AP Story On Congress Asking WWE For Drug Policy Information

Wrestler’s Death Draws Lawmakers’ Query Committee Asks WWE for Drug Policy Information Following Wrestler’s Death

WASHINGTON (AP) — The murder-suicide deaths of wrestler Chris Benoit and his family led a House committee Friday to ask World Wrestling Entertainment to turn over any information it has on steroid and drug abuse in pro wrestling.

The deaths “have raised questions about reports of widespread use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs by professional wrestlers,” a letter released by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said.

The committee’s leaders, chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and ranking Republican Tom Davis of Virginia, want a response by Aug. 24.

“The media has provided us with a copy of a letter from the Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,” WWE officials said Friday. “We are reviewing this letter and will respond accordingly.”

Benoit killed his wife, Nancy, and 7-year-old son, Daniel, placed Bibles next to their bodies and then hanged himself on the cable of a weight machine, authorities said. The three were found dead in their Atlanta-area home June 25.

After the slayings, prescription anabolic steroids were found in the family’s home, raising questions about whether the drugs played a role in the killings.

Congress has been investigating steroid use in sports for years.