Mark Harrison's camp denied to NFL.com's Albert Breer on Thursday allegations that the Rutgers wide receiver had anything to do with a hotel room that was trashed during the NFL Scouting Combine two months ago in Indianapolis.
Harrison and Clemson wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins were staying in a hotel room that was left in shambles at the end of the combine. Hopkins' agent publicly has denied his client having any wrongdoing in the matter, and both players have told NFL teams they weren't at fault.
Rutgers coach Kyle Flood, reached Thursday night, told Breer that the allegations "shocked me. I was in disbelief when I heard it. I was just sitting with Mark three days ago, we weren't talking about the incident, we were talking about his son. He'd come down to meet with the team -- he can't work out with them because of his foot injury -- and he was heading back to his mom's house in Connecticut."
By the time Rutgers had its pro day, word had trickled out about the incident.
"I had a couple teams at pro day that asked me," Flood said. "My response was that incident would be so out of character, I can't even fathom that."
Harrison participated in the New York Jets' and New York Giants' workouts for local prospects, and he was worked out by New England Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels at Rutgers. Harrison is considered a late-round prospect in the 2013 NFL Draft.
"I've been at Rutgers for eight years, so I've seen Mark through his four years, and we never had an issue of any kind with him, nothing like that," Flood told Breer. "Mark had a clean record at Rutgers. And before I became head coach, I ran the disciplinary program here, so it's not like I wouldn't know."
Hopkins also denied any wrongdoing, first in a tweet and then in an interview with FoxSports.com.
"Left hours b4 this incident leaving it at that," Hopkins posted on Twitter.
"Luckily, thank god, my agent got my flight booked early or it really would've been questionable if I did (it) or not," Hopkins told FoxSports.com in an exclusive interview Thursday night. "My agent got my flight booked early, he told me hurry up."
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"I got done before Mark Harrison, so I was already packed. I already took a shower and packed and everything. Mark came in and we spoke for at least 20 minutes about the combine. Then the bellman came in and helped me get my bags out. And I left. That's honestly all I can say."
Hopkins told the site that he found out about the incident the next day from his agent, Hadley Engelhard.
"Honestly, at first when I heard about it, I asked (Engelhard) if I can call (Mark Harrison) and talk to him and ask him what happened after I left," Hopkins said. "And he told me not to worry about it. If you didn't do anything, then you have nothing to prove. You know, it's just mind-boggling that someone would do that."
Hopkins added that he doesn't believe Harrison had anything to do with the trashed hotel room, either.
