KELLER: Why WWE is correct that their steroid press release is being misconstrued

July 4, 2007

Vince McMahon and Jerry McDevitt have tried saying they didn't say something they said. They've both looked ridiculous in the process. But they, in fact, are right. Sort of.

Here's the deal. When both Merideth Vierra last Thursday and Dan Abrams last night read from WWE's press release, Vince McMahon said "I didn't say that" and Jerry McDevitt said it was being "misconstrued." It seems absurd to say something wasn't said when it was written in their press release and the reporters were simply reading from the press release, but McMahon and McDevitt are right: The top of the press release provides important context that the reporters were overlooking:

The WWE press release said: "During the press conference, the investigating authorities made the following points, all of which run contrary to the media speculation that 'roid rage' was a factor in the senseless murders and suicide:"

From there, they listed five points. The second was (remember the context is that the investigating authorities said this, not that WWE is asserting this themselves): "Steroids were not, and could not, be related to the cause of death."

That was part of a list of things authorities said, such as all drugs found in the house were believed to be legal prescriptions, toxicology reports hadn't been completed yet, physical findings indicate deliberation and not rage, etc.

So, WWE should feel frustrated that reporters are seeing "steroids were not and could not be related to the death" as their words. They weren't presented as their words, they were presented as what authorities were saying.

It was just a poorly-worded, hastily written, ill-advised press release, but WWE has gotten a bad rap for it so far. I'm actually surprised McMahon and McDevitt didn't do a better job clearing that up. It was just me rereading it that caused me to "get" their defense by seeing the language in the context they intended. They should have written in the press release. "2. Authorities also said steroids were not and could not be related to the accuse of death." They didn't write that. They left off "authorities also said." It was confusing, to be sure, as worded.

Now, that said, I watched the press conference in its entirety, and I would disagree with some the conclusions WWE says in its press release were made by authorities. The idea that authorities ruled out roid rage because there were three deaths over two or three days is stretching it. While they said asphyxiation was the cause of death, what caused Benoit to asphyxiate his wife and son could have been due to roid rage (more likely his wife than his son, of course). Authorities didn't rule it out by any means. WWE's wording was too strong in a self-serving way that made them look too eager to dismiss steroids as a contributing factor in Benoit's actions.

Also, from a pure presentation format, if the five points they listed (they were numbered one through five) were supposedly WWE recapping assertions by the authorities, the fifth point wasn't even close to fitting that description. The fifth point was:

"5. WWE strongly suggests that it is entirely wrong for speculators to suggest that steroids had anything to do with these senseless acts, especially when the authorities plainly stated there is no evidence that Benoit had steroids in his body, pending the toxicological reports, and that they had no evidence at this time as to the motive for these acts."

If WWE wants to know why the media has been confused by their press release this past week, that's part of the reason why. Item five begins with "WWE strongly suggests that it is..." so by the time anyone is done reading the press release, the concept that the five points began as merely a recap of assertions made by the local authorities is lost because WWE itself strayed from that format by the end of a relatively short press release.

That statement was too important to rush through without several people, including some who know how to communicate to everyday people. Maybe a journalist instead of a lawyer. (Hey, I have undergraduate college degrees in both journalism and pre-law, so I speak from experience about those two worlds of communication.)

That press release has caused WWE a lot of headaches this week. Wording matters. Clarity matters.

Even if WWE had been clear, there's still the impression given that they wanted to quickly rule out steroids as a contributing cause. They should have seemed to care about wanting to find out the truth, not quickly rule out a possible truth that they didn't want to face up to. WWE has a bad habit of showing their cards at times. Appearing to sincerely want to get to the truth should override their frustration with the media and their eager desire to preserve business-as-usual for their world.

In fact, instead of pretending they want to get to the truth, it's easier to just really want to get to the truth and then act consistent with that goal. The truth is, Benoit may have been on steroids that weekend. He may have killed his wife in a rage brought on by a combination of factors fueled in part by steroids. That can't be ruled out. Finding out if Benoit was on steroids should have been a more prominent goal of WWE than asserting authorities said there was no way steroids could have contributed to it - knowing Benoit's house was full of them and nobody was going to buy the idea he wasn't on them without proof beyond a two-months-ago questionable WWE drug test.