The NFL distanced itself Thursday from the idea of using former players in a population study on human growth hormone, one day after USA TODAY Sports learned that NFL Players Association officials had presented current players with the plan.
Two people familiar with the negotiations told USA TODAY Sports that numerous HGH-testing issues have been resolved, including many terms of the population study requested by the union. The use of ex-players in that study, however, has not been finalized. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because a comprehensive agreement has not been reached.
“While the experts advise that they plan to create a control group in addition to the pool of current player specimens, there is presently no agreement of any kind involving a role for retired players in the study,” a person familiar with the NFL’s thinking said in a statement emailed to USA TODAY Sports.
A person familiar with the union’s thinking also said the plan to use former players has not been finalized.
That contradicts the presentation made Wednesday by NFLPA player advocates Martin Bayless and Ernie Conwell to players from the Minnesota Vikings, two people who attended that meeting told USA TODAY Sports. A third person informed of the negotiations confirmed the plan was to use ex-players in the control group.
The plan, as presented to the Vikings, is for roughly 100 former players to participate in the study, with two-thirds of them administered HGH and the other third a placebo. Their HGH levels would be measured before and after the trial to determine the impact of use.
The control group is part of the scientific design of the population study requested by the union to determine the so-called “decision limit” to detect exogenous human growth hormone – in other words, the highest HGH level a player can have without facing discipline.
“During the preseason, all players will have blood samples drawn,” the person with knowledge of the NFL’s thinking wrote in the email. “These samples will be analyzed, after which jointly-retained experts will examine the data and advise the league and the union of the numerical value at which a test result should be deemed ‘positive.’”
Former NFL defensive back Solomon Wilcots told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday he’d volunteer “in a heartbeat” if asked to participate in the study. But hall of fame tight end Shannon Sharpe said he’d have to ask a lot of questions and consult with his family and agent first.
“Hey, I’m not just going to be somebody’s guinea pig just to prove a point to see what’s going on,” Sharpe said. “If I talk to enough people to get enough reassurances that everything is going to be OK, then no problem. Then I’m happy to help.”
Until all issues are resolved in a comprehensive agreement, the league doesn’t want to move forward with any aspect of the new program, including the population study.
At this point, according to the person with knowledge of the NFL’s thinking, the primary hurdle remaining in negotiations is the appeals process. The union opposes the commissioner’s longstanding authority to hear appeals for violations other than a positive test, such as a legal issue or demonstrated use without a positive test.
“We do not believe it is appropriate further to limit the Commissioner’s disciplinary authority,” the person wrote in the email.
The sides have already agreed that appeals for positive tests will be heard by third-party officers with experience in drug-testing matters, the person said. Based on an NFLPA memo released Wednesday, the sides agree that several other issues have been resolved as well.
That list includes random testing of 40 players each week beginning with the first week of the regular season and continuing during the postseason and the rest of the year. Discipline would be a four-game suspension for the first violation, an eight-game suspension for a second violation and a full season for a third.
If enough players test positive during the population study, they would be placed into “reasonable cause” testing for the rest of the season, with another positive test considered a second violation and resulting in an eight-game ban.
Human growth hormone is produced naturally by the body, stimulating reproduction and regeneration of cells. It also can be administered artificially and is banned by the world’s anti-doping bodies, which have slammed the population study as a union stall tactic from the start.
The NFL and the union agreed to blood testing for HGH in the collective bargaining agreement that was finalized more than two years ago. But a series of issues, including the NFLPA’s insistence on the population study to determine what a “normal” HGH level is for an NFL player, have delayed implementation.
The league already has “made numerous concessions to the NFLPA in an effort to obtain final agreement on a program of HGH testing,” the person said in the email.
“Those concessions include third party arbitrators for most disciplinary appeals; a population study; limits on discipline for repeat offenders; no HGH testing on game days; and adoption of many of the appeal procedures sought by the union. ...
“If the Union is prepared to accept the substantial compromises we have made to accommodate its various demands, we will have HGH testing in short order.”
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