On Wednesday, NFL hearing officer Harold Henderson upheld Josh Gordons one-year suspension after the wide receiver violated the leagues Program for Substances of Abuse Policy by testing positive for marijuana. The Positive Test Gordon barely failed his drug test. In order to test positive, a players urine sample must have a concentration of more than 15 nanograms per milliliter. As per the NFL Policy, Gordon submitted two samples for testing: Samples A and B. Of the two, only Sample A tested positive at 16 nanograms/milliliter, which was only one milliliter over the allowable limit. Sample B tested negative at 13.6 nanograms/milliliter. On appeal, Gordon argued that the positive test was the result of second-hand smoke. Gordon also pointed to testing irregularities given that Sample A was over the allowable limit, while Sample B was under it. The Statement Gordon released the following statement on his suspension, via the NFLPA: "Id like to apologize to my teammates, coaches, the Cleveland Browns organization and our fans. I am very disappointed that the NFL and its hearing office didnt exercise better discretion and judgment in my case. I would like to sincerely thank the people who have been incredibly supportive of me during this challenging time, including my family, my agent, my union, my legal team, and the Cleveland Browns staff." The Policy The NFL substance abuse policy provides that a player cannot engage in the "use, possession, acquisition, sale, or distribution" of banned substances. So the conclusion that the Policy directly covers second-hand smoke is not accurate. The clear implication of the language is that a player must himself be using the banned substance. If second-hand smoke were captured by the Policy, you would expect to see language like "exposed to" in the Policy. For that reason, Gordon introduced the second-hand smoke defence. Ultimately, however, the NFL didnt buy it. Next Steps For Gordon Gordon is losing a lot with this suspension. Apart from being out a full year, he wont be paid his 2014 base salary of $825,604. So expect Gordons legal team to consider all its options, including filing a lawsuit with a view to overturning the suspension. As part of the defence, Gordons lawyers could bring in a toxicologist to support the position that second-hand smoke could result in Gordons positive test. His lawyers would also argue that the test results are unreliable given that they are inconsistent. Heres the problem for Gordon: a Court will not interfere with an arbitrators decision unless a very serious mistake was made. Judges generally defer to the expertise of arbitrators. As well, the NFL Policy provides that all decisions are "resolved exclusively and finally", which means decisions are final and binding. Again, even if a decision is final, it can still be challenged in Court, but absent a clear error, it will not be overturned. So if Gordon does take this to Court, he will face an uphill battle. As well, expect the NFL to vigorously defend the case. The CFL According to one report, Gordon may try and take his talents to the CFL. However, a suspended player under contract to an NFL team is ineligible to play in the CFL. In any event, even if the CFL elected not to honor the suspension, Gordon is still under contract with the Browns and would therefore need the teams permission to play in the CFL. The Browns, of course, would not allow it. Rice v. Gordon There has been a lot made of Ray Rice only getting two games for knocking his fiancée unconscious, while Gordon got 16 games for allegedly smoking marijuana. While that reaction is completely understandable, it is important to note that drug suspensions are collectively bargained and agreed to by the players union, the NFLPA. On the other hand, domestic violence is governed by the Personal Conduct Policy, which was not collectively bargained and unilaterally imposed by the NFL (its noteworthy, though, that the late executive director of the NFLPA, Gene Upshaw, publicly supported the Policy, and Commissioner Roger Goodell did consult with some NFL players before it was implemented.) Of course, the absence of a collectively bargained punishment for domestic violence did not preclude a harsher suspension for Rice. However, from a legal standpoint, Rices reprehensible conduct is irrelevant when determining Gordons suspension. A Shame Gordon is a stud wide receiver. Since 1970 NFL-AFL merger, only Randy Moss and Jerry Rice have recorded more receiving yards in their first two seasons. Gordon also led the league in receiving yards in 2013, had the most yards-per-catch among receivers with over 1,000 yards and became the first receiver with two consecutive 200 yard regular season games. Amid all this controversy, one thing is clear: fans lose by not getting to watch Gordon play NFL football this season. And thats a shame. Rules are rules though. . At quarterback, all agree that Andy Dalton has been a wonderful surprise, but to truly progress he has to play his best in the playoffs. The two losses in the wildcard rounds keep the evaluation on Dalton open -- just like it did for Peyton Manning many years ago and Matt Ryan until last year. .Lets go back to the Avs, who have become one of the funnest teams to watch in this years playoffs.
http://www.cheappackersjerseyssale.com/ ... ersey-sale. Masahiro Tanaka has touched down in the United States and the courting of the Rakuten Golden Eagles stud pitcher has begun in earnest by a bevy of MLB teams interested in the Japanese ace. . -- The Green Bay Packers have signed quarterback Graham Harrell to the active roster from the practice squad and placed tight end Andrew Quarless on injured reserve. .ca! There is plenty of blame to be shared as a result of the most recent NHL player (Pittsburghs Brooks Orpik) to be evacuated from the ice on a stretcher following an ugly incident Saturday night in Boston. HAMILTON, Ont. - The Hamilton Tiger-Cats signed quarterback Jeremiah Masoli to a contract extension through the 2015 season Wednesday. The San Francisco native is entering his second season with the Ticats. He threw for 12 yards and a TD and ran for 61 yards as the CFL clubs thhird quarterback last year.dddddddddddd Hamilton acquired Masoli from the Edmonton Eskimos in February 2013. Masoli played collegiately at Oregon (2008-09) and Ole Miss (2010), passing for 5,930 yards and 42 TDs while rushing for 1,930 yards and 29 touchdowns. ' ' '
