AP: Courson Finds Few Ears For Steroid Story

Wednesday, April 27, 2005
By Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Looking up at dozens of empty black leather chairs and a lone lawmaker, former Steeler Steve Courson testified to Congress about his use of steroids and how that might have contributed to his heart disease.

As someone out of pro football for two decades, Courson said he couldn't address whether steroid use is prevalent today.

In a hearing that produced far less theater, attention and acrimony than last month's look at steroids in Major League Baseball, House lawmakers who are skeptical that professional leagues are doing enough moved forward today in their work toward a law setting drug-testing rules for major U.S. sports.

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue told the House Government Reform Committee that such legislation would be a mistake.

"When it comes to process and other considerations, including discipline, we can deal with our own sport better than a uniform standard, which in many cases can become the lowest common denominator," he said.

Worried that steroid use among pro athletes encourages youths to try the drugs, the committee is examining the testing policies of more than a half-dozen sports.

"How is the average American supposed to look at the size, strength and speed of today's NFL linebackers and not conclude that they might be taking performance-enhancing drugs?" asked committee chairman, Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va.

Said Tagliabue: "We don't feel that there is rampant cheating in our sport."

The proceedings were not as contentious as on March 17, when Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and other current and former baseball stars were compelled to appear and faced direct questions about whether they and other players used steroids. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, also a witness, was roundly criticized for his sport's policy, which lawmakers said was too lenient.

Today, the committee never heard an estimate of how widespread steroid use might be in the NFL, in part, perhaps, because they didn't have many players to ask.

Only two NFL players -- both retired -- were present. One was Hall of Famer Gene Upshaw, who retired from the game in 1982 and was invited because he is chief executive of the NFL Players Association.

The other was Courson, an offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1978-85. He was on a heart transplant list for four years but credited diet and exercise with reversing the condition.

In a hearing room where all but one congressman left because of a floor vote, he said steroid use in the NFL began in the 1960s and was prevalent in his day.

But asked by the committee's top Democrat, Rep. Henry Waxman of California, what percentage of pro football players use steroids today, Courson said: "That would be very hard for me to determine. I've been out of the game for 20 years."

Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., said if Congress was "serious about investigating steroid use among football players today," lawmakers should hear from current players.

Davis promised more hearings and said the NBA will be next.

The NFL began testing in 1987, added suspensions in 1989, and instituted year-round random testing in 1990. Fifty-four players have been suspended, and Tagliabue said an additional 57 retired after testing positive. A first offense carries a four-game ban.

On the eve of the hearing, the NFL announced it is tripling from two to six the number of random offseason tests that players can face. The league is also adding to its list of banned performance-enhancers.

"We would be naive to not be aware that there are people out there who are trying to stay ahead of the curve," Upshaw said. "As soon as we find out about something, we do something about it."

Lawmakers generally praised the NFL for its cooperation. More than one committee member said the hearing was a "breath of fresh air" compared to the session with Major League Baseball.
Still, lawmakers asked 10 witnesses whether the size of today's NFL players is evidence of steroid use. They criticized football's penalties as too lenient and asked whether amphetamines should be banned and when growth hormone will be tested for.

And they asked about a CBS report that a South Carolina doctor wrote steroid prescriptions in 2003 for three Carolina Panthers who played in that season's Super Bowl. Tagliabue said the league is investigating.

"The percentage of NFL players who test positive for steroids is very low," Waxman said. "Is this because the policy is working or is this because players have figured out how to avoid detection?"

He never got a direct answer.