Harrison was voted the "dirtiest player" in the NFL by his peers according to a 2004 poll conducted by Sports Illustrated. In 2006, Harrison once again topped the "dirtiest player" voting by 361 other NFL players[10]. Harrison has also been fined and suspended multiple times, and as of 2002, had racked up over $200,000 in fines by the NFL. A notable suspension occurred in 2002 after a helmet-to-helmet hit on the Oakland Raiders' Jerry Rice[11].

On August 31, 2007, Harrison was being suspended for 4 games of the 2007 season due to a violation of the NFL's performance-enhancing substances policy. Harrison has said that his motivation was to improve his healing time from injuries. "My purpose was never to gain a competitive edge," he said.

Rodney Harrison is among the highest and most frequently fined players in the NFL for is consistently questionable play.