NFL, Players Association stalled over arbitration for HGH testing

Implementation of an HGH testing program in the NFL continues to stall as the league and the NFL Players Association are in disagreement over who should oversee the appeals process, according to Jason La Conforta at CBS Sports.

Lawyers from both sides reportedly met last week, but the players’ union remains adamant that a neutral third-party arbitrator, not the NFL commissioner, should oversee all appeals of non-positive performance-enhancing drug tests. Such cases occur when a player has not tested positive but other evidence of PED use exists.

The disagreement is reportedly the only hangup keeping a long list of other agreed-upon rule changes from going through. As part of the HGH negotiations, the league and uinon have agreed to increase punishment for alcohol-related crimes and drunk driving as well as moving Adderall from the “performance-enhancing drug” classification to “substance abuse.”

Even if the sides agreed upon the appeals process today, it will take as much as three months to draw blood from players across the league in order to establish a population study, making it unlikely that we will see HGH testing during the 2013 regular season.

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