Report: NFL, NFLPA 'very close' to new drug-testing program

The NFL and the NFL Players Association are “very close” to an agreement on a new drug testing program.

The NFL and the NFL Players Association are “very close” to an agreement on a new drug testing program, according to Pro Football Talk.

According the report, human growth hormone will be one of the drugs for which players will be tested.

The Washington Post's Mark Maske said that a "deal is not certain" as talks "remain fragile and still could unravel."

NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith said earlier this year that testing for HGH was being held up over disagreements about whether Commissioner Roger Goodell or a neutral arbitrator would handle certain types of appeals.

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Another issue could be the punishment for a second offense, which could draw a ban of eight or 10 games, according to an NFL spokesman. 

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The lack of an agreement on blood testing for hGH had delayed the implementation of other terms on which the two sides agreed, including the potential shift of substances like amphetamines from the PED policy to the substance-abuse policy.

- Scooby Axson