NFL VP/Law & Labor Policy Adolpho Birch yesterday said that he “expects a newly enhanced policy that includes HGH testing and game-day testing for performance-enhancing drugs to be in place by the start of the regular season,” according to Bob Glauber of NEWSDAY. Birch said that there “still are issues to be worked out with the NFL Players Association, but he expressed optimism that the league's strengthened steroids policy will begin soon.” Birch: "The parties have committed to getting the program up and running by the start of the season, and I have every expectation that we'll do that." Birch said that the “addition of game-day testing for PEDs will improve the policy and ultimately make the game safer.” Birch said the HGH test "will be a comprehensive testing system with random testing year-round." He added that game-day testing “will serve as a further deterrent” (NEWSDAY, 8/9). Steelers S and player rep Ryan Clark said that he is “all for the idea of catching cheaters and wants a level playing field.” But he “believes giving a blood sample is ‘way too intimate’ and wonders whether the league will adhere to its promise to use the blood only for HGH.” Steelers S Troy Polamalu "echoed that concern Monday, wondering whether any additional information gleaned from blood drawn for HGH tests could affect a player's ability to get a new contract.” But Birch said, "For this test, you need less than a tablespoon of blood." He said that there “will be a meticulously documented chain of custody with the blood, and that the sample is too small to divide and use for other tests” (L.A. TIMES, 8/9).
LOOKING AT THE POSITIVES: YAHOO SPORTS’ Matthew Darnell wrote the NFL lockout “did inadvertently yield something enjoyable,” as the day free agency opened “had a holiday-type feel to it.” Darnell: “It was sort of like being a fan of a contender of an NHL or MLB team on trade deadline day. …The NFL has never really offered that.” Even if there was “some outcry from fans to make it a new annual procedure, the league has pretty clearly demonstrated that it doesn't much care about what fans want or don't want” (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/8).
