dave mcbride Posted September 25, 2014 Posted September 25, 2014 The question of whether to ban HGH or not has been kicking around the NFL for a decade or so, and it's no surprise why there's been no resolution: lots of players use it. When questioned, most people in the league say "20 percent" (or so) of players use it, but I have a hunch that the percentage is a LOT higher than that. Why do players use it? To be sure, there are some performance enhancement features, but I think that's a secondary issue. My firm understanding is that the primary reason players use it is because it accelerates the muscle tear healing process (there are countless articles on the internet confirming this). NFL players, as it so happens,suffer a great many small muscle tears over the course of the season. Indeed, I think it's highly probable that football players suffer muscle tears at a far higher rate than players in other sports. If HGH is banned, would it vastly increase the number of players unable to play on any given Sunday? My suspicion is yes, but I'm curious to know what others think. Here's an article about it from 2006: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2574291 .
Gugny Posted September 25, 2014 Posted September 25, 2014 It could actually force organizations to build teams with human beings instead of man-made freaks of "nature." I'm all for it, If it didn't persuade high school kids (with permission from coaches and parents, disgustingly enough) to use HGH and it could be secluded to those already in the pros, I wouldn't give a crap. But that's impossible. They need to test for it and they need to adopt and enforce a zero-tolerance policy, beginning in college. You get caught? Guess what ... the NFL will never let you in. Just my dos pesos.
The Wiz Posted September 25, 2014 Posted September 25, 2014 Eventually ESPN will be reporting on how well a player is with HGH instead of someone god given ability.
dave mcbride Posted September 25, 2014 Author Posted September 25, 2014 It could actually force organizations to build teams with human beings instead of man-made freaks of "nature." I'm all for it, If it didn't persuade high school kids (with permission from coaches and parents, disgustingly enough) to use HGH and it could be secluded to those already in the pros, I wouldn't give a crap. But that's impossible. They need to test for it and they need to adopt and enforce a zero-tolerance policy, beginning in college. You get caught? Guess what ... the NFL will never let you in. Just my dos pesos. What about the injury issue, especially in the brutal world of the NFL?
Boatdrinks Posted September 25, 2014 Posted September 25, 2014 It should be allowed. A high percentage of players are probably already using it. Why ban it? Or at least why test for it? It's pretty much part of the game now, I don't see why it should be an issue. It's a high stakes occupation with extreme pressure to win and to be on the field. It's just included in the deal.
Buffalo Barbarian Posted September 25, 2014 Posted September 25, 2014 Yes, lets ban a substance that doesn't improve performance but speeds recovery, genius and everyone wants their players on the field asap right?
todd Posted September 25, 2014 Posted September 25, 2014 Why do you think the Cheatriots were able to reclaim so many older players who were on the decline, but suddenly with the pats they were productive again? I think the "Patriot* Way" included some additional chemical enhancements for the old guys.
MattM Posted September 25, 2014 Posted September 25, 2014 Why do you think the Cheatriots were able to reclaim so many older players who were on the decline, but suddenly with the pats they were productive again? I think the "Patriot* Way" included some additional chemical enhancements for the old guys. Remember, too, that Rodney Harrison was caught there using HGH towards the end of his career. The only way you got caught back then was to be dumb enough to use your own name when ordering it--the online pharmacy he was using got raided and he was caught. I've also long harbored the same suspicion about the Pats*....
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