Cam Newton went on the record with his own comments about the NFL's drug testing policy. This comes after Adam 'Pacman' Jones claimed he spent 14 years being able to cheat the system. The former NFL MVP believes there is very little truth to the matter considering how the urine collectors are watching players during the process.
"Who am I to tell him he's lying," Newton said on a recent 4th and 1 podcast. "I just know my experience with drug tests and getting watched by the man... It's hard to do... 14 years?" Jones claims he used a separate cup with a clean sample to keep from being suspended.
Newton took the conversation further and questioned the NFL's practice by the collectors. There is a fine line between doing a job and overstepping privacy boundaries, which the one-time Panthers star says was right on the edge.
"It was intrusive... It's almost like, why are you looking so hard?" Newton asked about the testing. "It was semi-questionable."
The process has changed over the years. All NFL players receive one annual test under the policy. However, the annual test does not test for THC. This testing may only happen randomly in groups following games. Free agents will usually be tested within a week of signing with a team, and will be tested, if you have not already had the annual, according to the NFLPA website.
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"From the start of training camp until the week after your last game, if you are notified of a test in the morning, you must complete the test before the start of afternoon activities. If notified in the afternoon, you must complete the test within an hour after afternoon activities end."
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As for the offseason, players could be tested up to six times within 24 hours to complete the test after being notified. This usually comes via voicemail or when the text message is sent.
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This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 6:59 PM.