Percy Harvin says he was high in every NFL game he played
Percy Harvin is notoriously aloof.
But he had a candid conversation with Bleacher Report’s Master Tesfatsion published Wednesday where he talked about playing while high and punching Golden Tate before Super Bowl XLVIII.
The enigmatic receiver was one of the NFL’s top talents during his eight seasons in the league, but never delivered on the promise he showed as the offensive Rookie of the Year in 2009.
A big part of what held him back was his locker-room reputation. He was problematic, to put it lightly — notorious for getting into “confrontations” with teammates. The Minnesota Vikings jumped at the chance to get rid of him in 2013 when the Seattle Seahawks offered them a first-round pick.
Two seasons of middling production and locker-room drama later and the Seahawks shipped Harvin to the New York Jets for a late-round draft pick.
Harvin opens up about Tate scuffle
His decision to give Tate a black eye before Seattle’s Super Bowl win over the Denver Broncos likely had something to do with it.
Harvin confirmed the incident in his chat with Bleacher Report.
“There’s not a game I played in that I wasn’t high”
Percy Harvin opens up about his struggles with anxiety during his playing career. New “Untold Stories” with @MasterTes pic.twitter.com/JdbhjyE9dS— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 2, 2019
Harvin explained that he was upset with Tate telling reporters prior to the game that Seattle made it to the Super Bowl without him and would be fine regardless of whether he played in the game.
Harvin had missed the NFC championship with a concussion. He said he confronted Tate in the locker room because of his statement to the media, wondering whether Tate was happy for him being able to play.
“Thinking about it now, I can’t even believe I did it,” Harvin said. ... “I was so already wrapped up, it didn’t even matter what his answer was. Anything he coulda said, I still was gonna — I was already at 10, 10.5.”
He said he knocked Tate into a trash can and that running back Marshawn Lynch had to play peacemaker after he gave Tate a black eye before the team photo.
Harvin played while high on marijuana
Harvin also said he played while high on marijuana and that he used the drug to manage his anxiety after a cocktail of seven prescription medications didn’t help.
“The only thing that really seemed to work is when I would smoke marijuana,” Harvin said. “There’s not a game I’ve played in that I wasn’t high.”
The Seahawks beat the Broncos in that Super Bowl, 43-8 in 2014. Harvin caught one pass for five yards while leading Seattle in rushing with 45 yards on two attempts. He also returned the opening kickoff of the second half 87 yards for a touchdown.
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