On Sept. 18, The National Football League has finally agreed with the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) on a new drug policy. The policy was implemented just weeks after the NFL was scrutinized for their handling of the substance abuse cases involving Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon and Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker. What does this mean for the National Football League?
The drug policy will make an immediate impact on the league. The finalization of the policy makes three previously suspended players immediately eligible to play for their teams: Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker, Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick and Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey. They have already missed two games for drug-related suspensions given out before the start of the season, so they already have took part in retroactive discipline, which makes them eligible.
But what about Gordon, who was—before the new policy was implemented—undergoing a full-year suspension after testing positive for marijuana for the second time? HIs suspension will be lowered from a full season to only ten games, meaning that Gordon will be back by Week 1. Overall, there are 20 players who will be affected by the new policy.
The new policy has also introduced HGH testing to the NFL. Testing will begin on players immediately. In 2011, the NFL and NFLPA agreed upon testing for HGH, but the practice was not instilled because of faults in the testing methods and lack of definition in the appeal process for a positive test.
From now on, five players from eight randomly selected teams will be picked for blood testing during the preseason and the regular season. Five players on each team during the postseason also will be tested, and 10 percent of each team’s players will be randomly selected for offseason testing.
In addition, there will be testing due to a reasonable cause and during the pre-employment process. This will be a higher level of testing that the NFL has never done before. The testing will provide more accurate results and will help the league police its players and avoid the use of performance enhancing drugs.
The discipline for violations of the PED policy was also modified. A player that tests positive for the first time could get up to a six game suspension, depending on the nature of the violation. Using masking agents will result in a two game suspension. The use of steroids, stimulants, HGH and other banned substances will result in a four game suspension. If a player attempts to manipulate a test, it will result in a six game suspension. A second violation for the PED policy will result in a 10 game suspension. If a player violates the policy a third time, they will be banned for a minimum two years.
An interesting part of the new agreement is the lack of discipline for positive drug tests during the offseason. If a player tests positive for a banned stimulant during the offseason, there will be no suspension. Instead, they will be placed in a substance abuse program. However, a player that is placed in the substance abuse program tests positive again; they can be suspended for up to four games, depending on the substance that is used. The NFL will also raise the threshold for the tested amount of marijuana from a very strict 15-nanograms-per-milliliter to 35-nanograms-per-milliliter. With this in place, Josh Gordon would not have been banned for the 2014 season.
The policy has also expedited the appeal process. If a positive test is appealed, the case will go in front of third-party neutral arbitrator immediately. In the past, players that appealed would be eligible to play for multiple weeks while their case was being reviewed. The quick turnaround on appeals will help get sentences handed out which will help players and teams move forward.
One thing does not change with the implementation of the new policy: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell still holds his current disciplinary authority which is where the bigger problem lies. During a press conference on Friday, Goodell stated that there will be changes made to the personal conduct policy. With Goodell promising that “everything is on the table” to try to fix the leagues issues; look for another policy to come out from the NFL soon.
Dominick Falco can be reached at dominick.falco@spartans.ut.edu
Chance Smith can be reached at chance.smith@spartans.ut.edu