Link:
http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/nfl-pittsburgh-steelers-news/2016/7/26/12284078/report-changed-phone-number-could-have-been-the-culprit-in-steelers
Notification and Collection Procedures:Specimen collections occurring at a Club facility, stadium or
scouting combinevenue will be conducted at the discretion of the Medical Advisor and Collection Vendor without advance notice to the Player. Upon notification that he has been selected for testing, the Player shall furnish a specimen
to the authorized specimen collector immediately or as soon as possible, but in no event more than three (3) hours following notification. Until the specimen is provided, the collector shall maintain specific knowledge of the Player's whereabouts and the Player may not leave the premises for any reason. If the collector reasonably believes that the Player is evading testing, he shall report the matter to the Collection Vendor and/or Medical Advisor for disciplinary review.
For specimen collections occurring away from the Club facility, the Medical Advisor and Collection Vendor may in their discretion contact the Player by telephone or voicemail or text message to notify him that he has been selected. Following notification, Players in the Intervention Program shall furnish a specimen within three
(3) hours.
The Medical Advisor may consider a Player's prompt, consistent provision of specimens in determining future testing frequency. To prevent evasive techniques and ensure that specimens are accurately attributable to the selected Player, specimens will be collected, stored and transported to the SAMHSA Lab according to the protocols referenced in Section 1.1.6.
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Failure to Appear for Testing: The Medical Advisor will be responsible for scheduling all tests and for ensuring that Players are notified when individual testing will take place. A Player who fails to appear for required testing without a valid reason as determined by the Medical Advisor will be subject to discipline as set forth in Appendix E.
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Failure to Cooperate; Attempt to Manipulate: A Player who fails to cooperate fully in the Testing process as determined by the Medical Advisor or provides a dilute specimen will be treated as having a Positive Test Result. In addition, a deliberate effort to substitute or adulterate a specimen; to alter a test result; or to engage in prohibited doping methods will be treated as a Positive Test and may subject a Player to additional discipline.
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1.6 Location Information and Notice
Players who are in the Intervention Program are required to provide the Medical Advisor and Medical Director with an address and telephone number where they can be reached at all times, and the Medical Advisor shall attempt to notify the Player using the method that is reasonably calculated to provide notice to the Player in a timely manner.
Any notice required to be provided to a Player under this Policy will be deemed to have occurred: (1) when delivery is made via Federal Express or similar means of overnight delivery to the address provided by a Player (no signature required); or (2) when a voicemail or text message is left at the telephone number provided by a Player.
The Management Council is not required to establish individual receipt by the Player. Any Player in the Program may choose to authorize notice of his status in the Program to his Certified Contract Advisor and/or the NFLPA. If the Player chooses to notify his Certified Contract Advisor and/or the NFLPA about his status in the Program, the designated recipient will be copied on Program correspondence to the Player, except for Program correspondence that only includes medical information (e.g., a clinical advisory note).
The NFL Management Council and the NFLPA shall be promptly notified whenever an event occurs that will subject a Player to discipline in any Intervention Stage.
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Procedures for Failure to Appear for Testing
All Players in an Intervention Stage who become unavailable for Testing due to travel, temporary or permanent change of residence, prior commitments, or otherwise, are required to notify the Medical Advisor in advance of such unavailability so that the Medical Advisor can schedule accordingly if such request is reasonable.
If a Player fails to provide the Medical Advisor with an address and telephone number where he can be contacted, and, as a result, such Player cannot be contacted when the Medical Advisor requires that a Test be administered or the Player cannot be contacted at the address and telephone number provided to the Medical Advisor, the Player's failure to notify the Medical Advisor or inability to be contacted will be subject to discipline as set forth below.
In addition, Players who are not in an Intervention Stage but who are selected for Pre-Season Testing must present and provide a specimen within the time periods set forth in Section 1.3.3 of this Policy. Players who fail to do so without a valid reason as determined by the Medical Advisor will be subject to discipline as set forth below.
When a Player fails to appear for testing, the Parties, in consultation with the Medical Advisor, will determine the nature of the failure and the degree of the Player's culpability. If the failure to appear is determined to have been a deliberate effort to evade or avoid testing, then the failure will be treated as a Section 1.5 violation, subject to appeal. For other cases, the failure will be treated as follows:
Unless a warning is issued, the first time a Player fails to appear for testing, he will be fined up to $25,000 under his NFL Player Contract and will be placed into the Intervention Program.
A second failure to appear for testing will result in a fine of two-seventeenths (2/17) of the Paragraph 5 amount in his NFL Player Contract.
A third violation will result in a four (4) game suspension without pay.
All disputes in connection with these procedures may only be reviewed as "Other Appeals" as set
forth in Section 4.2 of the Policy. The discipline issued pursuant to these procedures shall not be dependent upon the Player's program status within the Intervention Program, nor shall a Player be advanced to the next Intervention Stage based solely upon a violation of these procedures. A violation of these procedures may, however, be a basis for resetting a Player's discharge date at the discretion of the Medical Director.
Nothing in these procedures shall be meant to include failures to cooperate with testing other than the failure to appear for testing within the applicable time period. Deliberate efforts to substitute or adulterate a specimen, alter a Test Result, evade testing or engage in prohibited doping methods will be considered Positive Tests and will be subject to the discipline set forth in Sections 1.3.3 and 1.5 of the Policy.
