In any sport, players will try to cheat the system.  If measures aren’t taken to prevent whatever cheating takes place, then it will become rampant.  Obviously, what I’m mostly talking about is PEDs.  There is no telling when the steroids were first used in the NFL (’70s?), but the NFL has been at the forefront of doing what it can to prevent steroid use among its players.  The NFL began drug testing in 1987.  That’s part of the reason why it was able to avoid the problems that MLB has faced.  Baseball didn’t start drug testing until almost twenty years later.  Being proactive when a problem became apparent allowed the NFL to avoid much larger headaches further down the road.

Today, for the most part, steroids are much harder to get away with.  However, what’s likely replaced steroids as the go-to performance enhancer is HGH.  The problem with HGH is that the only viable way to test for it is to obtain a blood sample, and, up to this point, no American professional sports leagues have been willing to undertake such a process.  Not only is it expensive, but player unions have balked  at the idea of surrendering a blood sample.  For whatever reason, this seems more invasive than peeing in a cup.  However, once again it looks like the NFL will be the first ones to take steps to prevent HGH use among its players. (more…)