HGH testing in NFL all but dead

Denver Broncos players D.J. Williams and Ryan McBean aren't household names in the NFL but their cases -- almost identical to those of baseball player Ryan Braun -- might be the key to when the NFL starts testing for HGH. Which, at this rate, and because of the cases of Williams and McBean, could be dramatically delayed.

Williams and McBean were suspended recently for the first six games of next season for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Both players, I'm told, were found to have non-human urine in their systems.

Like Braun, both NFL players contended the real issue was the collection of the sample. In fact, the union says the collector who administered the test to Williams and McBean was relieved of his duties for allegedly violating collection protocol.

The union issued a blistering statement on Tuesday saying: "The NFLPA is disappointed by the decisions in the cases of Ryan McBean and D.J. Williams. Despite substantial evidence of breaches in the collection protocol and other procedural irregularities, the NFL decided to punish these players without judicious review of the facts. The League-appointed hearing officer then affirmed the discipline, even though the specimen collector was fired by his agency for not following procedures. The NFL also failed to produce the sample collector as a witness during the players' appeals hearing.

"The NFLPA and NFL have been negotiating a new and comprehensive Substances of Abuse and Steroids policies. The facts in these two cases and in recent cases in other sports, dramatically underscore the players' insistence to have independent, neutral arbitrators as part of any future policy. We will continue to fight for a fair, clean and safe game."

In effect, the cases of the Broncos players might kill HGH testing in football, at least for the near future.

The league and union have been quietly negotiating an HGH testing plan but it hasn't happened because the union wants an indepedent arbitrator.

The league has resisted this and that's where HGH testing is dying. The union uses the McBean and Williams cases as an example of why they can't trust the current system and the union will never trust the NFL unless there's an indepedent arbitrator.

So, for now, HGH testing is likely dead.