The National Football League suspended a Buffalo Bills player Tuesday for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson was suspended for 10 games. According to what Henderson’s agent Brian Fettner said to the Associated Press, this suspension comes from the player’s use of medical marijuana to treat his Crohn’s disease

The Bills announced the league had notified them on Tuesday of their player’s suspension.

“The league has notified us of the suspension and we are moving forward with our preparations to play the Oakland Raiders this Sunday,” the Bills said in their statement.

This is Henderson’s second suspension of this year; he began the season with a four-game suspension.

Henderson was diagnosed with Crohn’s a year ago, and underwent multiple surgeries on his intestines in the previous offseason.

Disgusted at Seantrel Henderson’s suspension for treating his Crohn’s with prescribed cannabis. #NFL couldn’t care less about player health

— Jake Silver (@jakeofsilver) November 29, 2016

“The reality is, the NFL’s position has been if you need medical marijuana then you’re too sick to play,” Fettner also said. “But that’s just not the case for Seantrel Henderson.”

The NFL’s substance policy does not allow medical exemptions for marijuana use, although it does for some other banned substances.

According to Yahoo, “If he were to fail a third drug test, Henderson would be banned for life, with the ability to apply for reinstatement after a year.”

Henderson has spoken in defense of the drug previously.

“I’ve got doctors telling me this is the No. 1 medicine that would help your disease,” Henderson told The Buffalo News. “You try to tell that to the league and it seems like they didn’t care too much.”

@ZIGGY15X Thankfully @h_seantrel didn’t beat a woman or they might have tacked another game onto the 10 game suspension for mmj.

— Big Bacon Moe (@Mykl0) November 30, 2016

If Henderson chooses to, he could pursue a lawsuit against the NFL.

Julia Bryant

Julia Bryant is an Editorial Senior Fellow at Law Street from Howard County, Maryland. She is a junior at the University of Maryland, College Park, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Economics. You can contact Julia at JBryant@LawStreetMedia.com.

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A judge just ruled that a lawsuit brought against the Buffalo Bills by their cheerleaders–the Buffalo Jills–is allowed to move forward. The cheerleaders are suing the NFL team for better wages and work conditions. While five former cheerleaders brought the suit, the judge’s ruling means that “all Buffalo Bills cheerleaders and ambassadors since April 2008” can join. While this lawsuit is in process, the Buffalo Jills have actually been on hiatus, and haven’t appeared at any games over the last year. But the Buffalo Jills aren’t the first cheerleaders to bring a suit against the team they cheer for–in fact they’re just one more in a growing trend.

The Buffalo Jills each made $1,800 per season, despite the fact that the team takes in a total of $256 million each year. The women claim that their compensation is well below minimum wage. They also claim that they had to attend some events for which they were not paid. The team treated them as independent contractors as opposed to employees, which is how it was able to get away with such low compensation.

Another point of contention in the lawsuit was that the women were held to an incredibly strict, and seemingly inappropriate, guidebook. The book included requirements for things like personal hygiene; for example, it told the women to change their tampons “at least every four hours.” It also instructed them what kind of soap to use, stating: “Intimate areas: Never use a deodorant or chemically enhanced product. Simple nondeodorant soap will help maintain the right PH balance.” My personal favorite is the eating recommendations, which instruct: “Do not overeat bread in a formal setting.”

At the same time that this lawsuit is being allowed to move forward, New York is considering a bill called the “Cheerleaders’ Fair Pay Act.” It would extend all the “rights, benefits and protections” to the cheerleaders that the rest of the team’s employees have.

The Buffalo Jills aren’t the first group of cheerleaders to get into this kind of showdown with the team they cheer for. Other teams that have been sued by their cheerleaders include the New York Jets, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Oakland Raiders.

The lawsuit won’t be decided for a while, but allowing the plaintiffs to move forward together in a class-action capacity is a big step.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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