All 32 NFL team player representatives voted Friday to approve a long-awaited new policy for substances of abuse and performance enhancing drugs. As part of that agreement, the league would retroactively lift or reduce the current suspensions of several players, most notably Wes Welker, Josh Gordon and Orlando Scandrick.
Josh Gordon, Wes Welker to receive reduced suspensions under NFL drug policy, per reports
Wes Welker will be eligible to play immediately, assuming the NFL approves a new drug policy this Saturday as expected. Josh Gordon will have his full-season suspension reduced to 10 games.
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[UPDATE: A league spokesman told ESPN's Chris Mortensen that the NFL still has "unresolved issues" with the new policy that could delay its approval. Among the issues may be the reinstatement of players prior to this weekend's games, affecting Wes Welker, Orlando Scandrick and others.]
The NFL still has to sign off on the new policy, which is expected to happen Saturday, according to the Denver Post. Assuming it does, Welker and Scandrick would immediately become eligible to play Week 2. Gordon would have his suspension reduced to 10 games, instead of a full season.
According to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports, reinstating players may not be in the NFL’s plans:
The NFL has privately told at least one team there's no deal on a new drug policy & there are no current plans for immediate reinstatements.
— Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) September 13, 2014 Of course, in the case of Welker and Scandrick, missed practice time might mean they sit out this weekend, anyway.
Players like Orlando Scandrick and Wes Welker can return to the field Sunday. But no practice all week, may not actually see the field
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 12, 2014 Only those drug suspensions that have been handed down since the beginning of the current league year would be eligible for reduction. Any suspensions from before March 11, 2014 remain in place.
Under the new policy, the acceptable level of THC (marijuana) has been raised from a negligible 15 ng/ml to 35 ng/ml. Players whose positive tests registered below that mark were eligible for a suspension reduction. Gordon, for instance, reportedly had one test just above 15 ng/ml and another below.
Welker and Scandrick are beneficiaries of a change to amphetamine policy. Under the new agreement, positive amphetamine tests during the offseason are considered substances of abuse instead of PEDs, and first-time violators are not suspended (in-season amphetamine violations are still four-game PED suspensions).
To sum it up, any player who registered below the new THC mark or tested positive for amphetamines during the offseason and was suspended after March 11 was considered for a suspension reduction. The league noted it reviewed every case on an individual basis, though, so not everyone that falls into the above categories has been cleared.
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