Jan 30, 2014; Jersey City, NJ, USA; Denver Broncos receiver Wes Welker (83) at a press conference in advance of Super Bowl XLVIII on the Cornucopia Majesty yacht on the Hudson River. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Wes Welker and the Broncos organization have been waiting, but the NFL has had quite a long week. After the first week of the 2014 season, the league was hit with news about Ray Rice’s involvement in a domestic issue. This came to life as the NFL and the NFLPA were working on a deal regarding a new drug policy, which would allow the Broncos’ wide receiver to return from his suspension earlier than anticipated. However, the recent Ray Rice saga could be the reason talks for the new drug policy have slowed down.
ESPN is reporting that the NFL and NFLPA should finalize the drug deal Thursday night in hopes that on Friday all 32 reps will vote on the new policy. The policy could go into effect as early as Friday afternoon. However, it seems like in light of the video that surfaced on Ray Rice knocking out his fiancee, that the talks have somewhat slowed down. Have the talks slowed down because of the Rice incident? There could be reason to believe it is.
If you think about it, some news is bigger than most. When the announcement of a possible cover up and a huge suspension comes up, people are going to talk about that more than a new rule that is being voted upon. If I can recall, the deal was inching ever so close to being finalized and then the video was released. While the league has tried to combat the situation, the new drug policy could have been put to the side for the time being.
Wes Welker has been patient, as well as the other players who could benefit from this new policy. Of course that could have been different with Wes Welker still needing to pass concussion protocol, (he passed the tests Thursday night) but at least he could have looked at the game plan and be ready in case he was reinstated. And even so, the Broncos could be cautious in returning Wes Welker so quickly and have him sit for a few games.
Wes Welker possibly could have lost some game prep time, but it could also be for the best. Now all we can do is wait and see how much longer it will take to pass the policy.