The National Football League Players Association was planning to vote on an overhaul of the league’s drug policy on Tuesday. Due to some issues with the owner’s proposal, the vote did not take place according to plan (via ESPN.com).
The NFLPA was expecting to take a vote that would have revised policy and allowed for the immediate reinstatement of almost 20 players currently under suspension, including star receivers Josh Gordon of the Cleveland Browns and Wes Welker of the Denver Broncos, as well as cornerback Orlando Scandrick of the Dallas Cowboys, sources said.
The news here is that these suspended players will not be able to take the field for Week 2 unless the two sides come to an agreement this week.
There is still some optimism that a vote could be conducted on Wednesday, as Tom Pelissero of USA Today pointed out.
Two people with knowledge of the NFLPA call told me the union hopes for a comprehensive writeup within 24 hours. So … stay tuned tomorrow.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 10, 2014
NFLPA spokesman George Atallah, who has always been forthcoming to myself and other members of the media, had this to say about the vote to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
There was no vote tonight…There are still unresolved issues. We will continue to work toward a comprehensive agreement on the drug policies.
This isn’t an indication that something isn’t imminent. Both sides have been at the negotiating table for the better part of the past two weeks and expect to get something done.
If enacted, the new policy would include human growth hormone (HGH) testing for the first time and raise the limits for marijuana testing, among other significant changes. This would enable nearly two dozen players to return to the field much sooner than their original suspensions called for.
Photo: USA Today