Congressional Steroid Hearings News (Updated)

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The U.S. House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform has issued a statement on the Mitchell Report that shook up Major League Baseball today:

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Steroid Use in Sports

Waxman and Davis Joint Statement on Mitchell Report

Following the release of the Mitchell report, Chairman Henry A. Waxman and Ranking Minority Member Tom Davis released the following statement:

“This is a sad day for Major League Baseball but a good day for integrity in sports. It’s an important step towards the goal of eliminating the use of performance enhancing substances.

“The Mitchell report is sobering. It shows the use of steroids and human growth hormone has been and is a significant problem in Major League Baseball. And it shows that everyone involved in Major League Baseball bears some responsibility for this scandal.

“We are going to ask Senator George Mitchell, Commissioner Bud Selig, and the President of the Major League Players Association, Don Fehr, to testify at a House Oversight and Government Reform hearing on Tuesday, December 18. We look forward to their testimony on whether the Mitchell report’s recommendations will be adopted and whether additional measures are needed.

“We want to commend Commissioner Selig for authorizing this investigation and thank Senator Mitchell for his dedication to this effort.

(12.16.07 – NOTE: The hearing has been rescheduled for January 15.)

This committee is the same one that held the (in)famous hearings on steroids in baseball that featured Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmiero, Sammy Sosa, etc., and one of the committees that requested info on drug testing from WWE and other pro wrestling organizations following the Chris Benoit family tragedy this summer.

According to WrestlingObserver.com, the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection — which also asked pro wrestling organizations for drug-related info this summer — will hold a hearing on January 23, 2008, on steroid use in professional sports. Chairman Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) has said that pro wrestling will be part of the investigation, second only to baseball.

Related Articles
07.05.07 – Pulse Wrestling Digest: The Benoit Family Tragedy (as of July 5)
07.27.07 – U.S. Congress Asks WWE for Drug Info (and my thoughts)
08.02.07 – More on Congress & WWE
08.09.07 – Details on Congressional Letter to WWE
08.15.07 – Congress Requests Info From TNA and NWA
08.22.07 – News Update on TNA Drug Testing
08.30.07 – WWE Suspends 10 Superstars, Will Start Naming Names (plus links to WWE responses to Congress)
09.03.07 – Vince is Supposedly Looking Forward to Congressional Hearings
10.04.07 – Congress Asks Wrestlers to Testify
11.18.07 – U.S. Congress to Hold Steroids Hearings

Matthew Michaels is editor emeritus of Pulse Wrestling, and has been since the site launched.