Congress pushing for HGH testing in NFL
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell listens to questions during a news conference at the owners meetings in Rosemont, Ill. (June 21, 2011) Credit: AP
Congress is stepping up its efforts to push the NFL and its players toward an agreement on testing for human growth hormone.
In letters obtained by The Associated Press yesterday, leaders of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee invited NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, NFPLA executive director DeMaurice Smith and Travis T. Tygart, the chief executive of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, to a meeting on Capitol Hill.
The letters were signed by chairman Darrell Issa, a California Republican, and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, a Democrat from Maryland and ranking member of the committee.
Blood testing for HGH was part of the collective bargaining deal struck between the league and players this summer -- but only if the union agreed to the methods.
The players' union has asked for more information about the process used by the World Anti-Doping Agency and questioned the safety and reliability of the test. The NFL would be the first major professional sports league to implement HGH testing. -- AP
More football news
