CFL, CFLPA agree to expanded drug testing

Drug testing has returned to the CFL.

After going without drug testing during the 2015 season, the CFL and the CFL Players' Association announced a new agreement Thursday that will bring enhanced testing for performance-enhancing drugs to the league.

"We're pleased that our persistence has produced a dramatically improved drug testing policy that safeguards the health and safety of our players, protects the integrity of our game, and sends the right message to young athletes, including those who aspire to join our league,” said CFL commissioner Jeffrey Orridge.

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports, which had done the testing for the CFL in the past, will conduct the testing once again after the two sides ended their partnership prior to last season.

The agreement between the CFL and the CFLPA calls for the number of tests to equal the number of players in the league, though some players could be tested multiple times while others are not tested at all. Previously around 35 percent of players were tested.

"This new performance enhancing drug testing policy meets the needs and concerns expressed by CFLPA members to ensure that all players compete on a level playing field while improving player safety and making drug testing consistent with all other professional sports leagues,” said CFLPA president Jeff Keeping.

Any player that tests positive would be subject to a two-game suspension on first offense, a nine-game suspension with a second violation, a third negative test would result in a one-year ban, while a fourth would net a permanent ban from the league.