Posts tagged MarvinHarrison at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison has assured members of the team's front office that he was not involved in a shooting last month in his home town of Philadelphia, Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star reports.

Chappell reports that Harrison has told both general manager Bill Polian and coach Tony Dungy that he did not shoot at a man he had previously escorted out of the North Philly bar he owns, Playmakers. Owner Jim Irsay also indicated to Chappell that he's prepared to believe Harrison:

"At this point I'm keeping my fingers crossed," he said. "We've done everything we could do in our diligence to try to discern what happened. He said he was not involved in that shooting and . . . the authorities have said there is nothing imminent.

"You hope these things hold up to be true, that there won't be any charges and there wasn't any involvement. Until we hear more, this isn't even a case of innocent until proven guilty because there hasn't been a charge yet."

Police have said they have no suspects in the shooting, but media reports indicate that they have determined that Harrison owns the gun that was shot. Harrison has not spoken publicly since the allegations surfaced.

The accusation that Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison shot a man outside his North Philadelphia bar is extremely disturbing, and if it's true, Harrison deserves to suffer serious consequences.

But there's one thing that Harrison has been criticized for that is completely unfair: Opening that bar, as well as an auto garage, in that North Philly neighborhood.

Yesterday on ESPN, Skip Bayless and Sal Paolantonio both criticized Harrison for going back to his old neighborhood, referring to it as unsafe and dangerous and saying that Harrison deserves scrutiny simply for being there at all. They couldn't be more wrong for that.

The shocking report that Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison is accused of being involved in a shooting in Philadelphia is being denied by Harrison's agent, Tom Condon.

"Marvin Harrison was not involved in any shooting. The report is erroneous," Condon told FOXSports.com's Jay Glazer.

No one has been arrested in connection to the incident on Tuesday, in which a man was shot in the hand and a girl was injured by broken glass. Police say they have no suspects.

But WIP radio reported that the male victim argued with Harrison inside the North Philadelphia bar Harrison owns, Playmakers. When the victim left the bar, Harrison followed him, and gunfire broke out, the radio station reports.

The radio station also reported that bullets recovered from the scene came from a custom-made Belgian gun, a type of gun that Harrison owns, and that when they went to a Philadelphia car wash owned by Harrison, questioned him there, and discovered through ballistic tests that the gun had fired bullets matching those at the scene.

Anthony Gargano of WIP radio in Philadelphia is reporting on ESPN that Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison is accused of being involved in a recent shooting at a bar Harrison owns in his home town of Philadelphia.

According to Gargano, police have uncovered a gun registered to Harrison in connection with the incident. Gargano reports that a fistfight broke out when Harrison escorted a man out of his bar, called Playmakers. When the man fled, gunfire was exchanged. The man's car was struck by a bullet and his hand was grazed, and a young girl suffered a minor injury when broken glass hit her, Gargano reported.

Neither Harrison nor anyone else has been arrested in connection with the incident. Gargano reports that police are awaiting witnesses coming forward, but that one witness is prepared to testify that Harrison was the shooter.

Harrison is generally known as a quiet, reserved person who does not get involved in off-field trouble.

UPDATE: Agent: 'Marvin Harrison Was Not Involved in Any Shooting. The Report Is Erroneous'

The Indianapolis Colts spent the entire 2007 season insisting that wide receiver Marvin Harrison's knee was just fine, even though it wasn't. Harrison ended up playing in just five regular-season games, and then the Colts put him on the field in the playoffs when he wasn't ready, and his costly fumble is one of the reasons they were upset by the Chargers.

So what does that mean about the future of Harrison? Adam Schefter writes at NFL.com (via PFT) that the Colts may show everyone on draft day whether they think Harrison has any gas left in the tank. According to Schefter, the Colts have had visits recently with wide receivers Mario Manningham of Michigan and Early Doucet of LSU, and if they use their second-round pick (they don't have a first-round pick) on one of those receivers, they're coming close to saying they think Harrison is done.

Harrison has had a great career, but he turns 36 in August, and 36-year-olds coming off by far their worst career seasons don't often bounce back. We may never see another 1,000-yard season from Harrison.

If the Indianapolis Colts hope to regain their Super Bowl form in 2008, they might have to do it without some key players.

GM Bill Polian told the press yesterday that wide receiver Marvin Harrison, defensive end Dwight Freeney, linebacker Rob Morris, defensive tackle Booger McFarland and super safety Bob Sanders could be unavailable for training camp in July because of the injuries they suffered last season. Harrison, Morris and McFarland all suffered knee injuries last season, while Freeney suffered a Lisfranc injury and Sanders had arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder after the season ended.

If that's the case, perhaps the Colts would do best to prepare for the season as if these players weren't going to be there, because some of them might not be. They certainly won't be 100% -- especially Freeney, whose torn ACL could rob him of much of his pass-rushing speed for a season.

Polian said is usually very good about finding replacements for players that leave as free agents, but he'll have a hell of a time finding players to fill one whole side of the front seven, plus All-Pros at receiver and safety. The Colts can't afford to slip up now -- not when they're in the toughest division in the AFC.

The Indianapolis Colts' pathetic handling of the knee injury to wide receiver Marvin Harrison is a big part of the reason their season is over.

When Harrison first hurt the knee, ESPN's Ed Werder reported -- correctly -- that it was a serious injury that threatened Harrison's injury. The Colts responded by saying Werder didn't know what he was talking about.

If the Colts had simply put Harrison on injured reserve when he got hurt in October, they might very well have won the game against the San Diego Chargers Sunday. Harrison's fumble -- the kind of thing that happens when a guy who's hurt and rusty is sent out on the field for the playoffs -- was incredibly costly; the Colts looked like they were ready to march down the field for a touchdown on the drive before Harrison dropped the ball after a fairly ordinary hit.

And then came the end of the game, when Harrison couldn't play on the injured knee, even when Reggie Wayne got hurt before the final play. Harrison said this after the game:

"I did what I can do. That's the bottom line," Harrison said. "It was a coaching decision. I don't know how it came down, but at that point in the game we were better off probably without me out there."

It's not Harrison's fault that he was hurt. But it is the Colts' fault that they put him on the field yesterday while he was hurt. He had no business being out there.

After a long, long absence because of a knee injury, Indianapolis wide receiver Marvin Harrison is back in the starting lineup today in the Colts' playoff opener against the San Diego Chargers.

But after one quarter, he's contributed more to the Chargers than he has to the Colts.

Peyton Manning has thrown to Harrison just once, on a third-and-10 pass over the middle. Harrison ran a good route, Manning hit him in stride, Harrison grabbed it, everything seemed to be back to normal -- until Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie hit Harrison low when Harrison tried a spin move, and Harrison dropped the ball.

The fumble was recovered by the Chargers, and it was just about the only thing that has gone wrong for the Colts' offense so far today. After the first quarter, Manning is 11-for-11 for 123 yards, and the Colts lead 7-0.

So here was the plan: Marvin Harrison, who hasn't played since Week 7 (and only saw action in five games all season), was going to make his return tonight against the Titans.

Head coach Tony Dungy had designs on getting Peyton Manning's favorite target 10-15 plays, whip Harrison into game shape, let him take the next two weeks to get completely healthy, and then have a full assortment of offensive weapons once the divisional rounds rolls around.

Seems like a flawless plan in theory. Unfortunately, after Manning and Harrison's pregame run-every-route ritual, Harrison talked with both his quarterbacks coach and his quarterback ... and now he's inactive. According to NBC Sports' Andrea Kremer, President Bill Polian and Dungy made the decision after Harrison said he felt like he couldn't "go through his heavy workouts and the 10-15 plays they were hoping to get out of him tonight."

Harrison will practice next week, and according to Polian via Kremer, he "will absolutely be ready for the playoffs." Silver lining: more Jim Sorgi! Oh, and this has to increase the Titans' probability of winning tonight too.

The Colts are locked into the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs, and because of that, they're planning to hold a handful of key players out of all but a few plays of Sunday's regular-season finale. That means, for instance, that quarterback Peyton Manning will give way early in the game to backup Jim Sorgi.

But one key player could, surprisingly, get some playing time: Wide receiver Marvin Harrison, who's been out for most of the season with what the team has called a knee bruise but is obviously a more serious knee injury than just a bruise.


If Harrison can play Sunday, it might be helpful for he and Manning to get some reps together. But if there is any quarterback-receiver combo in the league that has already gotten enough practice together, it's Manning and Harrison. That means that if there's even the slightest chance that Harrison could re-aggravate his knee injury, the Colts ought to hold him out and let him keep resting. They just need him to be ready for the playoffs.

Perhaps the Indianapolis Colts need a healthy Marvin Harrison to get back to the Super Bowl, which seems to be the consensus among our commenters. However, they probably don't need him against a secondary that has one really good safety and a lot of mediocre corners. That would explain why Harrison didn't make the trip to Baltimore for tonight's game.

He probably would have, but his knee still isn't back to normal yet, and the last thing he needs is to get on an airplane. As anyone following the travesty that is David Beckham's 2007 MLS season knows, air travel is not good for what ails you. Busted knees and ankles tend to swell up in pressurized cabins, and that's the last thing the Colts want for their all-pro wideout.

It would behoove the Colts to get Harrison back into the lineup soon, though, because he'll probably have some rust to shake off before the playoffs. For now, though, Tony Dungy is playing it safe, which may lead many to believe that Harrison's knee injury is still far worse than advertised.

You remember how Terrell Owens ended up in Dallas, right? Or before that, Philly? Yep, straight cash, homey. T.O. told the Ravens, who had traded for him back in 2005 to go take a flying leap, he ended up with the Eagles playing for less money than he probably deserved (blame his agent for that one), and when he wanted to renegotiate, things got ugly.

The Cowboys took a chance on Owens last off-season, when everybody just assumed EVIL T.O. would torpedo any chances Dallas had to be competitive. Never happened. In fact, Owens has been the model teammate, and not only that, he's having another solid season.

But he's 34 with only one more year on his contract. Owens is scheduled to make $7 million in '08, but what happens after that? Do the Cowboys bring him back? Does another team throw gobs of cash at a 35-year-old, 13-year vet?

"I don't want to speculate on what happens after this contract," executive vice president Stephen Jones said, "but Terrell is a very driven guy, a very disciplined guy. Right now he's enjoying playing the game and enjoying being around this team. If things continue where we're having success, I'm sure there might be something down the road."

Players get injured. It's a fact of life in the NFL. You make the best of it and do your best to keep winning.

The Indianapolis Colts seem to have done just that, overcoming injuries to a lot of key players to sit at 10-2 and have a clear shot at another division title and first-round bye in the playoffs. Most of those injured players are back and healthy again, save for one -- Marvin Harrison.

The way Reggie Wayne has been playing lately, though, begs the question -- do the Colts still need Marvin Harrison to win it all?

Wayne, whom many believe would be a #1 receiver anywhere else, has been on a tear since Harrison's knee injury, racking up four 100-yard games and five touchdowns catches. The return of another receiver -- rookie Anthony Gonzalez, who has moved into the #2 spot -- seems to have made Wayne even more dangerous. Yes, he's had a few more dropped passes than you'd like to see in a primary target, but so have Terrell Owens and Steve Smith, and nobody's trashing them this season.

Are Wayne, Gonzalez, and two highly reliable targets at tight end enough to get the Colts over the hump? It seems to me that Gonzalez' thumb injury in the first Colts-Pats game hurt this team more than not having Harrison. Or is the All-Pro still necessary for this team to defeat New England? What say ye, Colts fans?

And now for some news that's sure to make a lot of fantasy team owners curse more than Big Daddy Drew in that column about NFL Network:

Marvin Harrison likely will miss another game when the Indianapolis Colts play the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at the RCA Dome.

The perennial Pro Bowl receiver has not practiced this week while recovering from a bruised left knee. He was injured against Denver on Sept. 30 and has played in only one game since.

"Marvin did not practice," Colts coach Tony Dungy said Friday. "He's very questionable."

Given how much better the Colts' offense was with just the return of Anthony Gonzalez on Thanksgiving, Dungy may have decided he doesn't want to jeopardize Harrison's knee any further until it's absolutely necessary. On the other hand, Dungy is also saying Sunday's game is a must-win for the Colts, so why is he leaving his best receiver on the bench? Is this all a ruse to affect Jack Del Rio's defensive game plan?

I suppose we'll see on Sunday, but if I were you, fantasy owners, I'd have a backup wideout ready to go.

We're putting the finishing touches on Week 12 and the Falcons, coming off a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Colts, are 3-8 and bringing up the rear in the NFC South. It should be no surprise, then, that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has already worked up an off-season wish list. Some notable names that may or may not be able to help the hapless Falcons in '08:

Randy Moss, Patriots
Asante Samuel, Patriots
Albert Haynesworth, Titans
Alan Faneca, Steelers
Bob Sanders, Colts
Michael Turner, Chargers
Dallas Clark, Colts
Lance Briggs, Bears

It certainly doesn't hurt to dream, but I'm guessing Atlanta doesn't have a shot at most of these guys. For starters, Moss only plays hard when he wants to; that couldn't be more obvious in light of his '07 output.

Samuel could be an option, but he won't come cheap. Of course, the Falcons might jettison DeAngelo Hall this off-season, so that could create a need at the position.

Haynesworth and Sanders will likely stay with their respective teams, and Turner will also command big bucks. With Marvin Harrison entering the twilight of his Hall of Fame career, Clark becomes an even more important cog in Indy's offense, and the Bears have indicated that re-signing Briggs will be a priority.

The good news: when you're as awful as the Falcons, most any signings improves the team. I'm just not sure the organization will be able to convince many of these players that Atlanta is a great place to play. Ultimately, of course, money will be the deciding factor, but I imagine losing has something to do with it too.