All-time Illini and Chicago Bears great Dick Butkus thinks HGH testing must begin immediately, as agreed by the NFL and Players Association in their collective bargaining agreement two years ago.
Here’s the statement Dick Butkus released:
“It is inexcusable to not have HGH testing in place for the 2013 season. If you care about the health and safety of players you should not play without first conducting HGH testing. Guys playing clean in the NFL are getting the short end of the stick. They are being put at risk and penalized for doing things the right way. Most importantly, young players at every level are watching and paying attention. They are waiting for the players to lead.”
Dick Butkus and his son Matt formed the I PLAY CLEAN program seven years ago to educate and encourage high school students to make the right choice of playing clean, rather than resorting to illegal and dangerous steroids and performance enhancing products.
Butkus applauds strict enforcement of tough professional standards about performance-enhancing drugs to send a strong signal to the next generation of athletes that the use of such substances will not be tolerated.
By the way, Dick Butkus will host a luncheon at the Illini Chicago Homecoming Sept. 12-14 prior to and around the Illinois-Washington college football game. at Soldier Field. On game day, Butkus will appear at the free Illini Fest tailgate and will participate in the coin toss at midfield.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, a Fox Sports affiliate. He is also an analyst for 95.7 The Fan, and writes on Chicago sports media for Chicago Now. President Obama follows his Twitter account (@PaulMBanks)