Wes Welker, Orlando Scandrick and Stedman Bailey will be immediately eligible to play in Week 3 for their respective teams under the revised NFL drug policy, according to a joint statement released by the league and the NFL Players Association.
Wes Welker, others immediately eligible to play in Week 3 under NFL drug policy
Wes Welker, Orlando Scandrick and Stedman Bailey will be eligible to play in Week 3 now that the NFL and NFLPA have agreed to a revised drug policy.
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
All three players were given four-game suspensions in the offseason for testing positive for substances that were categorized under the league’s policy against performance-enhancing drugs. Those substances were re-categorized under the league’s substance abuse policy in the new agreement, and those players will instead be entered into a substance abuse program without suspension.
Policy Change
Worth noting is that the joint statement released by the NFL and NFLPA only mentions Welker, Scandrick and Bailey, with no suggestion that other players may have their suspensions retroactively lifted. Those three will be the only players receiving immediate reinstatement, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Several other players were eligible to have their suspensions revisited -- the Miami Herald reported last week that Dolphins defenders Reshad Jones and Dion Jordan would be returning early, for example -- but it appears those players will have to sit and wait for now.
How much Welker, Scandrick and Bailey will play this week remains to be seen. All three have missed significant practice due to their suspensions. A deep Denver Broncos receiving corps should be able to manage if Welker isn't yet ready to return. A beleaguered Dallas Cowboys secondary and St. Louis Rams receiving corps missing Tavon Austin may be more desperate to add Scandrick and Bailey, respectively.
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