The Piledriver Report 2.06.06: The History of Vince McMahon’s Wrestling Empire: Part Fourteen

Posted by Ronny Sarnecky on 02.06.2006

This edition of “The Piledriver Report’s” History of the WWF/E takes a look at the closing arguments and the verdict in the Vince McMahon steroid trial.

On July 20th, the closing arguments in the case began. The prosecutor, Terry O'Shea painted the picture of Titan Sports being a "dark, corrupt business that uses dangerous drugs to increase their profits, they provided drugs to their biggest superstar, all the while they were hiding behind Dr. Zahorian. He said that the WWF now blames Anita Scales and Emily Feinberg. He said that they turned a blind eye to what Zahorian was doing, and then blamed everyone, except for themselves. O'Shea said "We're not talking about the paltry profit Zahorian made, we're talking about the millions of profits they made. Don't let them say they got no money from Zahorian's drug sales." O'Shea said that Vince told Emily to give the drugs to Hulk Hogan. However, the law states that drugs can only be distributed in a "doctor/patient relationship for the treatment of a disease." O'Shea pointed out that Vince McMahon was not a doctor, and Hulk Hogan didn't have a disease. He called Vince a "corporate drug pusher." O'Shea said that some of the wrestlers probably wanted to the drugs, and that every user has an excuse on why he is using. However, "that doesn't mean it's right to distribute the drugs to them." He said that the argument that it was the wrestlers' choice to use steroids didn't mean much. He reasoned that the wrestlers did it because they "wanted more money, and a job." O'Shea pointed out that Pat Patterson knew about the steroid distribution in 1985. He said that Arnold Skaaland and "Chief" Jay Strongbow also knew about Dr. Zahorian's actions as they purchased steroids for their sons to use. O'Shea mentioned the Jack Lanza told Tom Zenk, "Do you need cash? The doctor is here. The doctor has anything you want." Anita Scales found out that Dr. Zahorian was trouble. However, she was told to still use him. Jay Strongbow mentioned to her that "the boys need their candies." O'Shea asked the jury, "when was the last time your doctor sent you a pound of drugs?" He reminded the court that Patterson was uncomfortable on the stand. He mentioned that Patterson never said words like "gas" or "juice," but during Feinberg's testimony, she said Patterson used those terms about "20 times" to her. O'Shea argued that the defense's rationalization that "if they (Titan Sports) didn't use Zahorian, the wrestlers would get their drugs from the black market" was a week argument. O'Shea said that Vince should have told Dr. Zahorian to "stop his dealings, get out of here, and don't come back." O'Shea reminded the court that Dr. Walder mentioned that "Zahorian was a drug dealer in a white coat." He mentioned that drug addicts don't get better. He said that they keep using drugs. O'Shea said that Dr. Zahorian admitted that he was wrong in doing what he did. He was a star-crossed fan, and the WWF knew it, and used it. The wrestlers decided what drugs they would purchase, and how large a quantity. O'Shea said that the doctor was at 50 wrestling events where he distributed steroids to the wrestlers, and also sent them shipments via Federal Express. O'Shea said that Patterson was instructed by Zahorian to call him back on a pay phone. He mentioned that is the action of a drug dealer who didn't want to get caught by the police. He said that the memo showed that Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, and Pat Patterson were all involved. He said that the memo proved Vince tried to cover up their involvement, and that Linda told Patterson to warn Dr. Zahorian about the investigation on him. In the memo, it stated that Patterson and Linda McMahon decided to keep Dr. Zahorian before the investigation started. O'Shea said that the memo proves that it was illegal, because of the line in the document that read "illegal drugs, including steroids." He told the court that "six weeks before sending the memo the WWF tried to get untraceable laundered checks to get these drugs to their top stars." He claimed that the defense wanted you to believe that Emily Feinberg was the real drug deal. However, he did state that the WWF's memo proves that they knew they were guilty. O'Shea told the court that Scales and Sharkey were just concerned employees. He said they "got in the way of a conspiracy, and that the defense is trying to portray them as liars." O'Shea said that Titan Sports can't blame the state athletic commission for Dr. Zahorian, because the WWF continued to use the doctor even after the commission shut down. He mentioned that Emily Feinberg told the court about 6-7 steroid distributions that she made to Hulk Hogan. Hogan later confirmed this as correct, and then stated that it could have been as many as 10 shipments. He concluded by stating, "It's a corporation of drug pushers trying to blame the little guys. This hugely successful money machine mixed up chemical cocktails to get wrestlers pumped up and keep them going. It's shameful and it's illegal."

The defense was next to close out their case. Laura Brevetti was the first of Titan's attorneys to speak. She told the court that the prosecution had no case, and they just used Hulk Hogan "to breath life into their dead case." Brevetti took a shot at the media. She said that "they singled out Hogan for using steroids." She told the jury "The government is asking you to deduce too much from what they've presented." She said that the government is looking for someone to take the fall, and they chose Vince McMahon because "nobody respects professional wrestling or wrestlers." She called the investigation "all sizzle, but no steak." She said that the government should have been able to provide "more specific dates, conversation, and clearer credible recollections." She reminded the court that Zahorian lied under oath. She asked the court if they were willing to send Vince to jail based on the testimony of a perjurer. She pointed out that Randy Cullley (Moondog Rex), Tom Zenk, Rick Rude, Tully Blanchard, the Warlord, the Ultimate Warrior, and Nailz all used steroids before and after working for the World Wrestling Federation. She also said that Randy Culley was the only wrestler who admitted to purchasing steroids from Zahorian. She mentioned that the wrestlers had other places where they were able to get their steroid supplies from. She said that the government didn't care about where the wrestlers got their steroids. She also noted that the government doesn't care about the current wrestlers who are using. Brevetti said that "it was hypocritical that men like Tom Zenk and Rick Rude walked out of the court room as free men while admitting under oath they recently used steroids while McMahon was on trial. She said that Rude admitted to steroid use, but claimed the government wasn't interested in where he got his steroids from. She reminded the court that we only found out about Rude's on and off steroid use for body building purposes, and to help his joints. She told the jury that Rude was on steroids when he went to the Grand Jury, and he told the government that he was. Brevetti said that "Tom Zenk is the type of individual that would take steroids out of a garbage can and use them." She claimed that Zahorian never bought steroids from Zahorian. She said that he called Linda McMahon at 2:30 in the morning. She said that he walked out on his WWF contract, and is now suing the company. She said that Vince never told Tom Zenk to use steroids. She said that Zenk talked about the steroid use in World Championship Wrestling, and that nobody was interested in that. She then brought up how unfair it was that Tom Zenk admitted in court that he used steroids three weeks that he purchased in a gym, yet he is allowed to leave a free man and wrestle in Japan for $10,000.00. Meanwhile, Vince McMahon had to stand on trial. She mentioned that Randy Culley currently had a lawsuit against Titan Sports. She mentioned that Szopinski was convicted on steroid charges. She noted that as part of his probation he is supposed to be drug tested. She told the court that it's been a year, and he still hasn't been tested. She also brought up that the government never asked him who sold him steroids. Brevetti totally dismissed the testimony of Tully Blanchard. She showed the court Nailz' outfit, so the jury could see that the jumpsuit covered up his muscles. In regards to Nailz, she asked "What do you say about a man who will come to a court room and lie." She mentioned that there was a suit/countersuit going on with Nailz and Vince McMahon. She questioned Nailz's testimony. Asking why would Vince tell him to use steroids in 1992, while Vince was in the middle of getting bad publicity. She also mentioned that during his deposition in his lawsuit against McMahon, Nailz never mentioned that Vince told him to use steroids. Brevetti talked about how both Hulk Hogan and Jim Hellwig testified that Vince never told them to use steroids. Neither believed that Vince and Dr. Zahorian were conspiring either. Brevetti told the court that steroids were easy to get in most gyms, and that steroid use was common in other wrestling promotions. She said that Hulk Hogan was the WWF' biggest star, and that the government used he to try to prove their case. However, when he testified in court, it proved nothing. She told the court that since Hogan used the word "rigs" to describe "needles," and not "steroids," that Emily Feinberg's testimony shouldn't hold merit.

She said that Feinberg went to the government right after she received her last Titan Sports paycheck. Brevetti claimed that Feinberg was an actress, and that she was acting while on the stand. She said that Feinberg testified against Vince McMahon, because she could no longer earn a paycheck from Titan Sports. Brevetti said that Emily knew about the steroids being given to Jim Stuart for delivery to Hogan. Brevetti said that in Feinberg's Grand Jury testimony, she stated that she sent steroids to Hogan on three different occasions. However, in her trial testimony, she mentioned it was 6-7 times. Brevetti said that Feinberg said that the drugs were sent by Jim Stuart to the local arena. However, when she found out that there were no local arena shows around that date, she then mentioned sending the packages via Federal Express service. Brevetti said that Dr. Zahorian told someone in the Pennsylvania state athletic commission that he was distributing steroids to wrestlers. However, the commission still allowed him to be the physician at the WWF's events. She said that no commissioner ever reported his steroid distribution business. In the first Grand Jury testimony, Brevetti said that Zahorian couldn't remember a conversation that he had with Vince McMahon. However, when John Minton ("Big" John Studd) remembered the conversation, the government planted a story in Zahorian's head. There were three different version of the same conversation in three different testimonies. Brevetti then closed by saying that John Minton also had a pending lawsuit against Vince McMahon.

McMahon's other attorney, Jerry McDevitt, was the next lawyer to close the case. McDevitt started by saying that the "hypocracy of the case was violating the law before 1988 because all of the agencies that were supposed to regulate steroid distribution weren't doing their job. He implied that "Dr Walder didn't know anything about steroids." He tried to reason that since the FDA didn't do anything to regulate steroids, so they couldn't be defrauded. McDevitt said that steroids were used to make athletes bigger and stronger. In regards to O'Shea's closing arguments, McDevitt said, " When you have no evidence, you use empty rhetoric. Everything you've learned in this trial about FDA regulatory aspects of steroids is because we (the defense) tried to tell you the truth." He mentioned that the only cover up in the case was the fact that the government was covering up the fact that they had no case. He mentioned that Vince might have had one little conversation about steroids with Dr. Zahorian. When talking about Anita Scales, McDevitt said "We know Anita as part of corporate life. We understand Anita. The facts are nobody told her to hire George Zahorian." He continued that she talked to Patterson about hiring Zahorian during one conversation. He said that there was no proof of another such conversation. McDevitt mentioned that Anita never said that she received an order to hire Zahorian. McDevitt tried to prove that Anita was a liar when he talked about her having a conversation with Zahorian because Sharkey said she had the conversation. In regards to Anita's conversation with Linda McMahon, he said "You saw her (Anita Scales), you can draw your own conclusions if you can be confused talking to Anita. He said that in the end, Titan Sports never hired Dr. Zahorian after the change in the law. McDevitt accused Sharkey being told what to say in her testimony by Scales when they were talking while Jim Hellwig was on the stand. McDevitt said that there were no "untraceable" checks, because the checks were traced and entered into evidence. McDevitt mentioned that "the method of payment doesn't change the legality because McMahon wanted things discreet." McDevitt mentioned that Zahorian said that he told Pat Patterson destroy the records. Patterson has denied this, and the memo never mentioned that anyone should destroy any records. He continued by telling the court that Emily's only shredded just on cover letter. McDevitt said, "As a cover up, this was a lousy cover up. Emily Feinberg destroyed nothing. Every single piece of evidence is sitting there. McDevitt said that Zahorian was assigned to the WWF's, matches by the state of Pennsylvania's athletic commission. He reminded the court that Zahorian admitted that he distributed steroids without the WWF's involvement, and that he was not encouraged by anyone in Titan Sports to distribute steroids to their wrestlers. He admitted that Jay Strongbow and Arnold Skaaland bought steroids for their sons, neither of whom were wrestlers. Dr. Zahorian admitted that nobody told the doctor to sell steroids to wrestlers, and that he talked to Emily Feinberg about payment. He mentioned that Hogan placed orders, and that Dr. Zahorian did not know that Vince McMahon gave steroids to Hulk Hogan. Jerry McDevitt concluded, "This conspiracy idea is trying to create a crime when there wasn't one. They (prosecution) have the burden of proof. They didn't prove it. They didn't come close."

Terry O'Shea finished the closing arguments of the trial. He stated, "These points demand an answer. Some are an outrage. Some of what they've said about the government is an outrage! You're talking about corporate drug dealing." O'Shea mentioned that the memo is the only piece of evidence that is needed to garner a guilty verdict. O'Shea said that the defense was blaming everyone else for something that they did. He said that the defense was blaming the prosecution for putting Hulk Hogan on the stand, and creating a media circus. He defended the move by saying, "We didn't sell Terry Bollea, eat your vitamins kids, when they were pumping him full of steroids. He (Vince McMahon) told Emily Feinberg to distribute drugs to Hulk Hogan. He ordered Doug Sages to get him cash for drugs. He laundered checks. He told Emily to destroy steroid correspondences." He continued, "McDevitt tried to throw smoke up in the air to divert you from the evidence." O'Shea mentioned that "They (Titan Sports) sue someone and then they say that person has a grudge. They say it (the investigation) took too long and it's old. It takes a long time to uncover these things. What is Anita Scales' grudge? What is Emily Feinberg's? Anita and Marge Sharkey are two regular folks. McDevitt tried to tell you they're liars. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. How do we know there aren't more documents." O'Shea reminded the jury that Emily Feinberg talked about 6-7 different distributions, whereas Hulk Hogan mentioned there were probably about ten. However, the government was only able to uncover two transactions. O'Shea continued, "They talk about bias of witnesses. What about Terry Bollea? He said McMahon was one of his best friends. He said they gave him steroids up to ten times." O'Shea mentioned that steroid usage is still going on in the WWF, as Szopinski told them that in August 1993. O'Shea said that "Just because others are violating the law, if you are violating the law, that doesn't make you innocent. Rick Rude is a user, not a pusher. Vince McMahon is the pusher." In regards to future prosecution against World Championship Wrestling, O'Shea said, "If we get any evidence of WCW supplying its wrestlers with steroids, we'll be on them like white on rice. They (WWF) don't like it because we got them and the evidence has them. Now, they want us to go after users. Anybody, but them. O'Shea countered the defense's claim that the prosecution doesn't respect professional wrestlers by saying, "You know who doesn't have any respect for wrestling? It's the defendant, Vincent McMahon. He treated his wrestlers like cattle. He was happy his champion, Jim Hellwig, was using steroids. He was only mad that he got caught. They said Hogan was our star witness. We had to immunize him to get the truth from him. We never tried to create hysteria. They (steroids) were illegal then. They're illegal now. They say roid rage doesn't exist. What's Emily Feinberg's grudge? They say she's an actress. She left the company. Now, you can't leave the company. What's Anita Scales and Marge Sharkey's grudge? Where's their lawsuit? What's Doug Sages' grudge when he squirmed around before admitting he got a bucket full of cash for McMahon and Hogan? What boggles the mind is they say everyone is out to get them. Emily Feinberg came here from a government subpoena. She did as she was told. She didn't distribute on her own. But they tried to put it on her. McMahon gave her the drugs that Bollea picked up. Why is she corroborated up and down by Sages? How is Sages telling the truth and Emily Feinberg is lying when they said the same thing? They didn't just agree break the law. They broke the law. All their tricks didn't help them. They beat up on Emily Feinberg but she was corroborated by Sages on one side, and corroborated by Bollea. She got a grudge, but was corroborated on both ends. When they distributed drugs they broke the law. We're picking on them but you heard other doctors that have gone to jail. If we set them up, did we also write the memo? Why didn't we frame them tighter? If you've found out the doctor is giving out drugs, you say ‘get out, and don't come back.' Vince McMahon said come back. They said come back. When people called Zahorian sleazy and used terms like setting up shop, you don't need to be a doctor to say something wrong was going on. There's a disease that can't be cured. All of the wrestlers suffer from it. And nobody ever gets better. This case isn't about the FDA. That's another smoke screen to create confusion. They say Anita is a liar. No motive, she's a liar. Another excuse, they (drug companies) made too many drugs. It doesn't matter if others are guilty, it matters if they are guilty. They blame the FDA. They say the system was at fault. Listen to the law. They say, ‘please don't look at what we did or you'll convict us.' We all know in our daily life that you can't distribute drugs. When they say that there's no proof, that's a laugh. Which side took sentences out of context to confuse the issue? Dr. Zahorian was never hired, but he was authorized back then to distribute drugs. You can't hide behind a doctor's white coat. You can't obstruct or impede an investigation. If you violate the law, you're guilty. I ask based on the evidence to find the defendants guilty."

With that, the jury was taken away from the courtroom to try and reach a verdict. At 4pm Eastern Standard Time, on July 22nd, 1994, Vince McMahon was found not guilty in the eyes of the twelve jurors in the case. Vince McMahon escaped having to serve any time in jail. The biggest crisis in his life was finally over. It would now be back to the business of running a sports entertainment company for Vince McMahon Jr.

Sources that were used for this article include "The Wrestling Observer" newsletter.