Drug testing causes a stir in the NFL

DENVER, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Ex-National Football League player Antonio Bryant is suing the league for allegedly forcing him to submit to random drug tests despite not being under contract.

The NFL "believes that any individual who has ever played or thought about playing professional football is subject to the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse," Bryant's attorney and agent, Peter J. Schaeffer, wrote in an affidavit. "If this were true, any private company in the United States could test individuals for drugs and alcohol if that individual had worked or was thinking of working in that industry."

Schaeffer filed the lawsuit in Denver because he is based in Colorado, while Bryant lives in Texas.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the lawsuit and another similar suit filed by Denver Broncos running back Travis Henry are without merit.

"Both cases cannot be maintained in court because any appeals must be brought under the program's grievance procedures," McCarthy wrote in an e-mail.