Chipper not against HGH testing
Third baseman declares: 'I'm not on anything'.


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/26/08

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — Braves veteran Chipper Jones said he wouldn't object to players being required to take a blood test for HGH or other performance-enhancing drugs.

"I don't care," the third baseman said Tuesday. "I'm not on anything, so it doesn't bother me. The only people I would say who would object would be people afraid of needles, or who are on something."

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He added, "I'm sure the players association would have something to say about it."

Jones was asked about the issue three days after Yankees star Derek Jeter said in a radio interview that he wouldn't object to a blood test, since players already are required to have blood drawn for physicals during spring training.

"You're talking about individual guys coming out and saying they wouldn't mind," Jones said. "I'm sure if [players union head] Don Fehr sat us down and listed the pros and cons, and what the majority of players thought, it might be different."

Baseball's current drug program involves only urine tests, and blood testing would have to collectively bargained between the union and baseball owners. The current collective bargaining agreement runs through 2011.

Braves pitcher Tom Glavine, a former union representative, said he had objections to a blood test, in part because there's not a reliable test available to detect human growth hormone (HGH).

To help baseball get from under the cloud of drug suspicion that's stained the sport, it's been suggested that players agree to give a blood sample now and have it stored until a reliable test for HGH.

Drug experts have said a blood test to detect HGH could soon be available.

"I'm not going to say it's never going to change, but I see it as a very thorny issue right now," Glavine said. "There's too many potential problems, too many question marks.

"It's potentially opening up a big can of worms. There's the potential for so many problems with the way that it's handled, the way it's stored."

Glavine said he could envision a player's career being ruined by blood sample being tampered with by someone with a vendetta.

"On a personal level, it scares me to think of somebody having my blood and the potential to tamper with it down the road," Glavine said. "Your career could be ruined, and you wouldn't be able to do anything about it."

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