Prior to the beginning of the month, do you think Marvin Harrison would have been happy to see a cop gunned down in a botched Philadelphia robbery? Because I'm sure he never would have thought that, either.

I know that's a morbid way to start a column, but bear with me, because the topic at hand doesn't get any better. For those of you who have been living under a rock — or perhaps you're a Spurs fan, still under the bed-sheets after those moribund first two games against the Hornets — Harrison has recently found himself in a bit of hot water. After a bout of fisticuffs, a shooting occurred outside of Harrison's Philadelphia-area Playmakers Bar (not to be confused with ESPN's quasi-exposé of the NFL) last week. According to reports, most stemming from the radio station 610 WIP, a man barged in, began arguing with the Colts wideout and left with Harrison's blood still boiling. While the details of the argument's immediate aftermath are still hazy, two facts have come to light: The man who entered the bar now has a lacerated hand, and a 2-year-old boy — an innocent bystander patiently waiting in a nearby car — has a cut beneath his eye from an errant bullet's damage.

After the ballistics tests determined the bullets came from a specific Belgian-made firearm (like the one licensed to Harrison) the police questioned the former Super Bowl champion at his car wash facility. A couple of repeated denials later — and despite reports that the gun was actually submerged in a suds bucket, not at Harrison's home, as he claimed — the police were sent searching for a phantom shooter. The investigation has recently been stalled with a cop-murderer on the loose, but the justice system will soon work its way toward Harrison's incident.

When this story first broke on the ESPN ticker, fans across the nation had one reaction: shock. With a widely-admired work ethic and a quiet demeanor, Harrison stood on the gridiron in stark contrast to the Chad Johnsons and Terrell Owenses of the league. The favorite target of so many Peyton Manning lasers, this Philadelphia native has always been willing to keep his mouth shut on which the topics that Johnson and Owens love to spout opinions — themselves. In fact, Harrison's lack of controversy, to say nothing of his lithe, six-foot stature, has led some to consider him meek, although his blistering, record-setting 2002 campaign undoubtedly swayed many opinions. Injuries have dimmed Harrison's light as of late, and arthroscopic knee surgery could keep him out of 2008 training camp, but his career is still strong as ever.

Those who have followed Harrison's career would never have guessed that any sort of controversy could have engulfed Harrison's persona in such a way. No previous run-ins with the law, no penchant for frequenting strip clubs, not even the seemingly omnipresent DUI. Nothing. He may not be as marketable as "Double-Stuft-Oreo Champ" Peyton Manning — can someone say overexposure? — but his gentile off-the-field manner has provided a breath of fresh air for those who still care about athletes' characters. And yet Harrison now joins the lengthy list of NFL athletes who have seen their airs tainted by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. While this reckless abandon may cut it between the hashmarks, the allegedly lawless behavior exhibited by Harrison this past weekend has unequivocally stained the once-golden reputation.