Its a start. Would not have ever happened without Doctor Ayotte’s efforts.
TORONTO – The Canadian Football League (CFL) and Canadian Football League Players’ Association (CFLPA) today announced that they have agreed to changes to the CFL’s draft eligibility rules and are implementing more stringent rules for individuals with anti-doping rule violations hoping to enter the League.
The CFL and the CFLPA both feel it is important to address the issue of players coming into the CFL from university programs and other leagues or sports and the consequences they face for any anti-doping rule violations they may have previously incurred.
“We are taking these important steps today to ensure that there is a level playing field for all athletes entering the CFL,? said Jeffrey L. Orridge, CFL Commissioner. “We are also hopeful that the CFLPA can continue to work with us to establish a new drug testing program for all CFL players that is meaningful and effective.?
“The CFLPA takes the total health and safety of our members very seriously and we are eager to continue progressive discussions,? said Scott Flory, CFLPA President. “A policy to prevent and deter the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs is seen as one of the critical components of the overall health and safety of players.?
The rules set out below come into effect immediately and in advance of the upcoming CFL regional and central Combines, where the CFL provides for drug testing in conjunction with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport:
• An individual who incurs an anti-doping rule violation pursuant to the Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP) or who tests positive for a substance banned under the CFL drug policy in the year of his CFL Draft, or the immediate year prior to his CFL Draft, will have his Draft year deferred for one year.
• An individual who, having gone through the CFL Draft, whether drafted or undrafted, subsequently incurs an anti-doping rule violation pursuant to the CADP or who tests positive for a substance banned under the CFL drug policy, would be ineligible to sign a contract with a CFL team for one (1) calendar year after the individual tests positive or incurs an anti-doping rule violation as referenced above.
• An individual who is ineligible for the CFL Draft (i.e. Canadian Junior Football League player or International Canadian Interuniversity Sport, National Collegiate Athletic Association, National Football League player or any other athlete from another sport) and who incurs an anti-doping rule violation pursuant to the CADP or pursuant to any other drug testing program or who tests positive for a substance banned under the CFL drug policy, would be ineligible to sign a contract with a CFL team for one (1) calendar year after the individual tests positive or incurs an anti-doping rule violation as referenced above.
Regional combines are scheduled for Edmonton on March 7, Montreal on March 9, and Toronto on March 10, with the CFL Combine set for Toronto March 11 to 13. The CFL Canadian Draft is May 10.
A fair and reasonable approach to a positive test for a banned substance . Orridge and company have addressed the issue effectively . Will wait and see what happens with existing players with the CFLPA playing a role in penalties .
This closes the loophole that caused the embarrassment of last year, but doesn't address the fact that there's no drug policy in effect for CFL players right now, and hasn't been for basically an entire year.
That needs to be addressed before the season starts, otherwise this means very little.
Agree and disagree. It levels the playing field for the College kids trying to earn a job. It prevents them from playing ball in the CIS ( lose their fifth year eligibility) or CFL for a year if they are caught.
Orridge has at least fixed what was under his control. The only party that looks like they have something to hide now is the CFLPA.
It was under Orridge’s control to slam the CCES and the labs when they pointed out that the old CFL drug policy was a joke. It was under his control to take his ball and go home, claiming another lab would do it instead. It was under his control that said attempt was a total failure.
If he’s actually got everything ready to go now with a real policy and it’s just the CFLPA holding it up, it’s under his control to go public with that and shame them into action.
Given how much of this problem was his (and his predecessor’s) creation in the first place, I shall remain sceptical until evidence is presented that the only problem here is his being held back by the CFLPA.
[b]Tridus wrote[/b]:
If he's actually got everything ready to go now with a real policy and it's just the CFLPA holding it up, [b]it's under his control to go public with that and shame them into action[/b].
Ah yes, let's encourage the slim-bucket sleezy and 0-class method of negotiating with the CFLPA. I can't believe that anyone on this board or anywhere for that matter would actually encourage this type of disrespectful, low class negotiating tactics. :roll:
Respect, respect and more respect, that’s how you work with a players association IMHO and keep things behind closed doors as much as is possible until it’s time to go public with an official announcement. To me that’s the proper way a leader behaves.
If the CFLPA thinks that having no doping policy is just fine, surely they will have no problem articulating that position to the fans, players, and those coming into the league who are now under more stringent rules than anyone actually in the league.
If the only reason this is being held up is the CFLPA, there's no reason to keep that secret. Players and fans should know just where they stand on the issue. If not letting them hide about it is "disrespectful", then so be it. Leadership requires getting results, not sitting around being nice to everyone in the hope they eventually decide to do the right thing.
(I suspect that the league itself is also a barrier on this and not just the CFLPA, though. Orridge would have to backtrack his own position mightily to fix it, and I'm not buying that he's eager to do that except for being held hostage by Scott Flory. In that case, quietly letting the rumor go that it's the PA's fault without actually confronting them about it is a great way to avoid blame for an issue he doesn't want to fix.)
Tridus, I would think that the commissioner feels that any "fixing" needs to be done in accordance with the PA rather than using a bullying tactic to force the PA into something that they don't buy into. I mean we are speaking about the health of the players afterall as one important aspect of a drug policy and in this day and age when people have easy access to evidence-based health information about the health concerns of PEDs then one can only assume that both the league, the commissioner and the PA really do have a motivation to develop a coherent and respectful drug policy that satisfies all on most fronts.
And negotiating should be done behind closed doors on this issue as well as many issues and only given to the public once an official agreement has been settled upon by all parties. To me that is the most professional way of operation. It is not the fans or media that are doing the negotiating, it is the league and the PA, to state the obvious really. Unless you think that this issue should have the general public sitting in on negotiations as well. I haven't heard of that with employer-union type relations in the workplace but maybe that does exist, that would be a new one to me.
gary lawlessVerified account
?@garylawless 78 players were tested for PEDs at @cfl regional and national combines. Results won't be known for two to three weeks