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Another House hearing focuses on steroids
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- With Congress and Major League Baseball embroiled in a fight over steroids, the chairman of a House panel said Thursday that all major U.S. sports leagues should work toward a single testing plan.
[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]“[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]The time has come to put an end to this mess and reclaim sports as competition.[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif] ”[/font][font=Times,serif]— [/font][font=Times,serif]Joe Barton, R-Texas[/font]
"Our elite athletic organizations, both professional and amateur, should establish uniform, world-class, drug-testing standards that are as consistent and robust as our criminal laws in this area," said Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla. "Nothing less should be tolerated."
Stearns' comments came at the opening of a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee he chairs. Labor lawyers from Major League Baseball and the National Football League were to testify later.
The panel also was scheduled to hear from Donald Hooton of Plano, Texas, whose son was a steroid user and committed suicide, and Dr. Ralph Hale, chairman of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which oversees drug testing for Olympic sports.
Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman, Joe Barton, R-Texas, said this could be the first of a series of hearings on the issue and that at some point subpoenas might be issued for commissioners of the major sports leagues.
"The time has come to put an end to this mess and reclaim sports as competition," he said.
Barton said use of performance-enhancing drugs is tainting sports and its stars, noting that as San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds pursues the career home run record there are questions about whether he has been aided by steroids.
"With Babe Ruth, people didn't worry about him taking steroids. They worried about him eating another hot dog," Barton said.
Another House panel issued subpoenas Wednesday calling for Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and five other baseball stars to testify at a March 17 hearing. The House Government Reform Committee also demanded a variety of documents and records of baseball's drug tests.
[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Baseball balked at the subpoenas. Stanley Brand, a lawyer for the commissioner's office, said the committee had no jurisdiction, was trying to violate baseball's first amendment privacy rights, and was attempting to "satisfy their prurient interest into who may and may not have engaged in this activity."[/font]
The move came less than two months after baseball and its players hailed a new, get-tough policy on banned substances and just a week after testing began at spring training.
Baseball balked at the subpoenas. Stanley Brand, a lawyer for the commissioner's office, said the committee had no jurisdiction, was trying to violate baseball's first amendment privacy rights, and was attempting to "satisfy their prurient interest into who may and may not have engaged in this activity."
Reacting to Brand's comments, committee spokesman David Marin said: "Mr. Brand has his facts wrong. He failed to recognize that House rules give this committee the authority to investigate any matter at any time, and we are authorized to request or compel testimony and document production related to any investigation. It's a shame that Major League Baseball has resorted to hiding behind 'legalese' -- and inaccurate 'legalese' at that."
The other players subpoenaed to appear next week were Jose Canseco -- who recently published a book outlining allegations of steroid use by McGwire and others -- Jason Giambi, Curt Schilling, Rafael Palmeiro and Frank Thomas. Also called were players' association head Donald Fehr, baseball executive vice presidents Rob Manfred and Sandy Alderson, and San Diego Padres general manager Kevin Towers.
Canseco, Fehr and Manfred have agreed to testify, with Manfred appearing on behalf of commissioner Bud Selig. Before the subpoenas were issued, Brand told the committee the other players were declining invitations to appear.
It wasn't immediately clear whether the hearing will take place as scheduled.
Under pressure from Congress and under the shadow of a grand jury investigation into an alleged steroid-distribution ring, Major League Baseball and its players' association agreed in January to a tougher steroid-testing program. The agreement will suspend first-time offenders for 10 days and randomly test players year-round.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2009595
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- With Congress and Major League Baseball embroiled in a fight over steroids, the chairman of a House panel said Thursday that all major U.S. sports leagues should work toward a single testing plan.
[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]“[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]The time has come to put an end to this mess and reclaim sports as competition.[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif] ”[/font][font=Times,serif]— [/font][font=Times,serif]Joe Barton, R-Texas[/font]
"Our elite athletic organizations, both professional and amateur, should establish uniform, world-class, drug-testing standards that are as consistent and robust as our criminal laws in this area," said Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla. "Nothing less should be tolerated."
Stearns' comments came at the opening of a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee he chairs. Labor lawyers from Major League Baseball and the National Football League were to testify later.
The panel also was scheduled to hear from Donald Hooton of Plano, Texas, whose son was a steroid user and committed suicide, and Dr. Ralph Hale, chairman of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which oversees drug testing for Olympic sports.
Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman, Joe Barton, R-Texas, said this could be the first of a series of hearings on the issue and that at some point subpoenas might be issued for commissioners of the major sports leagues.
"The time has come to put an end to this mess and reclaim sports as competition," he said.
Barton said use of performance-enhancing drugs is tainting sports and its stars, noting that as San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds pursues the career home run record there are questions about whether he has been aided by steroids.
"With Babe Ruth, people didn't worry about him taking steroids. They worried about him eating another hot dog," Barton said.
Another House panel issued subpoenas Wednesday calling for Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and five other baseball stars to testify at a March 17 hearing. The House Government Reform Committee also demanded a variety of documents and records of baseball's drug tests.
[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Baseball balked at the subpoenas. Stanley Brand, a lawyer for the commissioner's office, said the committee had no jurisdiction, was trying to violate baseball's first amendment privacy rights, and was attempting to "satisfy their prurient interest into who may and may not have engaged in this activity."[/font]
The move came less than two months after baseball and its players hailed a new, get-tough policy on banned substances and just a week after testing began at spring training.
Baseball balked at the subpoenas. Stanley Brand, a lawyer for the commissioner's office, said the committee had no jurisdiction, was trying to violate baseball's first amendment privacy rights, and was attempting to "satisfy their prurient interest into who may and may not have engaged in this activity."
Reacting to Brand's comments, committee spokesman David Marin said: "Mr. Brand has his facts wrong. He failed to recognize that House rules give this committee the authority to investigate any matter at any time, and we are authorized to request or compel testimony and document production related to any investigation. It's a shame that Major League Baseball has resorted to hiding behind 'legalese' -- and inaccurate 'legalese' at that."
The other players subpoenaed to appear next week were Jose Canseco -- who recently published a book outlining allegations of steroid use by McGwire and others -- Jason Giambi, Curt Schilling, Rafael Palmeiro and Frank Thomas. Also called were players' association head Donald Fehr, baseball executive vice presidents Rob Manfred and Sandy Alderson, and San Diego Padres general manager Kevin Towers.
Canseco, Fehr and Manfred have agreed to testify, with Manfred appearing on behalf of commissioner Bud Selig. Before the subpoenas were issued, Brand told the committee the other players were declining invitations to appear.
It wasn't immediately clear whether the hearing will take place as scheduled.
Under pressure from Congress and under the shadow of a grand jury investigation into an alleged steroid-distribution ring, Major League Baseball and its players' association agreed in January to a tougher steroid-testing program. The agreement will suspend first-time offenders for 10 days and randomly test players year-round.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2009595