If you’re accused of drug crimes like selling drugs or intending to distribute them, then the first thing you’ll want to do is to defend yourself against the charges. Drug charges can affect your career; for instance, if you play sports, then you know that if you are caught with drugs on your person or in your blood, you can be stopped from playing in games. That means you can lose your position or even be let go from a team, costing you a lucrative future. If you stand up for yourself from the start, you may be able to build a case with your attorney that helps you show that the allegations against you were false.
The National Football League recently suspended 26 players who allegedly violated substance abuse policies. At least one of the players’ suspensions was for drug possession, while others were banned from playing for substance abuse charges.
One of the more prolific players, Antonio Gates, was recently banned for allegedly taking performance enhancers. Despite a drug test coming back positive for performance enhancers, Gates has claimed that he did not use any drugs that should have triggered the test. Even though that’s the case, he reportedly said he would take full responsibility for the test results, even though they could have been faulty.
In professional sports, players are able to appeal the charges against them from the National Football League, but they still can face fines and penalties for charges made by police or other authorities. In some cases, their charges out of the league can result in court dates or penalties that collide with their schedule, forcing them to miss more games than the league’s required suspension times.
Source: The Washington Times, “Bell, Gates among 26 suspended NFL players,” Barry Wilner, Sep. 09, 2015
