NFL Wants Players Tested for HGH

(FOX Sports) - The NFL insisted Thursday that testing for human growth hormone (HGH) be added to the new collective bargaining agreement.

"We want it. We think it's necessary. We're going to ensure that it's done," said NFL vice president and general counsel Adolpho Birch, who oversees the NFL's drug-testing program. "That's something very important to us and the integrity of our game.

Birch said the NFL had discussed the matter with representatives from the NFL Players Association before labor talks ended March 11.

An NFLPA source told FOXSports.com that an agreement for HGH testing "would have to be part of settlement discussions with the class," referring to the attorneys representing 10 NFL players in an antitrust lawsuit against the league.

The NFLPA decertified as a union before the previous CBA expired in anticipation of an NFL lockout.

Testing for HGH -- a performance-enhancing substance barred but not tested for in the NFL's previous drug-testing program -- could become a contentious subject among NFLPA members. It also could become a bargaining chip for the NFL in CBA negotiations.

HGH testing at the Olympic Games began in summer 2004. But with no athletes registering positive during Olympic competition, the program's effectiveness has come into question.

Major League Baseball implemented HGH testing in its minor leagues last July but not at the Major League level. The NBA and NHL do not test for HGH.

A failed test under the NFL's performance-enhancing substance policy brings a mandatory four-game suspension.

HGH began finding its way into mainstream athletics in the 1990s. Among its possible benefits are quicker recovery from injuries, increased muscle mass and loss of body fat. Potential side effects include the unnatural growth of body parts like hands and feet, loss of stamina and higher likelihood for diabetes.

During a 2009 interview with Tampa radio station WQYK-AM, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Earnest Graham said he believed about 30 percent of all NFL players use HGH.

"I'd say a lot of NFL players are doing it," Graham said. "Any sport [where] guys come across injuries and need to get back fast and come back stronger than they were before, I wouldn't be shocked."

The NFL formally requested the implementation of HGH testing from the NFLPA in January 2010. The NFLPA, now under the leadership of DeMaurice Smith, declined the request because it believed the issue should be part of CBA negotiations.

Read more: FOX Sports