NFLPA Commissioner Releases Statement About Proposed New Marijuana Regulations

NFLPA Commissioner Releases Statement About Proposed New Marijuana Regulations – The NFL Players’ Association recently stated it will propose a new “less punitive” option for players who use marijuana.

The proposal is slated to be presented to the union’s board Tuesday. If it passes the Players Association vote it will be sent to the NFL to start the process of bargaining a change to the drug policy.

“We certainly haven’t seen it or read it. I’ve spoken to (Smith) about it,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said here Wednesday. “But I think what it’s signaling from our standpoint is that the labor agreement we have has worked incredibly well for the players, for our clubs and for I think the game, in general. It’s encouraged investment. We see the salary cap, which may be projected to increase by $15 million a club. In the last four years alone, the salary cap has jumped almost $1.7 billion including benefits. That’s extraordinary and historically has never come close to being achieved before.

“So what we have is a labor agreement that’s working well for all parties, but we sent the union last spring a list of issues that we wanted to address as the league and as ownership. I expect, and we put on that list, the drug policy as one of those issues.”

NFL Players Agreement

The current player’s agreement extends until 2020, the NFL has pressed for an extension. Smith has stated that no extension will be agreed upon until changes are made to the current deal.One of the biggest changes the NFL Players Association is demanding is a new drug policy.

Many retired Pro NFL players have pushed for the acceptance of marijuana and hemp extracts to treat pain from football-related injuries, as well as a treatment for symptoms of concussions and other traumatic brain injuries.

The drug regulations the NFL has for players, state that players are entered into a drug intervention program.Any further violations and the player is subject to fines and suspensions that range from two games to a full year.