Anti-Doping Agency Chief questions delay in HGH testing implementation – NFL News
The chief of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has seriously questioned the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) for the delay in implementation of Human Growth Testing (HGH) programme in National Football League
(NFL), the premier American football league, after NFL office said it had insisted for introduction of the testing from current NFL season.
WADA Director General David Howman said if NFLPA did not have anything to hide they should come open and clear on HGH issue. Their objections were not scientific and therefore of no substance, he added.
"If you've got nothing to hide, open up," Howman said, while speaking at a day-long anti-doping conference, which was held at the NFL headquarters. The conference on "The Doping Decision: Deterring Doping in Sport," was held in
collaboration with Partnership for Clean Competition. The NFL is founding member of the organization.
Earlier the NFL's senior vice president of law and labour policy Adolpho Birch in his address that the NFL has been insisting for earlier as possible implementation of HGH in NFL league in light of the collective bargaining agreement
reached between the NFL and NFLPA in July this year.
"We're still trying," he said. "Our normal testing is still going on. If you're talking about HGH testing, in particular, we're still insistent that we implement HGH testing as soon as it's possible and we are continuing to try
to work toward that end."
The controversy surrounding HGH testing has been making headlines most recently. The issue has particularly been discussed with more intensity following a statement from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell that he expected the testing
was implemented in the NFL in current season.
He had gone to say that the delay in introduction of the programme was being witnessed on part of the NFLPA despite that the union had agreed in principles towards implementation of the testing programme.
An NFLPA spokesman however refuted the statement from WADA chief. George Atallah told the American news agency Associated Press that WADA itself lacked transparency, adding that the players association was legitimate in raising
its concerns about the testing procedures and its appeals process.
WADA chief’s criticism of the NFLPA was the latest wave of concerns being raised about the delay occurring in implementation of HGH testing programme. It has been giving a sort of impression to many quarters that if the NFLPA was
unduly trying to protect the players.
The players association in the meantime has been insisting for recollection of players’ data and fresh analysis before implementation of the programme.
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