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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE NFL & NFLPA RESOLVE THG APPEALS The NFL and NFL Players Association have resolved the appeals of three NFL players who tested positive last year for the newly identified steroid THG. The three players – Chris Cooper and Barret Robbins of the Oakland Raiders and free agent Dana Stubblefield – each will be fined three game checks and placed on reasonable-cause testing for the remainder of their NFL careers. Cooper, Robbins, and Stubblefield had no history of violating the steroids policy. Any further violation of the policy by these players would result in a minimum eight-game suspension (50 percent of regular season). Uniform testing for THG on all NFL player urine samples began last October 6. Since then, more than 4,000 samples have been tested for steroids with no positives for THG. The NFL also has tested all available samples – approximately 1,700 -- taken prior to October 6 before a reliable test for THG had been developed. The positive THG tests of Cooper, Robbins, and Stubblefield were among four produced from the pre-October 6 samples (the appeal of the fourth player is pending). None of the other 1,700 pre-October 6 samples produced a positive for THG. NFL Executive Vice President Harold Henderson and NFLPA Executive Director Gene Upshaw exercised their authority under the Collective Bargaining Agreement to resolve the issue. The settlement came after several months of discussion and prior to a scheduled disciplinary hearing this week on the THG matter. “This case presented a unique set of facts not addressed by the parties when the policy was written,” Henderson said. “Resolving the dispute required compromise by both sides, but the most important point is that our policy is now stronger. Going forward, we have a clear understanding that all available samples will be tested for any newly identified ‘designer’ steroid as soon as a test is developed. Users will be caught and disciplined in the same manner as those who test positive for known substances. The NFL steroids policy will continue to be the most comprehensive and effective in professional sports.” The players and the Players Association had challenged the NFL’s authority to re-test specimens deemed to be negative after an initial screening. “We felt from the start that there was nothing in our agreed policy to allow for going back to test old samples long after they were found to be negative,” Upshaw said. “This is an unusual case. We strongly support a ‘zero tolerance’ policy on steroids, but there also must be clear and fair procedures that everybody knows and understands.” # # # |