The stalemate on human growth hormone testing in the N.F.L. is no closer to being resolved after a proposal by the players union to the league, and a Congressional committee involved in the issue, that would not include testing during the regular season. þþThe union, which has resisted the implementation of testing while raising concerns about the validity of the test used by the World Anti-Doping Agency, made the proposal a month ago, but one person briefed on the proposal said that neither the committee nor league officials considered the union’s proposal a “serious response” to the standoff. The proposal was first reported Saturday by CBS Sports.þ þThe proposal includes several features that are likely to meet significant resistance from the league and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which has pushed for the start of H.G.H. testing. þþThe union’s proposal calls for 10 percent of the league’s players to be tested annually and for players to get 24-hour notice before a test. Players would also have the right to decline to take the test, but they would be penalized after three missed tests. þþThe N.F.L. has said that during negotiations, the union had essentially agreed to in-season testing that would be random and unannounced. þþThe union proposal, according to the person briefed on it, does not raise concerns about the validity of the test. The union had earlier said it wanted population studies to determine if the threshold for a positive test is appropriate for professional football players. þ
Source: NY Times
