HONOLULU, HAWAII - Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowl Linebacker James Harrison has been ruled out for Sundays Super Bowl matchup with the Green Bay Packers, a team spokesperson told the Associated Press Monday.
Harrison sustained 1st and 2nd degree burns over 35% of his body on Sunday while attending the Pro Bowl festivities in Honolulu. While not participating in the NFL's all-star game, Harrison had flown to Hawaii to join the other Pro Bowl selectees in the events and celebrations surrounding the game.
A spokesperson for the University of Hawaii Medical Center told the AP that Harrison was brought to their facility at 4:32pm local time on Sunday. Harrison was brought from a local beach, where he apparently fell asleep. Despite being January, UV rays in Hawaii are still capable of inflicting severe damage on unprotected skin, and Harrison sustained severe sun burns.
The spokesperson continued on to say that Harrison is expected to make a complete recovery in 2-3 weeks, with no lasting scaring or debilitating effects.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, when asked about Harrisons injury, told the AP that he would release a detailed statement on Tuesday. However, a Steelers source close to Tomlin stated, "I think Aaron Rodgers spiked James' V8 juice and caused him to pass out on that beach."
Rodgers did not immediatly return a request for comment on his alleged involvement. When reached via text message, Rodgers' agent, David Dunn, responded "Any super bowl player should be able to hold his liquor. No comment."
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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