Those hoping to see Wes Welker, Josh Gordon or other reinstated as soon as this week based on a new drug policy currently being negotiated between the NFL and NFLPA will likely have to wait at least another week. USA Today Sports reports that the NFLPA is unlikely to vote before Friday on a new drug policy as the NFL reviews the most recent batch of revisions by the union.
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A source with knowledge of the situation told USA Today Sports, “a vote is unlikely Thursday because two teams have a game” which means the vote wouldn’t come before Friday, likely not enough time to reinstate players who would avoid suspension under the new drug policy being proposed. The source details the meetings as such:
"The sides met for several hours Monday in New York, and union officials — including NFLPA president Eric Winston and executive committee member Brian Waters — presented the parameters of what players would accept on several outstanding issues.The hope was that’d yield a league proposal worthy of a vote on a conference call Tuesday night. But there were issues with language on multiple issues, including commissioner authority in the appeals process, so the NFLPA’s lawyers made edits and sent it back to the league Wednesday."
While the details are still murky, it’s widely expected that the NFL will agree to higher thresholds for recreational drug tests while implementing blood testing for HGH. Negotiations have been back and forth between the league and union for a while now and it appears the latest setback will cost Gordon, Welker et al another week of play at least.