Jan 27, 2013, Honolulu, HI, USA; General view of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) taking the snap on the Pro Bowl logo in the 2013 Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

In the newly formed Collective Bargaining Agreement, or CBA, the NFL and Players Union agreed to testing for Human Growth Hormone, or commonly known as HGH.  Fast forward 18 months, and two NFL seasons, and not one player has been tested for HGH.  With Major League Baseball already mandating testing, the pressure is now on for the NFL and the Players Union to get the ball rolling.  Although we hear terms like HGH, what exactly is HGH? Why is it a banned substance? Why is there so much delay in testing?  Looking deeper into this issue and unfolding more information, poses the question, why does it seem both groups afraid of HGH testing?

Understanding what HGH is might help us understand these other issues.  HGH is a very complicated hormone that simply put is anabolic, or builds tissue.  HGH cannot penetrate fat so it connects tissue instead, causing it to grow, or in some cases causes the tissue to heal more rapidly.  HGH seems like a wonder drug and very well might be, but not a lot is known about it and is only prescribed in very rare instances where children are having difficulty growing to a normal adult size.  If it does cause the tissue to heal more rapidly and gets the athlete back on the field more quickly, why is it banned?