BennyVW
I'm the Man in the Box
http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm
It's now well know that Dolphins running back Ricky Williams missed a drug test, supposedly because he is in India.
But the fact that Ricky's trip to the land of the Dell computer call center staffers caused him to apparently miss one of his unannounced tinkle tests doesn't make his case open and shut.
A league source tells us that the testing process becomes complicated when a player travels outside of his home territory. The player has an obligation to advise the league of his precise travel plans. The league then has the responsibility to ensure that the player is properly notified as to the location of the testing facility to which he must report, if he ultimately is required to submit to testing while on the road.
If a player like Williams fails to show up under such circumstances, it might have happened because of something the player failed to do -- or it might have happened because of something the league failed to do. If, for example, the league accidentally tried to contact Williams at a number other than the number he had provided, Williams wouldn't have known about the testing obligation, and his failure to report for testing wouldn't be his fault.
Under the NFL substance abuse policy, Williams has the right to appeal the alleged violation to the Commissioner for a hearing. As part of the preparation for the hearing, the timeline and other nuances regarding the ultimate responsibility for the snafu will come to light.
Per the source, it wouldn't be the first time that a player who initially was found to have failed to show up for a test was later exonerated.
We're not suggesting that Williams definitely will be off the hook. Instead, we're saying that Ricky might be able to show that the failure to report for the test was the result of a mistake made by the NFL, not by him.
But the fact that Ricky's trip to the land of the Dell computer call center staffers caused him to apparently miss one of his unannounced tinkle tests doesn't make his case open and shut.
A league source tells us that the testing process becomes complicated when a player travels outside of his home territory. The player has an obligation to advise the league of his precise travel plans. The league then has the responsibility to ensure that the player is properly notified as to the location of the testing facility to which he must report, if he ultimately is required to submit to testing while on the road.
If a player like Williams fails to show up under such circumstances, it might have happened because of something the player failed to do -- or it might have happened because of something the league failed to do. If, for example, the league accidentally tried to contact Williams at a number other than the number he had provided, Williams wouldn't have known about the testing obligation, and his failure to report for testing wouldn't be his fault.
Under the NFL substance abuse policy, Williams has the right to appeal the alleged violation to the Commissioner for a hearing. As part of the preparation for the hearing, the timeline and other nuances regarding the ultimate responsibility for the snafu will come to light.
Per the source, it wouldn't be the first time that a player who initially was found to have failed to show up for a test was later exonerated.
We're not suggesting that Williams definitely will be off the hook. Instead, we're saying that Ricky might be able to show that the failure to report for the test was the result of a mistake made by the NFL, not by him.
