Roger Goodell said earlier this week that the NFL will insist on testing for human growth hormone in the next labor deal. A prominent receiver said Tuesday the commissioner is a "joke" for the stance he's taking.
In his weekly appearance on "The Norris & Davis Show" on 105.7 FM in Baltimore, Ravens receiver Derrick Mason said Goodell needs to focus his attention on getting a deal done between the owners and players instead of talking about drug testing.
“” -- Derrick Mason
To me, he's a joke, because every time I look, he's talking about performance enhancements instead of talking about trying to figure out a way to make sure football is played in August.
"He needs to stop crying about blood tests and HGH. He needs to try to get a deal done, that's what he needs to do," Mason said. "He's been on this crusade about HGH, but he needs to be on a crusade about getting these owners together and trying to work out a deal. To me, he's a joke, because every time I look, he's talking about performance enhancements instead of talking about trying to figure out a way to make sure football is played in August."
When asked if he would call Goodell a "joke" to his face, Mason replied: "Yeah. He's a grown man and I'm a grown man."
Goodell made his comments about HGH testing on Monday when he joined Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat, to speak to area students at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County.
"I made it clear to the kids in the room today that the integrity of the NFL is critical, and we need to make sure we're doing everything possible to have the best drug program in sports," Goodell said. "Making changes to our program is critical and we have done that over the years. We need to do more, including the inclusion of HGH testing."
Preventing athletes from using HGH is a key target in the anti-doping movement. The substance is hard to detect, and athletes are believed to choose HGH for a variety of benefits, whether they be real or only perceived -- including increasing speed and improving vision.
HGH use is prohibited by the NFL, but the league's old collective bargaining agreement did not have testing for it. Goodell thinks players "recognize the importance of" adding HGH tests.
Mason said Wednesday that, if there is HGH testing in the next collective bargaining agreement, he doesn't want to have to submit to a blood test.
"Blood tests, I don't know. They've been crying about a blood test for [a while]. I think that's too intrusive. There's other ways and other methods, I think, to go about testing for it," he said.
The NFL Players Association has opposed blood tests in the past but did say last summer it would be open to hearing a proposal from the league during CBA talks. Goodell said Monday that HGH was "part of a broader proposal on where we go with our drug program."
CBA negotiations broke off March 11, and the old deal expired. The NFLPA said it would no longer function as a union, and a group of players filed a class-action antitrust lawsuit in federal court in Minnesota. The owners then locked out the players. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday on the players' request for a preliminary injunction to lift the lockout.
ESPN NFL Insider John Clayton explains what will happen during the NFL lockout case on Wednesday. Plus, Clayton says the distrust on both sides is bigger than ever.
More Podcasts »Some former NFL players also sued, and the cases were consolidated Monday.
Six current players, three former players and likely first-round pick Von Miller are scheduled to be at the hearing Wednesday. The nine current and former NFL players are: Vincent Jackson, Ben Leber, Brian Robison, Mike Vrabel, Jim McFarland, Cornelius Bennett, Tony Richardson, Charlie Batch, and Brian Waters.
The first work stoppage in the NFL since the 1987 strike -- and the first in any major U.S sports league since the NHL's lockout-lost 2004-05 season -- has developed into one of the all-time nasty disputes in sports. The players balked at more financial concessions when the owners wouldn't open their books, and the owners insist the decertification of the union is a sham cooked up only to apply leverage in the fight.
Now, they don't even agree on which laws apply to the case, with the owners arguing for labor law and the players preferring antitrust rules.
U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson isn't likely to rule on the injunction request Wednesday. She could side with the players and grant the injunction, putting pro football back in business. Or she could side with the owners and either deny the injunction or wait to decide until the National Labor Relations Board rules on the league's contention that decertification was an improper bargaining ploy.
The winner would have fresh leverage whenever talks on a new collective bargaining agreement resume. Of course, whatever Nelson decides will almost surely be appealed.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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