The NFL Will Now Fine Players $15,000 If They Post About Their Random Drug Tests on Social Media After a Big Game
Aaron M. Sprecher/AP
Posting about a random drug test after having a career game could now set NFL players back $15,000, according to the league’s new drug policies.
The NFL on Thursday announced updates to its Substances of Abuse Policy and its Performance Enhancing Substances. The SOA policy includes a number of changes making the testing more lenient, such as increasing the positive THC level from 150 nanograms per milliliter to 350 ng/ml. Additionally, the league Medical Director may test players for fentanyl “if clinically indicated.” There’s no punishment for a positive test, but a player is subject to a $15,000 fine for “failing to comply with a mandatory meeting regarding fentanyl.”
With the PES policy, there weren’t many significant changes. The biggest one, however, is the $15,000 fine for “recording and posting collection process on social media.”
Across the league, it’s common for a player to be “randomly” selected for a drug test after having a career-best performance in a game. Players are often notified in the form of a piece of paper in their locker informing them of the selection.
In the NFL and other sports leagues, the notification has become an informal badge of honor. To players, the decision to drug test them is viewed as the league seeing them play so well that officials can’t help but wonder if performance-enhancing drugs were used. Now, showing off that badge of honor could come at a cost.
