GREEN BAY, Wis. -- There is no missing Anthony Hargrove on the Green Bay Packers' practice field.
The veteran defensive lineman is boisterous and energetic, and his personality is downright infectious. Whether he's all-in-good-fun jawing with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, debating a questionable call with one of the volunteer officials working the sidelines or encouraging his fellow defensive linemen, he can be heard non-stop.
"If you've ever been to a road game, you know how difficult it is on the road. So to have that energy 24/7, to get the guys going again, I think that's why it's important to have, even at practice," Hargrove explained Monday after missing the team's previous two practices because of a personal matter. "There's days at practice when it feels like a road game, so you can get that feeling away from guys and know that they can push through stuff. It makes the season a whole lot easier."
Hargrove gets limited snaps because of his impending eight-game suspension to start the regular season for his involvement in the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal. He was suspended by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on May 2 and lost an appeal. While his former Saints teammate, linebacker Jonathan Vilma, has filed an injunction in federal court in hopes of halting his season-long suspension, Hargrove, Saints defensive end Will Smith and Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita have not, perhaps because they're waiting to see if Vilma is successful.
Hargrove is working under the assumption that his suspension will stand.
"As of right now, I'm sitting for eight weeks, sir. So I'll see you in November. Like Wyclef said it best, I'll be gonetil November,'" Hargrove said with a laugh, referring to a popular Wyclef Jean song.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy has had his defensive assistants limit snaps for both Hargrove and fellow defensive end Mike Neal, who will sit out the first four games of the season after being suspended for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
