Rolling squad deep at the NFLPA. (Photo via me)
It might be the offseason and I might be externing at my “second job,” so to speak, but yesterday felt a lot like I was in the middle of the NFL season. Here’s why.
I started off the day with a morning workout, which is always good and necessary to staying ready for the season ahead. I also got a call from someone at the NFL. It’s a call that all players get at some point during the year; you just don’t know when it’s coming. Yesterday, I had to take a drug test.
For those not familiar with how these things work, let me explain. No, I’m not some drug offender or in a rehab program! As part of the CBA and to keep things clean across the sport, all players have to take random drug tests. Mine just happened to come yesterday.
The way it works is that they call or text you to let you know that you will undergo a drug test today and to confirm your location. Most of the time, they have your address on file, but in the cases where you’re going to be somewhere else for the day — like my case being here for the externship — you have to give them the address and they’ll tell you when they’ll be there to meet you.
So during my lunch break, I went back and filled the cup with you know what for them to test. The first few times I did it, it was kind of weird because the person has to be in the same room with you to make sure there’s no funny business or that you try to tamper with the test. But being in the league for as long as I have, you get used to it. Plus, I don’t have anything to worry about since I’m certainly not taking any drugs.
The only drug tests that I’m not a fan of are the ones that they make you take right after a game. You might remember Josh Norman from the Washington Redskins being mad during a postgame interview because they made him take a drug test following a game they won. Again, I’ve got nothing to hide, but it just kind of throws you for a loop after a game. And then if it takes a while or if you can’t “go” at the moment, you might hold up the team bus or plane. But it is what it is.
Anyway, the rest of my day was meeting with more good people as I continue learning the ins and outs of the NFLPA. I met with the events to talk about their goals in putting on stuff for the players and I tried to offer some perspective based on what I saw during my time at NBA All-Star Weekend.
I met with the legal department to talk about the CBA, contracts, agents and other topics like that. I got my first copy of the CBA and wow, is it a lot of reading! Salute to the legal team for knowing all they do about the CBA to help protect our player rights. We also talked some about the drug policy, go figure.
Then I met with the player managers to discuss what they do for the players and ways to improve on our communication. There’s a common perception in the public that the NFL and NFLPA are one in the same when that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
But there are similarities and programs that overlap, so at the same time, sometimes it can be confusing for players because the NFLPA has the player managers who work with rookies and second- and third-year players, while the NFL has advisors and directors of player engagement to work with veterans and they’re around players more on a day-to-day basis since they are employed by the teams. Still, it’s great that we have so many people looking out for us.
Today marks my first day with NBC Sports Washington and ESPN980, which I’m really excited for. I’ll be back next week with one more blog to wrap up my externship experience, so stay tuned!
This piece is part of a collaboration between the NFLPA and Front Office Sports in order to give players the opportunity to showcase what they are doing in the business world. If you’d like to learn more, send an email to austin@frntofficesport.com.
