But for a variety of other big stories, the biggest story in the NFL would be the efforts to keep players from getting artificially bigger.
After more than three years of negotiation, impasse, and other delays, the NFL and NFL Players Association have struck an agreement on HGH testing.
The Friday release from the NFL and NFLPA said that HGH testing, which will entail the drawing of blood from players, will commence by the end of September. Per multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, the more realistic target is early October, at the earliest.
Currently, there’s nothing further to negotiate. The deals are done and signed. Players will be subject to random testing, with the exception that no testing may occur on game days.
Positive tests will be appealed to an independent arbitrator jointly hired and compensated by the NFL and NFLPA. For a first offense, players will be suspended six games without pay.