NFL Wants Mandatory HGH Testing

Whenever the new CBA is signed, league representatives are said to be demanding that testing for HGH be included.


.According to a report on ESPN.com, NFL vice president and general counsel Adolpho Birch said, "We want it. We think it's necessary. We're going to ensure that it's done. That's something very important to us and the integrity of our game. We believe some of the basis for going slowly on it before has been addressed. At this point, it's proper for it to be an active part of our program."

HGH had been on the NFL's list of banned substances, but there was no active testing for it in the league's previous drug-testing program.

The issue for HGH testing is that players don't like to give blood and there is no reliable urine test for the substance.

Further, test results are tricky. Since GH is released by the pituitary in bursts, random GH levels are not very useful. There is too much overlap between abnormal results and normal daily variation. GH levels will be higher first thing in the morning and will increase with exercise and stress.

Does performance enhancing drugs exist in the NFL? Of course. But that has long been true, and not just in baseball where the trial of Barry Bonds is currently underway. No, steroids have been part of pro football for players looking to gain an edge for a long time.

Steroids, in fact, were a part of the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl run if the 1970s.

But HGH is not the same as anabolic steroids and their use as performance enhancers is under debate. It is mainly used by players to recover faster from injuries and surgery.

But while players are used to giving urine samples, blood testing is another thing. Needles and privacy issues will make this a tough sell for the league.

As for the lockout, no further negotiations have been scheduled. My feeling is that things won't get going until there is a sense of urgency. That urgency may only be created by the possibility of missing actual games that count.

While the owners claim they want to get back to the bargaining table, the players remain optimistic for victory in their class-action suit.

I say...LETS THESE BOYS PLAY FOOTBALL! Who care's what they are using? That goes for any sport, professional and Olympic level. I can't stand the drug testing policies in sports today.

Victor Conte, the head of the BALCO scandal, said it best: "It's not cheating if everyone is doing it." The Anti-Doping agencies are still coming up with new tests to detect certain substances in the urine, going back and testing urine samples from YEARS ago (they store urine samples for years even after an athlete tests negative) and stripping athletes of their medals/placings. It's getting rediculous...