NFL officials met with three members of U.S. Senator
Charles Grassley's (R-IA) staff last week in Washington, DC,
"responding to an inquiry being conducted concerning the
league's substance abuse policy," according to Leonard
Shapiro of the WASHINGTON POST. The inquiry came after
reports that the NFL had allowed 16 players to go
"unpunished at a time when the NFL and its players union had
agreed on a new drug policy during the collective bargaining
process toward a new contract" (see THE DAILY, 8/30). A
source familiar with the Senate Caucus of Int'l Narcotics
Control, which is chaired by Grassley, said that at this
point "there does not seem to be any reason to indicate NFL
officials have not been forthcoming with investigators
looking into the matter, but that it is premature to draw
any conclusions." An NFLPA source said, "There simply is no
story here." Investigators have not yet interviewed anyone
from the NFLPA. Grassley spokesperson Jill Kozeny said of
the inquiry, "It's a matter of making sure we don't turn our
back on allegations" (WASHINGTON POST, 11/26).
