WASHINGTON (AP) — Back in August 2011, the NFL and the players’ union signed off on a new labor deal that set the stage for the league to test for human growth hormone, perhaps as soon as a month later.
Nearly two full seasons now have gone by and nothing’s happened.
The NFL Players Association won’t concede the validity of a test that’s used by Olympic sports and Major League Baseball, and the sides haven’t been able to agree on a scientist to help resolve that impasse.
Cue Congress. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is holding a hearing Wednesday to take a look at the science behind tests for HGH.
It’s a substance that is hard to detect and believed to be used by athletes for a variety of benefits, whether real or only perceived — such as increasing speed or improving vision.