How lame is the NFLPA? Well, this might just say it all

[Deus Irae]

New CBA would shrink annual marijuana testing window to two weeks

New CBA would shrink annual marijuana testing window to two weeks


That's right. Even with the league trying to get a 17 game schedule, the incompetents running the NFLPA can't get rid of testing for weed.

 

[primetime]

The current union leadership is ultra-conservative and is rushing to get a new CBA done to line their pockets before upcoming union elections because there's a real chance (for the first time) they throw out Smith and his cronies and vote in hardliners who would demand heavy concessions and threaten a strike. Ownership knows this and the two sides are basically collaborating to screw over the players while they still have the chance. It's gross.

That said, as concessions go, some token telegraphed marijuana testing is pretty minor. If you get caught under those parameters, you deserve what's coming to you. (See Biden, Hunter and drug testing in the Reserves.)

 

[bigballas]

New CBA would shrink annual marijuana testing window to two weeks


That's right. Even with the league trying to get a 17 game schedule, the incompetents running the
NFLPA can't get rid of testing for weed.

..from almost 5 month window to 2 weeks seems like win to me. probably a political thing with well if its not federally legal we dont want to take sides so we'll shorten to non-negligible time period and have plausible deniability

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

With so many states legalizing it, they should abolish testing completely. I don’t think it was an enhancement for cheech and Chong....

 

[Drewski]

The current union leadership is ultra-conservative and is rushing to get a new CBA done to line their pockets before upcoming union elections because there's a real chance (for the first time) they throw out Smith and his cronies and vote in hardliners who would demand heavy concessions and threaten a strike. Ownership knows this and the two sides are basically collaborating to screw over the players while they still have the chance. It's gross.

That said, as concessions go, some token telegraphed marijuana testing is pretty minor. If you get caught under those parameters, you deserve what's coming to you. (See Biden, Hunter and drug testing in the Reserves.)

Not trying to argue for the sake or it, but isn't the existing THC test already telegraphed? Pretty sure (although I could have it wrong) the league tests for THC one time a year while they test for PEDs year round; unless you're in the program....if I remember correctly, they try and be cute and schedule it every year on 4-20.

It they are going to continue to test, they should do so. Just set the THC-COOH cutoff for a positive test way up there....like they do for PEDs.

That way everyone wins...even the drugs are bad, mmmkay crowd.

 

[Deus Irae]

..from almost 5 month window to 2 weeks seems like win to me.

Then you should re-evaluate your notion of winning. Eating less **** isn't much of a win.

 

[bigballas]

Then you should re-evaluate your notion of winning. Eating less **** isn't much of a win.

guess if you eat so much **** you get a little jaded in the negotiations.. .

 

[primetime]

Not trying to argue for the sake or it, but isn't the existing THC test already telegraphed? Pretty sure (although I could have it wrong) the league tests for THC one time a year while they test for PEDs year round; unless you're in the program....if I remember correctly, they try and be cute and schedule it every year on 4-20.

It they are going to continue to test, they should do so. Just set the THC-COOH cutoff for a positive test way up there....like they do for PEDs.

That way everyone wins...even the drugs are bad, mmmkay crowd.

There's a five month window when they can test for it in the current CBA. I'm not sure if they actually do that or not, so you very well may be right.

Honestly not sure why this serves anyone's interests. Suspending guys for weed seems counterproductive for a league that wants to air a good product, too. The owners have bizarre priorities themselves, mainly because they're a bunch of decrepit old weirdos obsessed with enforcing a twisted sense of 50s morality on their league. From a purely strategic standpoint, it's a fairly minor provision and if you can horse trade something meaningful out of this because the owners have a weird obsession with it then it's tough to blame them.

 

[Deus Irae]

If the NFLPA can't get a CBA without recreational drug testing, without the players needing to play another game during the season, and without Goodell still being in charge of discipline while having the ability to just make **** up as he goes along, the NFLPA has no business even existing.


The weed failure is just a really obvious example of its incompetence.

 

[primetime]

If the NFLPA can't get a CBA without recreational drug testing, without the players needing to play another game during the season, and without Goodell still being in charge of discipline while having the ability to just make **** up as he goes along, the NFLPA has no business even existing.


The weed failure is just a really obvious example of its incompetence.

I mean, negotiations are negotiations, you give on issues that matter less and take on issues that matter more. If it's an issue the owners feel strongly about because they have some weird, broken obsession with reefer madness, then extracting concessions elsewhere to give them nothing more than a token and heavily telegraphed testing is a shrewd move. How many players are suspended because they tested positive for marijuana in the NFL each season? It's tough to know since they don't say what players were suspended for, just that they violated the substance use policy.

 

[Deus Irae]

I mean, negotiations are negotiations, you give on issues that matter less and take on issues that matter more. If it's an issue the owners feel strongly about because they have some weird, broken obsession with reefer madness, then extracting concessions elsewhere to give them nothing more than a token and heavily telegraphed testing is a shrewd move. How many players are suspended because they tested positive for marijuana in the NFL each season? It's tough to know since they don't say what players were suspended for, just that they violated the substance use policy.

I know how negotiations work, thanks. In this case, the owners have long since publicly admitted the need to re-visit the weed policy. And, even in negotiations at this level, sides will often have some things they consider to be deal breakers. The NFLPA just doesn't have the competence to get things done. We've seen that in CBA after CBA. Given the very public failures of the NFL substance abuse policy and the NFL discipline policy, the NFLPA should consider both of them to be deal breakers. If they don't, they're useless. We're not talking about surrendering about good policies that work well. We're talking about surrendering on lousy policies that are in desperate need of an overhaul or removal.

There's never been any legitimate excuse to grant a league the ability to test professional athletes for recreational drugs. And nothing has happened since the last NFL CBA to change that.

 

[ralmat55]

I’m all for NFLPA and NFL bashing, but this is only both of them playing politics with the fact that marijuana is still Federally illegal. They’ve removed sanctions but for only the most extreme violators (probably Patriots who get caught) and limited their enforcement of the policy to a 2 week window. It’s a win for the players.

 

[BTTA]

There's never been any legitimate excuse to grant a league the ability to test professional athletes for recreational drugs. And nothing has happened since the last NFL CBA to change that.

I’m all for NFLPA and NFL bashing, but this is only both of them playing politics with the fact that marijuana is still Federally illegal. They’ve removed sanctions but for only the most extreme violators (probably Patriots who get caught) and limited their enforcement of the policy to a 2 week window. It’s a win for the players.

I see both sides, but I'm with DI on this one. It shouldn't even be an issue. When the league brings it up in negotiations, the players union should just act as if it was never spoken. Or offer up that to accept recreational drug testing of players, the owners will be required to give up furniture in their offices. There's just no relevance to labor negotiations.

 

[PatsWSB47]

Leaving a 2 week period is nothing more than a failed public relations move. Either its okay to use or its not. Theyre playing both sides of the middle.

 

[bruce_w]

If you want to know how lame the NFLPA is… The whole narrative of him leaving is just to appease them. They have been all over him after every contract he has signed. And the f#$#$n stupidity is that every time he has made other players a lot of money.

 

[DaBruinz]

With so many states legalizing it, they should abolish testing completely. I don’t think it was an enhancement for cheech and Chong....

I think that the legalization of Marijuana federally should just be done with already. Treat driving while high the same way as driving under the influence of alcohol.

Colorado has seen a spike in their road fatalities where pot was involved. They can't be certain the spike is due to legalization, but one has to question whether the link is real.

More drivers in fatal crashes in Colorado are testing for marijuana use, at higher levels

States that legalized recreational weed see increase in car accidents, studies say - CNN

 

[rochrist]

The current union leadership is ultra-conservative and is rushing to get a new CBA done to line their pockets before upcoming union elections because there's a real chance (for the first time) they throw out Smith and his cronies and vote in hardliners who would demand heavy concessions and threaten a strike. Ownership knows this and the two sides are basically collaborating to screw over the players while they still have the chance. It's gross.

That said, as concessions go, some token telegraphed marijuana testing is pretty minor. If you get caught under those parameters, you deserve what's coming to you. (See Biden, Hunter and drug testing in the Reserves.)

I'm dubious that such a thing as a hardliner for the NFLPA exists, simply because the players are too class-divided to be able to successfully maintain any sort of effective work action.

 

[BTTA]

I'm dubious that such a thing as a hardliner for the NFLPA exists, simply because the players are too class-divided to be able to successfully maintain any sort of effective work action.

Yeah, I've wondered why the low end of the wage scale doesn't get doubled or tripled, given thats' where most of the votes are.

 

[Pape]

that two weeks of pot testing is going to remove the final stumbling block for a 17 and ultimately 18 game schedule. Think the owners really give a crap about players smoking weed? Thats why its still on the board...

 

[ralmat55]

As I think about it further, their is some logic to this policy beyond just paying lip service to marijuana’s standing status as an illegal drug by the Federal government, and I applaud the NFLPA if this is part of the reason for there still being testing and sanctions for marijuana use.

Although most users and the general public see marijuana as a harmless drug, it really isn’t. Like alcohol, it is addictive and heavy long term usage can be debilitating.

Having a policy in place where players only have to abstain from use for a few weeks to get it out of their system and have their test will help the Union find players who might have an addiction problem and cannot lay off the stuff for such a short period of time.

The proof will be in the details of the policy but if it’s meant to help players who might have an addiction problem get counseling and treatment then kudos to the Union.