Would Andrew Harris Be This Mad If He Was Guilty?

[In Motion]

I'm almost always the one who says, "If there's smoke, there's fire." However, would Andrew Harris
have been so mad for so long if he were guilty of knowingly using something illegal?
I doubt it. I believe him.

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/11/25/oleary-harris-man-mission-grey-cup-win/

[Slimy Sculpin]

I want to believe him but I'll wait to hear about the results of the lab test that he said he was going to have done on that supplement. It has been a while and all that I've heard is......crickets. Anyone hear anything?

[theaardvark]

The biggest issue is that how do you prove a supplement had a banned substance in it when purchased, if the container is open...  and while t would be vindicating to name the supplier, that opens you up to libel lawsuits. Because it is almost impossible to prove that specific container came with the banned substance in it...  if he had had a factory sealed container who's chain of custody was unimpeachable, and had it tested by an independent lab.. sure.. maybe then... and even then, I assume he is using a number of different supplements, which one was tainted? 

To me it comes down to this.  He has never been caught before although he has been tested more than most.  t was a substance no athlete would bother using to cheat with because it is old as can be, Harris had tested clean weeks before the dirty test, while he was in the middle of a record season (no reason to start cheating, he was already the best)

So, for me, none of it adds up to anything but an accidental ingestion of a substance in a supplement that was not properly vetted.  Is it his fault?  Yes.  You have to KNOW what you are putting into your body.  He got caught, he paid his penalty. 

To question his work ethic, his natural ability, or his sincerity, that's crap.  But some people don't seem to be able to rise up unless they are standing on top of someone else...

[New_Earth_Mud]

I just dont think he did take anything illegal if he new.

So much crap out there now a days...

In my mind and not being a homer.......

Harris has been thru alot in his life. He came back here and said he wanted to bring home the Cup.... I just cant see him putting that all to risk.   Lets be honest here... its a Cup in Canada its not really a World stage. I just dont see why anyone would put this at risk.

Maybe if you will be known World wide ......  it might be attractive.  Money and Fame.


Ok maybe i will be a homer here.....   but i will say out loud i dont think Harris did anything not allowed willing. I dont think hed do that to his team. I dont think hed do that to himself.   

[TecnoGenius]

I'm totally on board now with the "AH is innocent" train.  I had to make my choice back when we were all picking our players of the year.  Even trying to not be a "homer", all the evidence is compelling.

The fact that AH was then subject to weekly (or whatever) drug tests after that point, and that he continued to steamroll D's, is all the proof anyone should need.  If he was only good because of the 'roids, then why was he so good in the GC, after a full 4 months with a guaranteed-clean system?

I wonder if something like this can result from some malicious food establishment worker slipping something into his food or drink?  These guys travel to the "enemy" cities all the time, and in places like Regina, basically everyone will recognize him and many hate his guts.  It seems more than possible someone could lace something with a banned substance to knock out our star player.  I'm not saying this happened, as AH already put forward his theory, but surely this is a possibility that exists out there.  And you can't really defend against it.

[BigBomberFan]

I believe what Harris is saying--he's my man.

[pjrocksmb]

If he was cheating routinely he would have been caught earlier and more often.

[swansong]

The guy lost weight and stopped lifting opting instead for yoga. These are not the actions of a guy taking roids....period.

[KINGCHARLES]

Typically the league says drug tests are random but ive had someone within the organization say guys that are in the top 10 in stats get tested more frequently. League stat leaders (top 3) get tested even more.

[bigbuff33]

I haven't doubted AH for a moment...he's an upstanding guy...

To say he's mad...after that brutal Steve Simmons article on Grey Cup day...I'd be mad too!!

I think AH feels the love from everybody in Winnipeg.

[theaardvark]

The guy lost weight and stopped lifting opting instead for yoga. These are not the actions of a guy taking roids....period.

Exactly... none of his training suggests a benefit from ancient steroids, none of his results show any changes like a steroid user would show... he just gets better with age, because he works at it.  A buddy of mine who plays hockey against him in the winter laughed when he heard the rumour that he was juicing.  "Maybe Booster Juice, with a Wheatgrass shooter"...

[rubanski]

I believe Harris as well, and I'm sure it has plenty to do with me being a homer. I also have several first hand stories of things he's done, and seems like a great guy.

I will say this though... remember Lance Armstrong? Poster child for cancer survivor & all around great guy, remarkably successful athlete. LiveStrong - foundation, gear, exercise equipment. You name it, he had it. Dude was adamant that he was NOT a cheater, and it felt right to believe him.

Not saying that's who I think Harris is - at all. Just saying this is what it is. Harris had some crap in his body that should not have been there, and it's his fault it was. Frankly the punishment should be harsher that it is.

Regardless, he's paid his time and is "out of jail". Let's all move on.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

I believe Harris as well, and I'm sure it has plenty to do with me being a homer. I also have several first hand stories of things he's done, and seems like a great guy.

I will say this though... remember Lance Armstrong? Poster child for cancer survivor & all around great guy, remarkably successful athlete. LiveStrong - foundation, gear, exercise equipment. You name it, he had it. Dude was adamant that he was NOT a cheater, and it felt right to believe him.

Not saying that's who I think Harris is - at all. Just saying this is what it is. Harris had some crap in his body that should not have been there, and it's his fault it was. Frankly the punishment should be harsher that it is.

Regardless, he's paid his time and is "out of jail". Let's all move on.

Different situation than Lance Armstrong, he had an army of corporate lawyers to silence people with inside knowledge of the doping scheme and a team of scientist altering his blood daily to keep the gravy train rolling. Fascinating story when you follow it through from start to finish, it's cheating on a corporate scale compared to Harris's little misadventure.

https://www.theverge.com/2013/1/17/3886424/programming-your-body-lance-armstrong-and-doping-technology

[theaardvark]

I believe Harris as well, and I'm sure it has plenty to do with me being a homer. I also have several first hand stories of things he's done, and seems like a great guy.

I will say this though... remember Lance Armstrong? Poster child for cancer survivor & all around great guy, remarkably successful athlete. LiveStrong - foundation, gear, exercise equipment. You name it, he had it. Dude was adamant that he was NOT a cheater, and it felt right to believe him.

Not saying that's who I think Harris is - at all. Just saying this is what it is. Harris had some crap in his body that should not have been there, and it's his fault it was. Frankly the punishment should be harsher that it is.

Regardless, he's paid his time and is "out of jail". Let's all move on.

Thing you have to remember, Lance Armstrong was cheating when the cheaters had a huge advantage over the testers...  not so anymore.  Once the testers caught up to the cheaters, Lance was exposed, and he wasn't the only one who was cheating.  Like the Soviet women's swim and weightlifting teams, who isn't going to deny cheating, even when it is blatantly obvious that they are.  When tenths of a second counts...

Second, the steroid that was detected was an ancient steroid, which is easily detected when not actively masked.  There is no reason to think that this particular product, used at the level detected, would have any effect on AH33's performance.  

[GCn19]

Armstrong had his entire multi-million dollar brand on the line. If he didn't deny he would have lost tens of millions. Harris doesn't have the kind of stakes that he did.