Woodlawn, Maryland (AP)-One of hundreds of high school students attend a meeting on Monday about the dangers of performance enhancing drugs would be NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to answer this question:
Because drug use in baseball, there are more football?
Goodell began his answer: "I'm not sure that's true."
While at the same time emphasized that he believes the NFL's program of drug testing is strong, Goodell acknowledged that improvement, and said the league will insist that his employment contract with players when it is a includes tests for human growth hormone.
"We want to be naive to think that people do not try to cheat the system. But we have the best testing program could replace that," Goodell said after the accession of Rep. Elijah Cummings, Maryland Democrat, to talk to the students of Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County.
"I made it clear to the children in the audience today that the integrity of the NFL is essential and we must ensure we do everything possible to have the best program of doping in sport," said Goodell. "Making changes to our program is vital and we have done in recent years. We must do more, including the inclusion of the HGH test."
Prevention of athletes using HGH is a central objective in the anti-doping. The substance is difficult to detect, and athletes are expected to select HGH for a range of services they are real or only perceived, including increased speed and better vision.
HGH use is prohibited by the NFL, but the old League collective bargaining agreement did not test for it. Goodell thinks players "recognize the importance of" testing add HGH.
NFL Players Association objected to blood tests in the past, but said last summer it would be open to hear a proposal from the league during the negotiations of the CBA. Goodell said Monday that HGH was "part of a broader proposal about where we go with our drug program."
George Atallah NFLPA spokesman would not comment on Monday.
CBA broke off negotiations on March 11 and the old agreement expired. The NFLPA says it would operate as a union and a group of players filed a class action antitrust lawsuits in federal court in Minnesota. The former owners locked out players. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday at the request of players for a preliminary injunction to lift the lockout.
Some former NFL players also sued and the cases were collected on Monday.
The retirees said that the loss of revenue from a lockout NFL extended jeopardize their pensions and other benefits through grants from the league. In court documents filed Monday in Minnesota, the NFL's lawyers argued that the retirees did not have jurisdiction to request that the lockout will be blocked because they are not current employees and not be locked out.
Goodell did not say whether he is optimistic about what will happen in court.
"We will present our case and the judge will render a decision," he said.
Asked if the owners decided on what the league rules work if the injunction is granted, Goodell said .. "We are prepared for every outcome I can promise, and do not believe that c is an issue that should be decided by a tribunal. This is an issue to be resolved at the negotiating table. We must return to the negotiating table, regardless of result of the controversy. "
Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the House committee on oversight and reform the government, said he spoke briefly about the blocking of the NFL Goodell.
"The players and owners must understand that it is more than them and we have many people who spend their hard earned money to come and watch football games, and many of them are fighting for dollars and there are many people working, "said Cummings. "I hope that Congress should not get involved in this field. ... It's not something I favor. We have enough problems we deal with, as it is."
