bohumm
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Joined: 10/28/2007
From: Altadena, CA
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Bill Johanesen
Dallas Cowboys right tackle La'el Collins was suspended by the NFL after trying to bribe the league's drug-test collector, sources told ESPN.
Players cannot be suspended for positive marijuana tests under the NFL's new collective bargaining agreement, but Collins' issue was multiple missed tests and also trying to bribe the test collector, according to sources.
The NFL initially was preparing to suspend Collins five games for his actions, but the NFL Players Association -- aware of the intended five-game suspension -- helped negotiate a reduction to what would have been a two-game ban.
Collins, however, appealed the suspension, and the appeal was heard by an arbitrator appointed jointly by both the league and the NFLPA. The arbitrator not only rejected Collins' appeal, but ruled that based on the evidence, the suspension should be increased back to the original five games.
Collins' lawyer currently is attempting an appeal of the arbitrator's decision, but league sources believe the suspension, which was announced Sept. 10, will not be reduced.
This situation and the Josh Gordon situation show the difficulty of trying to suss out how to deal with people who violate the drug policies of various entities, in this case the NFL. There is the issue of player availability, which has made investment in these players dicey at best, disastrous at worst (see Gordon, Josh). Then there's the health issue of whether the player is addicted and how that might impact his availability and effectiveness, as well as the rest of his life. But the thing that cannot be denied is the horrendous judgment players sometimes show, where the best case is they're actually just a run of the mill addict/alcoholic, but the worse case continuum goes from immature to sociopath. If you're not an addict and you continue to violate the rules and, more importantly, your compact with your team/teammates, then you're on the asshole continuum. In Collins' case, his spot on that continuum, from great distance of course, looks to be more toward the sociopath end.
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