Marvin Harrison reported for the start of the Indianapolis Colts' mandatory three-day minicamp Friday, but the veteran receiver did not appear at the afternoon practice and was not made available to the media, which included reporters from Philadelphia, ESPN and the NFL Network.
The team and several of Harrison's teammates, meanwhile, had little to say about the eight-time Pro Bowl player being questioned by Philadelphia police about a shooting last month.
Like all players who talked to the media, quarterback Peyton Manning said he has not discussed the incident with Harrison. Manning said he had little reaction overall because so few facts in the ongoing investigation have been substantiated publicly.
"I've been around long enough (that) until I hear from somebody who truly knows what's going on, I don't give it a whole lot of merit,
" Manning said.
A team statement said the Colts would have nothing to add to what president Bill Polian said shortly after the incident became public, which was that no comment would be made until "credible'' evidence came to light.
"We don't anticipate addressing any such questions unless and until there is an official report of the facts from the Philadelphia Police Department,
" Friday's statement said.
The shooting occurred April 29 in Harrison's old North Philadelphia neighborhood. A 32-year-old man was shot in the hand, and a 2-year-old boy suffered a cut under his eye when a stray bullet shattered a car windshield.
Police have confirmed that a gun owned by Harrison, 35, was used in the shooting but have not considered him a suspect. No incident report has been filed.
Harrison's is not the only off-field incident the Colts have faced recently. In mid-April, running back Kenton Keith was charged with criminal trespassing after refusing to leave the parking lot of an Indianapolis nightclub. Also, the team signed running back Dominic Rhodes, a former Colt who served a four-game suspension in 2007 as a member of the Oakland Raiders for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
"As far as off-the-field things, we don't want to have any problems,
" Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "We've had some. Marvin's situation has been in the paper. We'll see how that plays out. Kenton Keith's situation has been in the paper, (and) I have talked to Kenton about his. We'll see how that plays out.
"
"We're not a team that's going to just say if you've had an issue, you can't play for us. We want things to happen a certain way when people are here, and we think they will.
"
Some just watch
Harrison was one of several players who won't participate in this weekend's minicamp. He missed 11 games in 2007 with an injury to his left knee and underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
Also held out of Friday's practice were defensive end Dwight Freeney (foot), safety Bob Sanders (shoulder), guard Ryan Lilja (knee), cornerbacks T.J. Rushing (pectoral) and Michael Coe (undisclosed), linebacker Gary Brackett (undisclosed), rookie defensive end Marcus Howard (undisclosed) and offensive lineman Tala Esera (undisclosed).
The team is confident all of those players will be ready for the start of the regular season.
