In a sport where PED use is typically overlooked and often applauded, increased testing could be on the way. In his state of the league address in New Orleans, Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that he’s confident that the NFL will have a testing protocol for HGH in place prior to the 2013 season.
Per NFL.com:
“It’s the right thing to do for the integrity of the game. And it’s also the right thing to do, to send the right message to everybody else in sports: You don’t have to play the game by taking performance-enhancing drugs. The science is there. There is no question about that.”
As the NFL tries to keep up with MLB in testing and discipline for PED use (MLB has already announced random in season HGH testing), simply carrying out the tests isn’t the only issue. While the NFLPA agreed to testing during negotiations for the latest CBA, it appears that discipline and appeals process for positive tests has yet to be worked out. But, per Goodell, that shouldn’t be an obstacle.
“With all due respect, we gave them, as part of HGH, arbitration — third-party arbitration,” Goodell told NFL Network’s Rich Eisen. “It wouldn’t be my decision. They can move toward a system that is more of a third-party system, particularly as it relates to drug testing, so that’s counter-intuitive for me.”
The good news for the NFLPA and Roger Goodell is that as long as they talk a good game about testing and discipline, nobody will really care about silly details like effectiveness of the program.
Original Story:
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February 01, 2013
