Randy Gregory fails 5th drug test, checks into rehab

[Sports Hernia]

The NFL and the NFLPA need to get this fixed.

THE NFL should not be in the enforcement business for a substance that does not materially provide an advantage (save pain management) vs the other teams.

Losing all these players DOES detract from quality of the product on the fields and needlessly guts teams who lose talent contribution without a compensating draft pick for that time period.

I get the NFL does not want some player to spend half their time getting high instead of developing their playing ability - but it should not be all or nothing.

Seems the NFLPA should want this too. Negotiate recreational or medicinal use of Cannabis out of the agreements or make a series of financial fines tied to positive drug tests (maybe on % of contract to prevent guys with big contracts just smoking out?) to provide an incentive for players to abstain.

But all this suspension and removal from the season is overkill.

Mike

How can recreational use get approved when federally, it's an illegal substance? At the state level, it's illegal in 46 or 47 starts.

A CBA agreement in a professional sports league doesn't make it any less illegal.

I agree in large part about medicinal usage, though. But that's on the NFLPA to put in the work and get the research done so it can get approved.

It can't be approved but that doesn't mean you have to screen for it.

These guys aren't operating heavy machinery and there is no risk on the field if a player has enough in their system to test positive. I really don't know why the NFL even cares, especially considering the pain relief it can provide.

I don't use it myself but my son who has epilepsy does and there are studies out now that show it can help to prevent seizures so no way I would ask or tell my son he can't do it. He also informed his current employer before starting the job and they said just don't do it at or before work.

Your last line is the way it should be. The use of pot should be treated like alcohol from an employers stand point. If you come to work high (or drunk) it's not acceptable and will result in termination. What you do on your off time is none of our concern.

 

[TwistedHusky]

Exactly.

Should we go down the list of things that are 'illegal' but nobody gives a crap about and so nobody loses their playing career because of it?

The NFL choice to do enforcement of antiquated drug laws is stupid and self-defeating.

 

[SmokinHawk]

Doesn't Matter that is Legal in however many states. As long as its Illegal on the Federal level its illegal. State doesn't supersede Federal. And if an employer says no go then that's the employers choice and they're protected by it.

5 years everywhere means just that. I'm not mincing words here. Just watch and learn. It's a Gen Y/Millennial thing vs. The Gen X/and should be already dead generation thing. We don't have issues about marijuana and know how to spoof the piss test.

"and know how to spoof the piss test"
Lol. Obviously not.

It's not hard to do guy. There are tried and true ways to flush your system you just have to be in the know. Or what? You think nobody smokes weed and works a real job? Everyone in my generation and before does it all the time. And the generation after mine? Yeah keep up. You have to piss test to get any job beyond McDonald's that isn't under the table or independent contracting and similar, last time I checked and who knows? Possibly McDonald's etc. changed their requirements.

Flushing or using masking agents like milk thistle doesn't work anymore as nearly all drug tests are run through a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer, and there is no way to hide even the smallest amounts of metabolite. Back in the day, the GC/MS test was expensive so the cheaper, significantly less accurate EMIT screening was used.

 

[Largent80]

Gawd, just stay clean for about 10 years and monitarily you will be set for life if you can play ball at all.

So stupid that these "athletes" can't get it.