Harrison was big part of franchise's renaissance

<em>Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky </em> <table border="0" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" align="right"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" bgcolor="#c0c0c0"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" width="100%"> <tr> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><img src="http://a.espncdn.com/i/headshots/nfl/players/65/939.jpg" alt="" hspace="1" vspace="1" width="65" height="90" align="left" /></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <font face="Verdana" size="1" style="line-height: 1.5em"><font color="#808080">&nbsp;Harrison</font> </font></td> </tr> </table> <p>As you'd expect, there were kind words from Jim Irsay at the news conference announcing that <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=939" target="_new">Marvin Harrison</a> has been <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3931695" target="_blank">released by the Colts</a>, ending an incredible era for the player and the team, which now seems certain to bring in a receiver with one of its higher picks in the draft.</p> <p>Snippets from the owner:</p> <ul> <li>"It's a day as an owner that you know eventually will come, but it's not a day that you look forward to."</li> <li>"He wishes to go forward and pursue opportunities in the National Football League still, something that we honor and are granting his release."</li> <li>"He came in right around the time I assumed full ownership, and as an owner, these are rare events when you have a chance to really talk about an individual who literally changed the face of a franchise. And through other great players and coaches around him, really brought us into a renaissance period, a period of greatness."</li> </ul> <div><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" width="440" height="361"><param name="width" value="440" /><param name="height" value="361" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="src" value="http://espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3931888" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="440" height="361" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" src="http://espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3931888"></embed></object></div>

More...