In drug case 2 ex-Raider teammates punished

Raiders linemen Chris Cooper and Barret Robbins and former teammate Dana Stubblefield were fined three game checks and face ``reasonable-cause'' drug testing for the rest of their careers in a settlement arising from the players' positive tests for a designer steroid. The settlement, announced Wednesday, was reached before a disciplinary hearing scheduled this week and after months of discussions between the league and the NFL Players Association. The three players also would be subject to an eight-game suspension for any future violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy, the league said in a prepared statement. Robbins' fine amounts to $234,375, and Cooper must pay $187,500. The levies are based on their salaries for this season. The amount for Stubblefield, a free-agent defensive tackle, won't be determined until he signs with a team. Still unresolved is the appeal of former Raider Bill Romanowski, who also tested positive for THG. The drug has been a focal point of the investigation into Balco, the Burlingame nutritional supplement laboratory that is suspected of distributing performance-enhancing drugs to some of the nation's top athletes.
``This should be a confidential matter between the NFL and the player,'' Raiders spokesman Mike Taylor said."

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