Congress done with Palmeiro, not with steroids

Published 12:00 am Friday, November 11, 2005

WASHINGTON (AP) &045; Congress is finished with Rafael Palmeiro. It’s clearly not done dealing with steroids though.

Now that the former Baltimore Orioles star has been told there isn’t enough evidence to pursue a perjury charge over his March testimony before the House Government Reform Committee, lawmakers examining performance-enhancing drug use in professional sports can focus on pursuing legislation to toughen testing and increase penalties.

&8220;Our purpose was never to try to ruin careers or do a ‘gotcha’ on Major League Baseball,&8221; Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., said Thursday after he issued a 44-page report on Palmeiro’s case. &8220;Our purpose was to try to dry steroid use up.&8221;

Email newsletter signup

His panel’s look at steroids &045; joined by at least three other committees in the House and Senate &045; began with a March 17 hearing. Palmeiro was subpoenaed to testify, as were Jose Canseco (whose book, &8220;Juiced,&8221; drew lawmakers’ attention to the issue), Mark McGwire and other current and former baseball players.

Commissioner Bud Selig, union head Donald Fehr and other baseball officials appeared too, soundly criticized for what lawmakers called a lax steroids policy.

In his opening statement, Palmeiro jabbed a finger in the air for emphasis and said: &8220;Let me start by telling you this: I have never used steroids. Period. I do not know how to say it any more clearly than that. Never.&8221; He also offered to participate in Davis’ Zero Tolerance Roundtable to address the problem of steroid use by young people.

About six weeks later, Palmeiro tested positive for stanozolol, and he was suspended for 10 days in August by baseball. One of only four players in the sport’s history with 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, he was by far the highest-profile player punished this season.

But because of the gap between his Capitol Hill appearance and drug test, &8220;We couldn’t find any evidence of steroid use prior to his testimony,&8221; Davis said.

&8220;That’s not a finding of innocence,&8221; the congressman added, &8220;but it’s a finding that we could not substantiate perjury.&8221;

Palmeiro issued a statement Thursday, saying in part, &8220;I am pleased that after a thorough investigation &045; one in which I cooperated fully &045; the committee has chosen to drop this matter.&8221;

The report raised questions about &8220;confusing and contradictory&8221; evidence. It also said the committee’s investigation turned up information that amphetamines &8220;may be a significant problem&8221; in baseball and that Palmeiro and another, unidentified player raised doubts about baseball’s drug-testing procedures.

Baseball executive vice president Rob Manfred said the sport acknowledged those criticisms and has taken steps to correct them, including a proposal to test for amphetamines that the union has said it was willing to accept.

&8220;The report identified previously unknown flaws in the league’s drug testing policy, and it found that baseball’s drug problems include amphetamines as well as steroids,&8221; said Rep. Henry Waxman of California, the committee’s ranking Democrat. &8220;Federal legislation may be needed to restore confidence in the integrity of the game.&8221;

A Senate bill sponsored by Sens. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., and John McCain, R-Ariz., is pending, and three bills have been introduced in the House, including one by Davis. He predicted passage in the Senate and House this year.

The Bunning-McCain legislation was put on hold by an unidentified senator this week, but Bunning expects it to move forward to a vote soon. It calls for a half-season suspension for a first steroid offense, a full season for a second, and a lifetime ban for a third.

&8220;We’re making progress on resolving the concerns of a few senators,&8221; Bunning, a member of baseball’s Hall of Fame, said in a statement his spokesman e-mailed to The Associated Press.

&8220;They are eager to resolve this quickly and not be seen as the protectors of athletes taking steroids that cheat the fans and most importantly and above all else harm our children. Because in the end, this is really all about protecting our kids who look up to these players as role models and try to emulate them.&8221;