NFL, Union Agree to New Drug Policy, HGH Testing

[Kel Varnsen]

I didn't see this posted, but it seems to be a big deal, so I may have missed it.

Think there's a link between HGH and all the violence?

The NFL finally will have HGH testing, perhaps as early as the end of this month.

And of more immediate impact — this weekend — the new performance-enhancing drug policy the league and players' union agreed to Wednesday will allow the Broncos' Wes Welker and two other suspended players to return to the field.

Welker, Dallas Cowboys defensive back Orlando Scandrick and St. Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey had been suspended for four games. All can return Sunday under the new rules in which players who test positive for banned stimulants in the offseason will no longer be suspended. Instead, they will be referred to the substance abuse program.

Players who test positive for banned stimulants during the season will continue to get four-game suspensions.

"I said it was flawed and we got it fixed," said Welker, who tested positive for amphetamines in the offseason. "I think you know that just kind of goes to show it was flawed and it's fixed now and we can move on from it."

The league and union are also nearing an agreement on changes to the substance abuse policy. That could reduce Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon's season-long ban.

Testing for HGH was agreed upon in 2011 when a new collective bargaining agreement ended the lockout of the players. But the players had balked at the science in the testing and the appeals process for positive tests. Under the new deal, appeals of positive tests in the PED program will be heard by third-party arbitrators jointly selected and paid for by the NFL and union. Appeals will be processed more expeditiously under altered procedures.