Congressmen Back Up Mitchell’s Steroid Warnings, By: Jack Curry

January 31, 2007

Two weeks after George J. Mitchell warned baseball owners that Congress could become involved in his steroids investigation if he did not receive more cooperation from those within the sport, two congressmen offered their backing for Mitchell's efforts.

Skip to next paragraph In a letter that was sent to Mitchell, who is a former Senate majority leader, the congressmen reinforced the message that Mitchell delivered to the owners. The congressmen were the leaders of a House subcommittee that held hearings on steroids in May 2005.

"We sincerely hope that all relevant parties will work constructively to facilitate the completion of your investigation and your ongoing efforts to clean up the sport," wrote Bobby Rush, a Democrat from Illinois, who is the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, and Cliff Stearns, the ranking Republican from Florida. The letter was made public yesterday.

When Commissioner Bud Selig appointed Mitchell last March to head a commission that would investigate steroid use in baseball, Mitchell's greatest impediment was that he did not have subpoena power to compel players, executives, coaches, medical personnel and owners to speak. Unlike Congress, Mitchell could not require cooperation.

Months after the investigation started, Mitchell asked Selig to consider disciplining those who refused to be interviewed. Mitchell, who is also a former federal prosecutor, acknowledged last December that the investigation would take longer than he expected because of a lack of cooperation.

But by warning the owners that Congress could again get involved with baseball and steroids, Mitchell is trying to persuade more people within the sport to testify. If nothing else, Mitchell has now succeeded in getting a reaction from Congress.

"We appreciate your warning to team owners and concur with your recommendation for better cooperation with your independent investigation," Rush and Stearns wrote.

Stearns was responsible for proposing the Drug Free Sports Act in April 2005. The bill included a two-year suspension the first time a player failed a drug test and a lifetime expulsion for the second offense. In addition, leagues that did not abide by this act would have faced fines of at least $5 million.

In recent years, baseball has twice implemented harsher testing policies for performance-enhancing substances. They now call for a 50-game suspension for a first-time offender and a lifetime ban after the third offense. Baseball has also begun testing for amphetamines for the first time. Congressional leaders seemed satisfied, and stopped lobbying as fervently for the Drug Free Sports Act. But now Mitchell has weighed in. "Hopefully, similar legislative initiatives will remain unnecessary," Rush and Stearns wrote.