REPORT: NFL OVERLOOKED DRUG TESTS

NEW YORK (AP) - Videotapes of a 1995 NFL Players Association meeting
revealed a secret agreement between the union and the league to overlook
some positive drug tests, The New York Times reported today.

A league official, who requested anonymity, told the newspaper that the NFL
made the concession while negotiating for a tougher drug policy. The
official approximated the number of failed drug tests at 16, though The
Times said one owner said it was more than two dozen.

The videotapes, made at the annual meeting at Maui, were apparently made by
a film company hired by the union. The tapes were intended to be distributed
to the players in an effort to improve the union's relationship with its
members.

However, the film company sued the union in a dispute over payment, and the
NFLPA never took control of the tapes.

The videotapes reportedly show Doug Allen, the union's assistant executive
director, discussing differences in the new drug policy and the old one.
Allen told the players that a number had failed drug tests and faced
suspensions, but because of a private agreement with the NFL, the players
would not be suspended.

No players were named in the Times report, but the league source said one of
them is still active.

Other discussions on the tapes include a union official offering to teach
players ways to circumvent the salary cap; debates on substance abuse; and
assertions that some union members believed racism was the motivating factor
behind the league's push to ban players from wearing bandannas.