Yesterday, Torrie Cox ate his last breakfast at training camp, packed up his stuff, and went with his agent to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to file a discrimination claim against the Buccaneers for suspending him after violating the league's substance abuse policy, citing the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Peter Schaffer believes alcoholism is a disability. The suit does not say Cox is an alcoholic but he is perceived to be one, which was the league's basis for the suspension.

Unless eerily resembling Flavor Flav is considered a handicap these days, Cox is making a mockery of good legislation that was designed to help people with real disabilities who are really getting discriminated against. You can't penalize someone at their workplace because they have Down's Syndrome or because they're blind or because they were born with only a head and a torso. Torrie Cox doesn't qualify. I'll look it up, but I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as Constantly-Getting-Burned-On-The-Post-Corner-Route Disease.

If you care to look it up, Section 104 (c) of the ADA addresses this very situation.

A covered entity-

(4) may hold an employee who engages in the illegal use of drugs or who is an alcoholic to the same qualification standards for employment or job performance and behavior that such entity holds other employees, even if any unsatisfactory performance or behavior is related to the drug use or alcoholism of such employee

Alcoholics are held to the same standards as other employees, and one of those standards is not violating the substance abuse policy. Just sit out your four games, Torrie, and hope one of the bubble cornerbacks on the roster doesn't use those games to make Monte Kiffin forget your name. You're making it tougher on people who are truly disabled, like me with my obsessive-compulsive disorder. If I get out of this chair, Garth Brooks is gonna die.

Yesterday, Torrie Cox ate his last breakfast at training camp, packed up his stuff, and went with his agent to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to file a discrimination claim against the Buccaneers for suspending him after violating the league's substance abuse policy, citing the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Peter Schaffer believes alcoholism is a disability. The suit does not say Cox is an alcoholic but he is perceived to be one, which was the league's basis for the suspension.

Unless eerily resembling Flavor Flav is considered a handicap these days, Cox is making a mockery of good legislation that was designed to help people with real disabilities who are really getting discriminated against. You can't penalize someone at their workplace because they have Down's Syndrome or because they're blind or because they were born with only a head and a torso. Torrie Cox doesn't qualify. I'll look it up, but I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as Constantly-Getting-Burned-On-The-Post-Corner-Route Disease.

If you care to look it up, Section 104 (c) of the ADA addresses this very situation.

A covered entity-

(4) may hold an employee who engages in the illegal use of drugs or who is an alcoholic to the same qualification standards for employment or job performance and behavior that such entity holds other employees, even if any unsatisfactory performance or behavior is related to the drug use or alcoholism of such employee

Alcoholics are held to the same standards as other employees, and one of those standards is not violating the substance abuse policy. Just sit out your four games, Torrie, and hope one of the bubble cornerbacks on the roster doesn't use those games to make Monte Kiffin forget your name. You're making it tougher on people who are truly disabled, like me with my obsessive-compulsive disorder. If I get out of this chair, Garth Brooks is gonna die.