The 4 month lock out was in a way good for the league and the players union. This resulted to better policies particularly in adopting programs that will create a more level playing field. The league and the players union agreed on two major breakthroughs in the history of the football league.

First is the inclusion of human growth hormone testing and the second is the adoption of game-day testing for performance enhancing drugs. This will make the league as the first professional sports organization in the country to adopt these anti-doping policies. Another good thing about these new programs is it will be in place for 10 years.

NFL’s senior vice president of law and labor policy Adolpho Birch commended the players union in concurring with these proposals during a press conference. “This was a critical step in the evolution of our policy, and I think both parties - particularly the union - should be commended for taking that step to ensure our game remains to the public and to our players as an area for clean competition, that it protects the health and safety of our players, and sends the right message to youth and young athletes,” Birch said.

Game-Day Testing will Focus on HGH and Steroids

According to Birch, the game-day testing will focus on HGH and steroids and will not include tests for recreational drugs. The aim is to deter players from using performance enhancing drugs. “This is primarily a competitive issue, so we do not contemplate utilizing it for the substances-of-abuse recreational drugs. But it is something that will involve any of the potential testing we do under the steroid policy,” said Birch. The game-day testing is just an addition to the regular drug testing of the league.

The league assured baseball fans and the players that the tests will not be disruptive. Birch, who is also overseeing the drug testing of the NFL, told the media that they were able to develop a new solution that will allow efficient administration of game-day testing.

HGh Testing and Game-Day Testing on Season Opening

The NFL is confident that the new anti-doping measures will be implemented when the new season starts. The only problem of the league is the specific rules and regulations on conducting the HGH tests. The league and the players union are still deliberating on testing procedures that will be acceptable to both parties.

Window Period for HGH is Short

NFL officials know that even if the league adopted HGH testing, it is still difficult to catch players using the said performance enhancing drug. The detection window for HGH is too short which is only within a day or two. However, they are still optimistic that the program will be effective. Birch said that the design of the program will sufficiently deter players and detect HGH use. “That is really part of the mechanism and framework of how we have chosen to do the testing,” he said.

Birch contends that reliability issue is not a problem anymore because of the improvement of technology. Players should not worry of any false positives for the human growth hormone drug.

Comprehensive Drug Testing

The league will test players at least 22 times during in-season and 6 times during the off-season. Birch said that the number of tests is not too much. They are more concerned on when and how these tests will be conducted to be more efficient. He cited, as an example, random testing as an effective deterrent for PED’s use.

Once these programs are in place, the league can now boast of a well crafted sports anti-doping program.

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