Pubdate: Tue, 10 Aug 2004 Source: Times-Journal, The (Fort Payne, AL) Copyright: 2004 Times-Journal Contact: http://www.times-journal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1883 Author: Mark Harrison HOW 'BOUT THEM DALLAS COWBOYS? It seems my favorite NFL team is once again making headlines. It's anticipated the NFL Players Association will file a grievance against the Dallas Cowboys on behalf of former Dallas quarterback Quincy Carter because of the conditions under which Dallas released him last week. Carter entered the league in the NFL substance abuse program and the Cowboys cut him after his second positive drug test, reportedly for cocaine. Carter claims he never used cocaine. In any case, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and coach Bill Parcells were apparently in agreement it was time for Carter to go. Jones probably feels his team has had enough bad press - especially related to the use of illicit drugs and Parcells just doesn't seem the type to put up with such infractions. They aren't saying the positive drug test is the reason why Carter suddenly finds himself a quarterback without a team. Probably because under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the union, teams aren't allowed to release players for failed drug tests, only for performance reasons. Yes, you read that correctly. Under those rules, assuming Carter did fail two consecutive drug tests, the player's association might argue a point: Carter should face a fine equal to pay for four regular-season games while a third violation would mean a four-game suspension. But Carter's not in that situation. He's not looking at a loss of pay or a suspension. He's gone. Cut. Out of a job. Poor Quincy. Most of us work for employers who require random drug testing. I imagine in most circumstances, failing one such test would put one's job in jeopardy and consecutively failing two such tests would likely be a sure-fire way to end up in the unemployment line. But in the NFL a different set of rules apparently applies. Under normal, real-world circumstances, it would never be necessary to question someone being fired for twice failing a required drug test. In the world in which Quincy Carter lives, such activities are too typically considered par for the course, almost acceptable. The punishments aren't equal to those applied to the rest of society. For once, a team owner and coach are trying to do the right thing. Granted, it hasn't always been that way in Dallas but on this particular issue Jones and Parcells called the correct play. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh