NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL has notified its teams that no HGH testing will be conducted before the season begins next Thursday.
In a document sent to all 32 teams and obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, NFL lead counsel Jeff Pash says a disagreement with the union over testing procedures will prevent the program from starting before Week 1.
When the league and players’ association struck a new collective bargaining agreement, blood testing for human growth hormone was part of the deal — but only if the union agreed to the methods.
The NFLPA has not agreed, however, saying it needs more information on the safety and reliability of the tests from the World Anti-Doping Agency.
The NFL would be the first of the major American professional sports leagues to implement HGH testing.
