Harrison calls upcoming NFL meet a ‘waste of time’

JAMES HARRISON will speak to NFL investigators Thursday about the Al Jazeera documentary that linked him and other players to banned drugs, but the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker said Wednesday he believes the interview will be a “waste of time.”

“They are going to clear my name and give the same sendoff they gave Peyton Manning,” Harrison said. “I’m going to be cleared.”

“The Dark Side,” the Al Jazeera documentary released in January, alleged that Harrison, Manning and other professional athletes had obtained performance-enhancing drugs from an Indianapolis clinic called the Guyer Institute.

The NFL announced last month that its investigators found no credible evidence that Manning received human growth hormone from the clinic.

The league gave Harrison and other NFL players until Thursday to meet with its investigators about the documentary or face suspensions. Harrison was supposed to meet with the investigators next week because Pittsburgh is playing back-to-back exhibition games on the road, but the interview was moved up.

Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers of the Packers met with the NFL investigators Wednesday. Free-agent linebacker Mike Neal is scheduled to have a sit-down with the NFL investigators Thursday.

The four players have publicly denied claims made about banned drugs by Guyer pharmacist Charlie Sly, who was secretly recorded and has since retracted his statements.

Major League Baseball players Ryan Howard and Ryan Zimmerman, also linked to PEDs in the documentary, were cleared of any wrongdoing by MLB last week.