NFL players on Thursday ratified a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement, marking the official end of the labor fight and opening the door for more thorough league-wide drug testing.
The NFL will become the first major sports league that tests blood for human growth hormone, according to an individual familiar with the language of the deal. The prior CBA only allowed for urine testing, which is not a reliable way to detect HGH.
Pending final approval by the players union, the league will be able to test each player annually for HGH.
“The goal is to begin testing for HGH the first week of the regular season,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. “Over the next several weeks, we will discuss and develop with the union the specific arrangements for the test.”
The players have 30 days to review and agree to the new drug-testing policy. If they do not approve it, the system reverts to the 2010 rules, which do not allow for an independent arbitrator to hear any appeal.
“We have to see if we agree with the test,” Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Rashean Mathis told reporters. “If we agree with the test, then it's legit. If not, they have to come up with another one.”
There has been widespread conjecture over the years that some players have used performance-enhancing drugs that have gone undetected because of the limitations of testing methods. Adding fuel to that fire is the dramatic spike in players who weigh 300 pounds or more.
Anthony Butch, director of the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory, said blood testing “is a good thing because it will determine whether everybody’s speculation is right that players are doping with HGH. If no one tests positive, that speculation will begin to go away.”
However, Butch said, the current blood testing for HGH has a detection window that lasts only 36 to 48 hours.
“But there are other tests that hopefully will be approved soon that will have a longer detection window,” he said. “A couple of weeks would be nice. The longer the better.”
The final approval of the CBA allowed for the “league year” to begin and had an impact on all 32 training camps. Players who had signed contracts July 26 or after were finally able to join their teammates in drills.
“To be able to come up with a 10-year agreement in today’s sports world is really both unprecedented and great for all of us, all the fans,” Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said. “None of us wants to go through this kind of stuff every three or four years....
“The other thing is the formula the NFL has that’s really the envy of all sports leagues around the world.”
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-- Sam Farmer
Photo: Arizona Cardinals' Ryan Williams signs autographs at training camp on Aug. 1. Credit: Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press.
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