NFLPA Doesn’t Vote On New Drug Policy
9:45pm: The saga continues. NFL player reps could vote on a new drug policy soon as tomorrow and suspended players expecting their reinstatement believe that a quick return to the field is possible, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.
9:20pm: In the new proposed program, players who test positive for marijuana will have a few extra stages and the second offense will drop from a four-game suspension to two games, tweets Glazer.
9:06pm: There are still five issues at hand for the NFLPA and the NFL to iron out, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The union is hoping to have an update for players within the next 24 hours.
8:56pm: The conference call is ongoing but the sense amongst the NFLPA is still that the proposal isn’t good enough to vote on, Breer tweets.
8:44pm: It doesn’t sound like there will be a vote anytime soon either, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
8:38pm: NFL player reps will not vote on the new policy tonight, a league source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The two sides were hung up on the issue of DUI punishment, says Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Sources tell Albert Breer of the NFL Network (on Twitter) that there were so many issues with the proposal that the NFL put in front of the players tonight that it just wasn’t worth voting on. On top of that, the NFL didn’t get their latest proposal to the NFLPA until very late in the day, Getlin tweets.
10:46am: The NFLPA has informed the player reps that a conference call to discuss the drug policy will be held at 8:00pm central time tonight, reports Breer (via Twitter). According to Breer, that discussion could ultimately result in a vote on the new policy.
10:05am: As we heard last night, the NFLPA’s 32 team player reps are set to vote today on whether or not to accept a new drug policy proposed by the NFL. However, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, that vote isn’t necessarily guaranteed to take place. Florio reports that there’s no tentative agreement in place at this point, and that the NFLPA has asked the league to make a proposal on which the players could decide. If union leadership decides that proposal is worth voting on, then the vote will take place.
As Florio suggests, that “somewhat unorthodox protocol” suggests that the NFLPA’s leadership – including executive director DeMaurice Smith – is facing pressure from players to get something finalized, perhaps because an agreement could mean that several suspended players, such as Josh Gordon and Wes Welker, would have the opportunity to be reinstated. Retroactively evaluating those penalties based on a new drug policy has been one of the key points for a new agreement, and both sides seem to be in agreement on that issue.
However, as Albert Breer of the NFL Network writes, the two sides remain apart on some issues, most notably how to handle DUI arrests. According to Breer, who hears that the DUI issue is “by far” the biggest sticking point, the players are unlikely to approve any proposal which involves immediate suspensions upon a DUI arrest, without due process. A one-game deactivation without pay upon a DUI arrest seems like the most logical compromise.
Still, while the DUI rules need to be ironed out, there is agreement in many other areas, per Breer. A few other terms that could be part of the new agreement are as follows:
- An increased threshold for positive marijuana tests.
- Offseason positive tests for amphetamines falling under the substance of abuse policy rather than the performance enhancing drug policy.
- Immediate implementation of HGH testing.
Latest On Drug Policy Talks
7:58pm: The NFLPA will have 32 player reps vote on Tuesday regarding a proposed overhauled drug policy after daylong negotiations, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen (Twitter link). Mortensen also reported that if the new agreement gets approved, suspended players such as Josh Gordon and Wes Welker could be reinstated.
4:45pm: Negotiations between the NFL and NFLPA on a new drug policy for the league continue to progress, with Albert Breer of the NFL Network reporting that the two sides met in person in New York this afternoon for face-to-face discussions (Twitter link). According to Breer, the in-person meeting is a signal of how talks have advanced, though the policy for DUIs remains a sticking point (Twitter link).
Meanwhile, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report spoke to a union source who said that are three points that are “non-negotiable” for the players in the new policy. According to Cole (all Twitter links), the players want to ensure that there are no suspensions for initial arrests, reasonable standards for positive marijuana tests, and control over appeals for HGH suspensions. On those last two points, the union would like marijuana standards to be roughly in line with most state-employee standards, and want a third party – rather than the commissioner – have final say on HGH decisions.
As for the idea that the league wants to enact suspensions for initial arrests, Cole adds (via Twitter) that even team executives are confused by that, pointing out that charges might be dropped or a player may be proven innocent. Based on what we’ve heard so far, it sounds as if the NFL would like to institute mandatory deactivations, rather than suspensions, for players charged with DUI. That would allow the league to avoid seeing that player on the field immediately following his arrest, but wouldn’t necessarily dock him any pay unless he was later suspended after due process.
NFLPA Refused HGH, Gordon Offer
While we heard yesterday that the NFL was considering vacating the suspensions of Josh Gordon, Wes Welker, and other players as part of a new drug policy agreement, the union doesn’t seem to have looked fondly upon that proposal. A league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that the NFLPA refused an offer from the league to expunge Gordon’s one-year ban in exchange a resolution on HGH testing.
Per Florio, the union is loathe to consider an accord that aids one player (Gordon) at the expense of others. The new policy would likely raise the league’s THC limit, which currently sits at 15 nanograms per mililiter, to something approaching the standard of MLB (50 ng/ml) or the Olympics (150 ng/ml). Gordon’s positive marijuana test came back with 16 ng/ml, just one nanogram over the limit.
On the matter of HGH, Florio reports that the NFLPA wants commissioner Roger Goodell to give up disciplinary power on HGH issues that don’t relate to a positive test. Instead, the union prefers that a third-party arbiter handle such instances.
For his part, Gordon indicated earlier today that he does not intend to sue the league to in order to play in 2014.
Extra Points: HGH, Thompson, Raiders
Reports today, including one from ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen, have suggested that talks between the NFL and the NFLPA have intensified, as the two sides attempt to implement HGH testing and revamp the league’s current drug policy. However, NFLPA president Eric Winston has issued a statement cautioning that there’s still work to be done.
“Players who have been to any collective bargaining negotiation understand that we never describe them as ‘very close,'” Winston said. “We look at every issue we can to improve the rights and benefits of players. This process takes time, it takes creativity and it is never easy. We want to get a new agreement in place but we understand the responsibility we have to the players and to the game. It is critical that we get this right.”
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Ted Thompson’s new contract with the Packers should keep him with the team well into his mid-60s. Rapoport reports that the deal, which was signed in July, is a three-year pact that runs through 2018.
- Meanwhile, Peter King takes an in-depth look at Thompson in a piece for TheMMQB.com, which includes the Packers GM discussing the team’s signing of Julius Peppers.
- Although a report on Wednesday suggested that the City of Oakland is closing in on an agreement for a new stadium for the Raiders, San Antonio is “still in conversations” to move the Raiders to Texas, city manager Sheryl Sculley tells Josh Baugh and Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.
- During the 48-hour window between when the Saints cut him and re-signed him, Robert Meachem received inquiries from other teams, but he says he knew the call from New Orleans was coming, tweets Sean Fazende of FOX 8 Sports.
- Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com explains why the 49ers saw $8MM in cap space disappear this week, as the cap calculations for the 2014 season started taking into account teams’ full rosters rather than just their top 51 highest-paid players.
Extra Points: NFLPA, Moreno, Contract Details
Newly-minted NFLPA president Eric Winston is just hours into his new role, but he sounds like he’s ready to hit the ground running.
“This union has always been about fighting,” Winston told Tom Pelissero of USA Today. “It won’t change.”
Winston didn’t mince words when it came to the idea of expanding the NFL season from 16 to 18 games, telling Pelissero that the idea is “dead in the water.” He was less definitive when it came to the idea of playoff expansion, but he made it clear that the union will only be on board under certain conditions. Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Knowshon Moreno arguably had the most impressive 2013 campaign of any of this year’s free agent running backs, but his name hasn’t surfaced at all in the last nine days. That changed today, with word breaking that the Dolphins will have Moreno in a for a visit on Friday (Twitter link via Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald).
- The Panthers continue to pursue free agent receivers, and will have Lestar Jean in for a visit tonight and tomorrow, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter).
- The Buccaneers hosted free agent defensive back Chris Owens today, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. Owens also met with the Steelers this week, as we heard earlier this afternoon.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap has the full breakdown of many of the new contracts signed in recent days, including, but not limited to, Andrew Hawkins‘ four-year pact with the Browns, Scott Chandler‘s two-year deal with the Bills, James Starks‘ two-year deal with the Packers, Charlie Johnson‘s two-year contract with the Vikings, and Usama Young‘s two-year deal with the Raiders.
- Jerricho Cotchery‘s deal with the Panthers is technically for five years, as Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun details (via Twitter). I imagine it includes three void years, similar to Roman Harper‘s new contract. Cotchery also received a $2.25MM signing bonus.
- Wilson (Twitter links) also provides details on a pair of minimum salary benefit contracts, noting that fullback Jed Collins will get $710K from the Lions between his $65K signing bonus and $645K base salary. Safety Craig Steltz will get $795K from the Bears between his $730K salary and the $65K roster bonus for 2014.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Extra Points: Browns, Goodson, Dolphins, Rams
After initially suggesting that he’d be open to returning to the Seahawks on a “hometown discount,” Golden Tate ultimately landed with the Lions, inking the second-largest deal of the offseason for a wide receiver. In retrospect, Tate may regret making the comment about giving Seattle a discount, as he explained on 710 ESPN in Seattle (link via Terry Blount of ESPN.com).
“I didn’t mean a 40% discount,” Tate said. “I’m going to earn in one year at Detroit what Seattle was going to pay me for two years. Seattle offered numbers that were laughable. I thought, ‘I’ve given you everything and this is what you give me?'”
As Tate looks forward to teaming up with Calvin Johnson in Detroit, let’s check in on a few more odds and ends from around the NFL….
- Free agent offensive lineman Paul McQuistan and defensive lineman Alex Carrington visited with the Browns, tweets Pat McManamon of ESPN.com.
- The Jets have converted Mike Goodson’s $650K roster bonus into a different form of roster bonus that can be obtained if he’s on the roster for all 16 games, as Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com details (via Twitter). The move takes the bonus charge off the cap, creating some modest savings for the Jets.
- Before he re-signed with the Jets, Willie Colon drew interest from the Falcons and Vikings, but those teams both ultimately “backed off,” the lineman told reporters today (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post).
- The Redskins hosted free agent guard Mike McGlynn for a visit today, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Washington is clearly in the market for at least one interior lineman after cutting Will Montgomery, considering we heard earlier in the afternoon that the club will also host Brian De La Puente.
- The conditional draft pick the Dolphins sent to the Ravens for Bryant McKinnie last season will be a seventh-rounder, a league source tells Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
- The Vikings‘ offer to Henry Melton was competitive with the Cowboys‘ proposal in terms of salary, but the free agent defensive lineman simply chose Dallas instead, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
- A little over a week into free agency, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch examines where the Rams stand, and takes an in-depth look at Rodger Saffold‘s new contract.
- Javier Arenas‘ one-year deal with the Falcons is a minimum salary benefit contract with a $65K signing bonus, says Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has the details on the new additions to the NFLPA’s executive committee.
Eric Winston Named NFLPA President
Free agent tackle Eric Winston has been elected as the new president of the NFL Players Association, as Melissa Mahler writes at ProPlayerInsiders.com. Winston, who will take over the job from Domonique Foxworth, had been running against Ryan Clark and Ben Watson, who both tweeted congratulations to the veteran offensive lineman.
Winston, who played for the Cardinals in 2013, will be tasked with leading the NFLPA’s executive committee as the players continue to work on issues relating to health and safety, and look ahead to the next labor agreement.