NFL players get paid big-time money to put on big-time performances. However, if they tweet about getting randomly drug-tested by the league after those big-time performances, it will cost them.
The NFL announced on Thursday a series of updates to its Substances of Abuse Policy (SOA) and Performance Enhancing Substances (PES). Among those changes was a new rule allowing players to be fined $15,000 for “recording and posting collection process on social media.”
Why would such a rule be necessary?
In recent years, players who have received notices of random testing for PEDs and other substances after having big performances during games have taken to social media and posted about how the league believes their exploits are so incredible that they need to be drug tested. In truth, the tests are random and have no bearing on what a player did the day before because the player’s name was randomly selected for testing days or even weeks beforehand.
However, posting about the tests on social media makes the league look like it’s running some kind of punitive and shady operation, so the league apparently decided it was time to act.
The entire premise makes no sense. The NFL is built on players performing amazing feats of athletic prowess on the football field to delight fans who keep the ratings and revenues high. Why would they want to penalize someone for playing well?
In any event, players now have $15,000 reasons not to post about their drug tests.
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