9 p.m. update: Suspended Dolphins Dion Jordan and Reshad Jones remained in limbo Friday night, as the NFL and players union worked to iron out final details of a new drug policy that would reinstate several suspended players.
Hours after the players union announced Friday that it has reached an agreement with the league on a new drug policy, the NFL said Friday night that no deal has been struck and “significant unresolved issues” remain. According to ESPN, the major unresolved issue is whether players being reinstated from suspension would be eligible for games this weekend.
NFL.com reported earlier in the evening that Jordan and Jones, who are both serving four-game suspensions, would immediately be reinstated and eligible to play Sunday at Buffalo.
But neither the Dolphins nor the players were told that their suspensions definitely would be lifted, though both players remained optimistic about the chances of that happening. The league also declined to confirm the accuracy of the report on its web site.
Jordan tested positive for an undisclosed amphetamine, but under the new agreement, use of amphetamines during the offseason no longer will result in a suspension for a first-time offense. But in-season positive tests for amphetamines would result in a suspension.
Jones has not disclosed the drug he took but recently complained that his positive test -- which was appealed and upheld -- was not for "anything that helped me play better. That's not me. If that was me, I would have really gone out and gotten big and faster, but I didn't. I don't have to do that."
Because neither player has practiced with the team since the preseason, and the Dolphins would need to release two players to make room for them. Jordan has been working out in Los Angeles.
Other players whose suspensions reportedly will be lifted include Denver receiver Wes Welker and Dallas defensive back Orlando Scandrick. Cleveland receiver Josh Gordon’s season-long suspension will be cut to 10 games, according to multiple reports.
Among changes in the new drug policy, as detailed in an NFLPA news release:
### The NFL immediately will begin testing for human growth hormone. According to the NFLPA, players “have the right to challenge any aspect of the science” of the test. The collection of blood specimens is prohibited on game days.
### The threshold for a positive test for marijuana will increase to 35 nanograms per millimeter, up from the previous limit of 15 ng/ml. Players had complained that 15 ng/ml was too low, asserting they could test positive if they were merely in the vicinity of second-hand spoke. The NFLPA says “there will be additional steps for players who test positive for the substance before suspension.”
### Players who are convicted or plead guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol will receive a two-game suspension. But players rejected an NFL proposal to immediately suspend a player arrested for DUI before the case is adjudicated.
### An independent arbitrator will hear appeals for all positive drug test violations. The NFL and NFLPA will jointly select and pay three to five arbitrators.
### NFL and team employees, agents and NFLPA officials could face fines up to $500,000 or termination if found to have breached confidentiality of players on drug-testing matters.
“We stood up and fought for what was right,” NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said in a statement. “Twenty-five years ago it was NFL players that set out to make the game clean by asking for and collectively bargaining the first drug testing policy in professional sports. Today, this union and these player leaders have approved a policy that will serve the game well for generations of players to come.”
