Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
The NFL Players Association is looking beyond its immediate membership in shaping a proposal to revamp the league's marijuana ban.
As part of its upcoming effort to sway the NFL to make more changes to its substances-of-abuse policy, union executive George Atallah said the NFLPA wants to work with spouses and other family members of players to insure marijuana would be used properly for pain management.
Atallah said NFLPA research shows that some players are testing positive not because of recreational use but the desire to avoid opioids and the potential addiction and health problems that can come from taking them in excess.
"We believe that is the result of players trying to deal with managing pain on their own as opposed to going through a medical professional," Atallah recently told co-host Geoff Schwartz and me on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "If that's the case, we need to really take a hard look at what's causing them to self-medicate, how we can take better care of players in the locker room and how we can incorporate frankly all of the families of players into this solution.
"The disciplinary aspect of it is one thing. But what we're really trying to focus on is helping players get better without having to resort to things like Toradol and heavy opioids."
Those drugs and their distribution by NFL trainers were the focus of a federal lawsuit by former players who claimed they were over-prescribed medication to remain on the field. The league denied wrongdoing, and the bulk of the lawsuit was dismissed last month.
Although the 13 ex-players could have appealed the decision, court records reviewed Friday by Sporting News revealed that only two – Alphonso Carricker (Green Bay/Denver) and Reggie Walker (San Diego) – are following through on claims of intentional misrepresentation. The other claims were dismissed on statue-of-limitations grounds.
The NFL is seeking dismissal of Carricker's and Walker's claims. A hearing is scheduled for June 29 in San Francisco.
Although effective non-addictive pain management remains an ongoing issue for players, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has shown little indication of allowing marijuana usage until receiving a recommendation from the league's medical advisers.
"To date, they haven't said this is a change we think you should make that's in the best interests of the health and safety of our players," Goodell said in late April on ESPN Radio. "If they do, we're certainly going to consider that. Medical marijuana is something that is evolving."
Goodell also cited what he believes are some of the negative aspects of marijuana usage from either a medical or recreational standpoint.
"Is it something that can be negative to the health of our players? Listen, you're ingesting smoke, so that's not usually a very positive thing that people would say," Goodell said. "It does have an addictive nature. There are a lot of compounds in marijuana that may not be healthy for the players long-term. All of those things have to be considered.
"It's not as simple as someone just wants to feel better after a game. We really want to help our players in that circumstance, but I want to make sure that the negative consequences aren't something that we'll be held accountable for some years down the road."
The NFL and NFLPA did agree on a revamped substances-of-abuse policy in 2014 that lessened punishment for failed marijuana tests.
It now takes four positive tests to trigger a four-game suspension as opposed to three games under the previous rules. The threshold that can trigger a positive test also was slightly raised, and fines were lessened.
Atallah, though, said the NFLPA would like even more leeway for its members.
"Players don't need to be losing game checks or any money in particular getting suspended for marijuana use," Atallah said.
Atallah didn't provide a date when the NFLPA plans to present its new proposal to the NFL.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: NFLPA wants to include players' families in weed policy proposal to league | NFL | Sporting News
Author: Alex Marvez
Contact: Sporting News
Photo Credit: Paul Nisely
Website: Sporting News - NFL | NCAA | NBA | MLB | NASCAR | UFC | WWE
As part of its upcoming effort to sway the NFL to make more changes to its substances-of-abuse policy, union executive George Atallah said the NFLPA wants to work with spouses and other family members of players to insure marijuana would be used properly for pain management.
Atallah said NFLPA research shows that some players are testing positive not because of recreational use but the desire to avoid opioids and the potential addiction and health problems that can come from taking them in excess.
"We believe that is the result of players trying to deal with managing pain on their own as opposed to going through a medical professional," Atallah recently told co-host Geoff Schwartz and me on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "If that's the case, we need to really take a hard look at what's causing them to self-medicate, how we can take better care of players in the locker room and how we can incorporate frankly all of the families of players into this solution.
"The disciplinary aspect of it is one thing. But what we're really trying to focus on is helping players get better without having to resort to things like Toradol and heavy opioids."
Those drugs and their distribution by NFL trainers were the focus of a federal lawsuit by former players who claimed they were over-prescribed medication to remain on the field. The league denied wrongdoing, and the bulk of the lawsuit was dismissed last month.
Although the 13 ex-players could have appealed the decision, court records reviewed Friday by Sporting News revealed that only two – Alphonso Carricker (Green Bay/Denver) and Reggie Walker (San Diego) – are following through on claims of intentional misrepresentation. The other claims were dismissed on statue-of-limitations grounds.
The NFL is seeking dismissal of Carricker's and Walker's claims. A hearing is scheduled for June 29 in San Francisco.
Although effective non-addictive pain management remains an ongoing issue for players, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has shown little indication of allowing marijuana usage until receiving a recommendation from the league's medical advisers.
"To date, they haven't said this is a change we think you should make that's in the best interests of the health and safety of our players," Goodell said in late April on ESPN Radio. "If they do, we're certainly going to consider that. Medical marijuana is something that is evolving."
Goodell also cited what he believes are some of the negative aspects of marijuana usage from either a medical or recreational standpoint.
"Is it something that can be negative to the health of our players? Listen, you're ingesting smoke, so that's not usually a very positive thing that people would say," Goodell said. "It does have an addictive nature. There are a lot of compounds in marijuana that may not be healthy for the players long-term. All of those things have to be considered.
"It's not as simple as someone just wants to feel better after a game. We really want to help our players in that circumstance, but I want to make sure that the negative consequences aren't something that we'll be held accountable for some years down the road."
The NFL and NFLPA did agree on a revamped substances-of-abuse policy in 2014 that lessened punishment for failed marijuana tests.
It now takes four positive tests to trigger a four-game suspension as opposed to three games under the previous rules. The threshold that can trigger a positive test also was slightly raised, and fines were lessened.
Atallah, though, said the NFLPA would like even more leeway for its members.
"Players don't need to be losing game checks or any money in particular getting suspended for marijuana use," Atallah said.
Atallah didn't provide a date when the NFLPA plans to present its new proposal to the NFL.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: NFLPA wants to include players' families in weed policy proposal to league | NFL | Sporting News
Author: Alex Marvez
Contact: Sporting News
Photo Credit: Paul Nisely
Website: Sporting News - NFL | NCAA | NBA | MLB | NASCAR | UFC | WWE
