According to reports from ESPN and Fox Sports, the NFL is seeking mandatory testing for human growth hormone (HGH) in the next collective bargaining agreement.
Although well intentioned, this plan should be fired. No reliable urine test for HGH exists, so testing on players would have to be done by taking blood samples at several intervals. Players don't object to peeing in a cup, but giving blood is another story. (Seems ridiculous that they'd be bothered by needles since HGH is injected, but whatever.) Attempts by other leagues, like Major League Baseball, to test for HGH have failed in part because players object to blood tests and because no athlete has ever tested positive for the drug, putting the reliability of all tests in question.
HGH is likely a serious problem of unknown magnitude in the NFL, but right now the priority should be to address the most significant conflicts between the players and the league. League insistence on HGH testing will only delay the negotiation process and further dim the chances for an uninterrupted 2011 season.
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