Lions say Harrison's offseason absence not related to contract

Allen Park — A little more than a week ago, Jaguars executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin found himself in hot water with the league for criticizing the absence of players from the team's voluntary portion of the offseason program. 

Lions general manager Bob Quinn wasn't about to make the same mistake.

Asked about the status of defensive tackle Damon Harrison, who has been absent from Phase I of the offseason program, Quinn supported his player's decision. 

"The offseason program is voluntary," Quinn said. "We have different guys, in different stages and different things in their lives, just like we have every year. So, Damon hasn’t been here the last couple of weeks, but we’ve communicated with him, talked to him multiple times and I’m sure we’ll see him here soon."

The good news, according to Quinn, Harrison isn't avoiding the facility because he has an issue with his current contract. 

"No, he’s got other things going on," Quinn said. 

Harrison's representation has reached out to the Lions about reworking his contract this offseason. The trade addition from last season has two years remaining on his current deal. 

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers