According to recent news reports, as the NFL and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) continue to discuss changes to the league’s substance abuse policy, one significant change would apply to players who become first-time DUI offenders. The policy change is under consideration after a year of a number of high-profile DUIs, for NFL players and administrators alike. Most notable is the tragic case of former Dallas Cowboy Josh Brent, who killed his close friend and fellow player Jerry Brown in December 2012 while driving drunk.
According to ProFootballTalk, a player “deemed legally responsible” for his first DUI offense would be hit with a one-game suspension and a fine of one game paycheck. Under the league’s current policy for substance abuse, a first-time offender generally faces a fine of two game paychecks, but no suspension.
The new policy will only be implemented as part of an agreement that includes HGH testing for players, an issue up for debate as officials work to agree on who gets to handle player appeals. The NFL wants to give Roger Goodell the power to handle appeals of players who violate the NFL’s drug policy in a situation where the league didn’t test the player. For instance, if a player was arrested with illegal drugs, the NFLPA wants that player’s case to go before an independent arbitrator. The NFL would want Goodell to hear a case of that nature.
I applaud the NFL for taking a stance on this topic, which goes outside the lines that the game is played on each Sunday, and sometimes on Monday and also on the occasional Thursday. I don’t know the details of an NFL contract, but I wonder if this is less of a penalty than the current one. It adds a suspension so you sit out one game, but your fine is reduced from two game paychecks to one game paycheck. With some help from Sports Illustrated, I found the average salary per position for the 2013-14 season and estimated what a one game paycheck should look like:
|
Position |
Yearly Salary Average |
Per Game Pay Check |
| Quarterback | $ 3,840,017.00 | $ 240,001.06 |
| Defensive End | $ 2,599,874.00 | $ 162,492.13 |
| Offensive Lineman | $ 1,760,164.00 | $ 110,010.25 |
| Defensive Tackle | $ 1,807,581.00 | $ 112,973.81 |
| Cornerback | $ 1,690,105.00 | $ 105,631.56 |
| Linebacker | $ 1,803,388.00 | $ 112,711.75 |
| Wide Receiver | $ 1,806,999.00 | $ 112,937.44 |
| Running Back | $ 1,550,624.00 | $ 96,914.00 |
| Safety | $ 1,752,582.00 | $ 109,536.38 |
| Punter/Kicker | $ 1,662,786.00 | $ 103,924.13 |
| Tight End | $ 836,414.00 | $ 52,275.88 |
The fine for a first-time DUI offense to an active player is reduced from roughly $230,000 (two games) down to $115,000 (one game). This certainly gives the player a slight advantage in the pocketbook, but it doesn’t address the legal implications. Maybe the players are in favor of this new policy so they are able to cover their attorney fees, pay their court fines, and hire a driver to get them around town since their license will likely be suspended.
While the NFL is the biggest sport in the US, if we view it as the business it is, can we take this new proposed policy and, in theory, extend it to every privately run organization? I have to believe that if we were faced with workplace suspension and the forfeiting of a paycheck or two for being found guilty of the offense of DUI, DUI rates would drastically drop. The NFL is one of the pinnacles of employment for extremely high yearly earnings potential, but tell that to the office receptionist, the customer service rep, the salesperson or any other working person you can think of and ask them about the impact to their personal well-being if they were required to forfeit their next two paychecks.
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