NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has responded to a letter he and NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith received from two congressmen calling for the NFL to adopt a "thorough testing program for HGH." Goodell said in his reply that testing for HGH "is a critical element of an effective and credible drug testing program" and the league is insisting on "immediate implementation of HGH testing" in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. The NFL and NFLPA also discussed the policy before the union decertified March 11 and league owners imposed a lockout March 12.