell are clearly flexing their muscle in disciplinary matters, but it appears as though the players felt it was best to go through with the interviews, rather than risk a suspension from the NFL.

The Al-Jazeera documentary also named Peyton Manning, but he has already met with the NFL and been cleared of any wrong doing. The NFL actually released a statement about Manning’s cooperation, which looked like a clear attempt by the league to convince the other players to agree to interviews.

The allegations stem from comments made by former anti-aging clinic intern Charlie Sly, who was taped in the Al-Jazeera documentary. It’s worth mentioning that Sly has since recanted his quotes.

We’ll have more regarding the PED allegations as the news is available.