No Drug Interviews for Matthews, Peppers Yet

Either the NFL was bluffing or the player’s association is getting their way. Despite telling everyone they would be showing up on the first day of training camp to interview Green Bay Packers linebackers Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers about drug allegations, no interviews have been conducted.

The allegations stem from a December Al Jazeera report. The chief source in that report subsequently recanted his statements and the NFLPA has been trying to block any interviews with the players who were implicated in it.

And rightfully so, since it sets a dangerous precedent. The NFL seems to posses no actual evidence of wrongdoing in this case.

“It sets a dangerous precedent, but at the same time, I get it, they have a job to do,” Matthews said of the NFL. “But now I’m — and some of these other guys — are in kind of in a whirlwind of controversy. If it was up to me this thing would be behind us a long time ago.”

Apparently, the NFLPA has been successful in blocking any interviews thus far. That also potentially explains why the NFL made a big deal out of clearing now-retired quarterback Peyton Manning earlier this week.

Manning was the main focus of the original report. Not only did the league make a big deal out of clearing him, but they also touted how Manning allowed them full access to all the information they asked for.

Both Matthews and Peppers have maintained their innocence and appear content to led the player’s association handle the matter.

“I’m letting the PA handle that,” Peppers said, when asked whether he was going to cooperate. “Probably will, but don’t really know the details of the process at this moment.”

While that seems to be the right way to go, we’d also all probably like to have this be over with.