NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith on Thursday said that HGH testing "is still being held up by a disagreement with the league over whether the commissioner or a neutral arbitrator will handle certain types of appeals," according to the AP. Otherwise, Smith said, "The HGH policy's done. It's been done. The drug policy overall is 98 percent done." NFL VP/Communications Brian McCarthy said that another "outstanding issue is whether a second offense will draw a suspension of eight or 10 games." The conclusion of Super Bowl XLVIII means "three complete seasons will have come and gone without testing for human growth hormone -- even though the NFL and the players' union originally paved the way to check for that drug in August 2011." Smith on Thursday also addressed a number of other topics. He said that the NFLPA "hasn't seen a proposal from the league about expanding the number of teams in the playoffs and won't take a position on the issue until that happens." Smith added the union and league have had "preliminary discussions" about the possibility of eventually allowing players to use marijuana for medicinal purposes. Meanwhile, Smith said he would "love to see a requirement that makes any player who wants to be eligible for the (NFL) draft ... have had a mandatory number hours in financial literacy" (AP, 1/30).
GOT YOUR BACK: In Chicago, Adam Jahns notes Smith again declared "his union's support" of former Northwestern QB Kain Colter and others' efforts "to form a college players' union." Smith said, "You are not alone. We're going to be with you 100 percent." He compared the effort "to the class-action complaint filed in March 2011 by NFL players in response to the owners' lockout." Smith: "To all of those brave athletes at Northwestern, each of you has decided to stand up for players you may never meet, players you may never know" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 1/31).
