The NFL Players Association "tentatively agreed" to let the league take 40 blood samples for HGH tests each week during the season, with a positive result drawing a four-game suspension, according to a memo the union sent players. A copy of the NFLPAs email, written in a question-and-answer format, was obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press. The memo says "a computer program will randomly select" five players apiece from eight teams each week to take the blood tests. First, though, every player participating in NFL training camps this year will provide a blood sample and information about "height, weight, age, and race/ethnicity" for a "population study" to determine what level of HGH will result in penalties, the union wrote. The NFLPAs letter says that if more than 5 per cent of all training camp samples are above that threshold, players who fail will have "reasonable cause" testing during the next two seasons -- meaning theyll be subject to additional testing. A player testing positive again during the 2013-14 or 2014-15 seasons will get an eight-game suspension. A player without another positive result in that time will be removed from the extra testing program. Tuesdays email to players indicates the union has signed off on various aspects of the HGH program and says owners and players "will likely finalize soon" the in-season weekly testing. But the memo does not make clear what exactly the NFL has agreed to at this point or give specifics about what stands in the way of a final accord. No date has been set for the start of testing, because there are still issues that need to be negotiated between the NFL and union, including whether the commissioner or a neutral arbitrator will handle certain types of appeals of discipline. League spokesman Brian McCarthy declined to comment on any specifics in the NFLPA memo, writing in an email to the AP: "We do not have yet a comprehensive agreement for HGH testing." The league and the union originally paved the way for testing in the 10-year collective bargaining agreement they signed in August 2011, but two complete NFL seasons have come and gone -- and a third is right around the corner -- without a single HGH test being administered on a player. During the two years since, the sides have haggled over various elements, including details of the appeals process and the unions insistence on a population study to determine what is a naturally occurring amount of HGH in NFL players. HGH is a banned performance-enhancing drug that is hard to detect and has been linked to health problems such as diabetes, cardiac dysfunction and arthritis. In January, shortly before the Super Bowl, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Darrell Issa, a California Republican, and ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings of Maryland wrote NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith to chastise the union for standing in the way of HGH testing and to warn that lawmakers could ask players to testify on Capitol Hill. Late last year, that House committee held a hearing at which medical experts testified that HGH testing is reliable and that the unions request for a population study was unnecessary. But in March, a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a case involving a cross-country skier raised questions about the reliability of thresholds for HGH tests. Nike NFL Jerseys 2020 . The D-Backs came into being in 1998 and appear destined to finish second in the AL West after the Tsunami that is the Los Angeles Dodgers swept over them. 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In what is becoming an annual occurrence at MIS, Harvick pushed the tracks qualifying mark a little bit higher Friday, winning the pole for this weekends Sprint Cup race at 204.557 mph. Harvicks pole-winning speed was the fastest since Bill Elliott set the record of 212.809 mph at Talladega Superspeedway in April 1987. "This is one of those racetracks where youre running fast, but you really cant put it all in perspective, I guess, until you hit something," Harvick said. "Its so wide, its so fast and so smooth, but you dont really get that huge sensation of speed." Drivers have broken 200 mph with regularity at Michigan since the track was repaved before the 2012 season. Marcos Ambrose had a speed of 203.241 in 2012, the first time anyone won a pole at over 200 mph since Elliott did it before horsepower-sapping restrictor plates were introduced at Talladega and Daytona. Last August, Joey Logano increased the track record to 203.949. Harvick was even faster in winning his third pole of the year and ninth of his career. Points leader Jeff Gordon was second, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was third. The top three qualifiers for Sundays 400-mile race were all in Chevrolets. NASCAR overhauled its qualifying process before this season, switching to a knockout format similar to Formula One and IndyCar. NASCAR now uses three rounds of qualifying at tracks 1 1/4 miles in length or larger. The entire field has 25 minutes to post their fastest single lap and the top 24 advance to the second round. The second segment lasts 10 minutes, and the fastest 12 advance to a final, 5-minute round. "This format has obviously been good for me to kind of, I guess, creep up on it as you go through the sessions," Harvick said.dddddddddddd "A fast car really solves a lot of problems." Harvick is 12th in the Cup standings, with victories at Phoenix and Darlington. The latter win came from the pole. His impressive performance Friday raised more questions about whether these increased speeds are any cause for concern. "Michigans been fast for a long time. How fast is too fast?" Harvick said. "The cars will slow down a tremendous amount when we get them in race trim and you get them in a pack, and its going to be quite a bit hotter on Sunday. Theyll slow down. Qualifying speeds are high. Its just a matter of whose opinion is taken on whether its too fast or not." Brad Keselowski, the 2012 series champion, outlined a couple of the issues raised by the high speeds. "How do the speeds affect our ability to pass and put on a race that our fans enjoy?" said Keselowski, who qualified sixth. "If were able to go 300 miles an hour and race side by side, that doesnt really matter to me. Its just the ability to do that — to have great side-by-side racing. And at this point, with the way aerodynamics have kind of taken over motorsports, we havent shown that ability." Theres also the issue of safety. "Weve shown time after time that the takeoff speed on these cars is about 185-190 miles an hour," Keselowski said. "As you cross that 210-, 220-mile threshold — certainly, you lose some speed as the car spins out, but wed really prefer to not have to lose any speed before the cars turn into airplanes." ' ' '