• Loading stock data...
Saturday, May 10, 2025
Join us May 14 at 1 p.m. ET for Future of Sports: Leagues of Their Own Register Now

NFL Relaxes Drug Policy by Reducing Fines and Resetting Violation Clocks

The NFL introduced a new substance abuse policy that gives players more leeway than they had before.

Dec 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Ar'Darius Washington (29) tackles Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) on the one yard line during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium.
Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The NFL and its players’ association agreed to changes to its substance abuse policy that take effect this week. The modifications raise the bar for players to get fined or suspended for violating the rules. 

Among the biggest changes is an increase in THC level (specific to cannabis) to count as a positive result on a test and a reset on a player’s violation clock after a year, which eliminates the league’s cumulative system. Before the change, a missed drug test stuck with a player throughout their career, regardless of time difference between offenses. 

Before this season, the NFL had issued more than $68 million in fines since 2002 for substance abuse violations, according to the American Addiction Centers. 

The new policy takes effect Friday, according to CBS Sports, ahead of the weekend’s games. The NFL and NFLPA had been in talks for months about potential changes to the policy and sent a memo Wednesday to player agents. 

In addition to the memo, the league also sent an FAQ that said players can’t post photos or videos of the white slip of paper notifying them of an upcoming drug test to their social media accounts, which ends a long-running bit around the league. 

On Nov. 24, after Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley accounted for 302 total yards in a win against the Rams, he returned to his locker to find a fake white slip. But Barkley wasn’t going to be drug tested. Instead it was a prank by teammate Dallas Goedert. Such antics likely won’t fly under the new policy, which former NFL punter Pat McAfee lamented about on social media. Posting about drug tests has always been prohibited by the league; there was no framework for discipline for it, but the NFL had the ability to fine players $15,000 for recording the process or posting about it on social media. 

Here are some of the notable changes to the drug policy: 

  • When a player commits a substance abuse violation, teams are now informed only of the positive test and not the substance that caused it, giving players more privacy. 
  • Fines are now lower for testing positive for a banned substance. A first violation gets a $15,000 fine; previously, such a violation cost half of a game’s paycheck. A second violation costs $20,000 instead of a full game check. A third-time offense now costs a full game check after it previously cost double. 
  • Under the old policy, missing a drug test would follow a player for his entire career. If a player missed a drug test as a rookie and didn’t miss another for four seasons, they would lose a game check for a second violation. Under the new policy, the NFL is resetting the count to zero if a player goes a year without missing a test. Should a player be discharged from the league’s Substance of Abuse Program, their window would be a half year. 
  • The NFL increased the THC level to yield a positive test from 150 ng/ml (nanograms per milliliter) to 350 ng/ml, making it harder to get fined for using marijuana. 
  • The NFL previously didn’t test players for fentanyl, but now can do so “if clinically indicated.” There is no fine for a positive test, but players will be fined $15,000 if they miss a mandatory meeting about the drug. 
  • Several changes were made to the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Previously, a player suspended for such a violation could not be reinstated until he tested negative for the banned substance. Now, a player could be reinstated if it’s determined the presence of the substance gives no illegal advantage. 

The league’s new policy aligns a little closer to the NBA’s, which removed cannabis from its list of banned substances in 2023. MLB is currently reviewing its own drug policy, as it considers whether to enact a stricter ban on nicotine products.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Apr 26, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) dribbles the basketball as Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) defends in the third quarter during game three for the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Kaseya Center.

Jared Kushner’s Brother Bought Small Stake in Miami Heat Last Year

Kushner reportedly sold his Grizzlies stake to buy an interest in the Heat.
Curry

Brady, Curry, Ohtani Get Most Claims Dropped in FTX Endorser Suit

The judge did call the endorsers “uninformed, negligent, or even reckless.”
Mar 26, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Actor and filmmaker Spike Lee (l) greets former professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. during the game between the LA Clippers and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

‘Friends of the Garden’: Inside the NBA’s Most Exclusive Celebrity Suite

“Among the titans of industry, deals are done at Suite 200.”

Featured Today

Apr 18, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal vs Grand Canyon University Antelopes during the MPSF Men's Volleyball Championship at Galen Center.

‘What Just Happened’: Inside the Abrupt End of Grand Canyon Men’s Volleyball

Inside Grand Canyon’s shocking decision to cut men’s volleyball.
exclusive
May 9, 2025

Shams Charania on Draft, Breaking Dončić Trade, ‘Whirlwind’ ESPN Tenure

Charania will work on his first NBA draft lottery for ESPN on Monday.
Fat Perez reacts after hitting his shot on the 16th tee during the WHOOP Shot at Glory on the 16th hole at TPC in Scottsdale on Feb. 5, 2025.
May 7, 2025

Golf Influencers Are the New Currency for PGA Tour and LIV

YouTube golf is big business. The rival tours are staging formal events.
Feb 8, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson talks with New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11), forward Mikal Bridges (25), and guard Josh Hart (3) during a timeout in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden.
May 6, 2025

Before the Villanova Knicks, There Were the Kentucky Celtics

Three decades ago, Boston tried its own version of the college-teammate experiment.

NFL Nears Deal for YouTube Game That Could Break Streaming Records

YouTube closing in on a deal to show a game from Brazil.
May 4, 2025; Iowa City, IA, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) looks on with head coach Stephanie White during the third quarter against the Brazil National Team at Carver-Haweye Arena.
May 8, 2025

If Caitlin Clark, Fever Realize Title Dreams, WNBA Will Win Big

Caitlin Clark addressed the media on Thursday.
May 9, 2025

Roku’s $10M MLB Deal Resumes Despite ESPN Drama

Early Sunday games begin with a high-profile Cubs-Mets matchup.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Portfolio Players is our bi-weekly spotlight on the athletes and investors reshaping the business of sports. This week, venture capitalist Kai Cunningham unpacks why athletes land top deals and how the usual investing rules don’t always apply.
Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) lines up for the tush push play on the goal line against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome.
May 8, 2025

Saquon Barkley Defends Tush Push, Tells Opponents to ‘Get Better’

Saquon Barkley makes a passionate defense for the hotly debated play.
May 7, 2025

Ladies European Tour Gets Prize Money Boost From Saudi Arabia

A new PIF Global Series will pay out $13 million.
May 4, 2025; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Red Bull driver Max Verstappen (1) and McLaren driver Oscar Piastri (81) during the F1 Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome.
May 7, 2025

F1 Loses Money, but Books $14.2B in Future Revenue

Executives convey optimism despite earnings issues and unresolved media rights.
Sam Presti
May 6, 2025

Sam Presti Finally Wins NBA Executive of the Year for OKC Juggernaut

Presti has come in second place for the award three times.