February 2, 2008

Gene Upshaw Balks at HGH Blood Test; Claims Players Too Queasy

This week in Phoenix, NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw stated that the union would allow urine testing for HGH once it becomes available, but he balked at the idea of blood tests. Blood tests are closer to fruition than urine tests at this point.


His reasoning? "[W]hen th[e] test is developed, we really believe it should be a urine test. No one is interested in a blood test. We got a lot of big tough guys, but they don't even like to be pricked on the finger to give blood."


What percentage of NFL players routinely receive injections in their muscles and joints? I'm guessing more than 90% if you exclude punters and kickers. Now the NFLPA's leader, who has refused to protect the league's retired players with degenerative diseases, is trying to contend that the players won't accept a finger prick blood test? The same players who have to urinate for drug tests with a total stranger staring intently at their dong? (Thanks Whizzinator!) I'm not buying it.

I suspect that Gene knows a urine test is further away than a blood test. Most urine tests rely on the excretion of metabolic byproducts of the substance in question. A human hormone analogue, such as HGH, is unlikely to break down into a discrete chemical byproduct that one could reliably detect. A blood test, on the other hand, might be able to detect elevated levels of HGH in its native form in the bloodstream.

I don't want to read too much into this, but I sincerely hope Upshaw isn't trying to use mild physicaly discomfort as an excuse because he knows a urine test is unlikely and he knows HGH is far more rampant than just Rodney Harrison and Shawne Merriman.

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