An anonymous NFL player estimates that 10-15 players on each team are taking the performance-enhancing drug. Will the league do anything to stop its usage? Bigger, faster and stronger -- the NFL isn't able to hide the fact that players have grown in size and strength significantly over the past thirty years, but the question remains at large of just how these athletes have become so large. There is no shortage of testing for anabolic steroids, performance enhancers such as Adderall and other drugs, but so far, there is no testing for human growth hormone, also known as HGH. That could be a good thing for a big fraction of the league, as one anonymous NFC starting player came forward to say that as many as 10-15 players on each team are taking the substance to gain lean muscle mass: "It's like clockwork nowadays," he said, estimating 10-15 players on each team use the banned substance. "Not tested and it's easy to get. Nowadays, dude? In 2013? (Expletive) yeah. I'm just being real." But the player also wasn't afraid to say that even though HGH is a banned and prescription-only drug, that players should be able to take it if … Continue reading →

Heres a thought experiment: take every fact asserted and every quote offered in this article about HGH use and testing in the NFL and replace the proper nouns with baseball players and baseball teams. And then ask yourself how thick the walls would have to be on your backyard shelter to withstand the nuclear fallout from all of the outrage that would come from the sporting press: As soon as the three letters are mentioned H-G-H the player laughs. Human growth hormone? In the NFL? Come on. HGH use is rampant, this NFC starter says.Its like clockwork nowadays, he said, estimating 10-15 players on each team use the banned substance. Not tested and its easy to get. Nowadays, dude? In 2013? (Expletive) yeah. Im just being real. Twenty-one months after agreeing to a test, HGH remains a part of the NFL. Thats the cold, unsettling reality.Until they start testing for it, its not illegal, right? [Darren] Woodson said. Its just a dirty game. Ive always felt it was that way. Thing is, a lot of people in that article make good points about the use and efficacy of HGH. But youre not allowed to talk about that in baseball. Orthodoxy … Continue reading →

HGH testing remains a thorny issue around the NFL. Nearly two years after the NFL and NFL Players Association announced an agreement regarding the need for testing, there still is no mechanism in place to test players. While the two sides battle over the details, one NFL player says HGH use is going up. An NFC starter told Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Tuesday that he believes 10 to 15 players on each NFL team use the banned substance. "It's like clockwork nowadays," the player said. "Not tested and it's easy to get. Nowadays, dude? In 2013? (Expletive) yeah. I'm just being real." Dunne's article does a good job providing background on the issue, and we recommend reading it. But it doesn't break much new ground other than calling HGH use "rampant" and "prevalent." The anonymous player is just one of thousands. "It's a guess," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told Around The League about the estimate. "No one knows the extent of use because the union has blocked our agreement to test for HGH for two years and counting." In a statement provided to Around The League, the NFLPA said, "We continue to actively work with the … Continue reading →

Vikings safety Harrison Smith says some players will always look for an illegal edge. "If they test for (human growth hormone)," Smith said, "the guys taking it now will probably find something else they can take instead. I'm sure there's always something else out there." (Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) GREEN BAY, Wis. -- As soon as the three letters are mentioned -- H-G-H -- the player laughs. Human growth hormone? In the NFL? Come on. HGH use is rampant, this NFC starter says. "It's like clockwork nowadays," he said, estimating 10-15 players on each team use the banned substance. "Not tested and it's easy to get. Nowadays, dude? In 2013? (Expletive) yeah. I'm just being real." When the NFL and NFLPA ended their labor dispute in 2011, they agreed that HGH testing was needed. The problem was acknowledged. Two years later, the problem still has not been addressed. The NFLPA claims it wants a fair process. The league has yet to do much beyond tough talk. What's certain is that HGH is prevalent and the pressure to fuel one's body with performance-enhancing supplements runs high. As long as there's no stringent HGH testing in place -- with clear, steep consequences -- … Continue reading →

UpdatedMay 1, 2013 5:03 PM ET This may not come as a shock to anyone, but NFL players will use any edge they can find to beat out their competition, even if its illegal and especially if they cant be tested. Thats why the use of HGH may be widespread among NFL players, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report. An anonymous NFC starter told the Journal Sentinel that an estimated 10-15 players on each team use HGH. "It's like clockwork nowadays," he said. HGH regulates muscle growth and is used to increase lean muscle mass, according to an orthopedic surgeon interviewed by the Journal Sentinel. After the 2011 lockout, the NFL and NFLPA agreed there should be testing for HGH. The league has not come up with a test yet because that would entail taking blood from players, and, so far, the NFLPA has not agreed to the validity of such a test. The NFLPA questioned the HGH test after a recent ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the case of Estonian cross-country skier Andrus Veerpalu. The court lifted the three-year suspension imposed by the International Ski Federation on the two-time Olympic champion for use of … Continue reading →