Congress continues to hunt for WWE steroid records, By: John McMullen

August 2, 2007

The New York Daily News is reporting that a second congressional committee has requested World Wrestling Entertainment provide documents pertaining to the company’s steroid testing policy in wake of the Chris Benoit murder-suicide case.

The information was requested in a letter sent to the company’s chairman, Vince McMahon, by Rep. Bobby Rush, chairman of the House Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee, and Rep. Cliff Sterns, the panel’s ranking Republican.

WWE spokesperson Gary Davis confirmed to the newspaper that the company has received the request. "We are reviewing it and will respond accordingly." Davis told the publication.

Meanwhile, the embattled company’s CEO, Linda McMahon, did speak in vague terms about the company’s steroid policy during a conference call to discuss WWE’s second quarter earnings report.

"To be clear, our talent is a critical part of our success. Their health and well being is important to us, both personally and professionally, “ McMahon said. “We are committed to doing anything we can to help our performers lead healthy lives. This includes continuing our strong stance against the abuse of all drugs, including steroids. To serve this objective and to benefit the health of our talent, we implemented a Wellness Program in February 2006 which includes testing for steroids.

“We will work to maintain it as a state of the art program. We are grateful for our fans and business partners who understand that Chris Benoit's actions are not representative of the men and women who perform for the WWE. The continuing support of our fans and business partners is evident in our live event attendance and the sales of our consumer products, which have remained strong even in the face of this tragedy. Going forward, we remain steadfastly committed to insuring the health of our talent, as we pursue our mission of creating compelling characters and storylines. "

Monday’s RAW television program, the company’s flagship program only did a 2.5 rating., its lowest since 1997 and down nearly 40 percent in viewers since the Benoit tragedy.

Earlier, Rep. Henry Waxman, the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and one of the congressmen responsible for conducting steroid hearings into Major League Baseball, asked Vince McMahon to provide substantive records pertaining to the WWE's testing policies and practices.

"The tragic deaths of World Wrestling Entertainment star Chris Benoit and his family have raised questions about reports of widespread use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs by professional wrestlers," Waxman wrote in a three-page letter obtained by ESPN's Shaun Assael.

"These allegations -- which include first-hand reports of steroid use by prominent former wrestlers -- have swirled around the WWE for over a decade. Investigations by journalists have described a culture of performance-enhancing drug use in professional wrestling, high fatality rates among young professional wrestlers, and an inability or unwillingness of WWE to address these problems.

"WWE has a responsibility to do everything possible to eliminate the use of performance-enhancing drugs -- or the perception of such use -- by its wrestlers."

Interestingly, the WWE received that letter through the media which indicated too many that Waxman was grandstanding and simply looking for publicity.