04.07.2007, 22:12
Zitat:Benoit doctor arrested; WWE hangs tough
World Wrestling Entertainment vowed to make "any improvements necessary" to its drug testing policy Monday, as the doctor of Chris Benoit was accused of providing the dead pro wrestler with massive amounts of steroids.
Federal prosecutors indicted Dr. Phil Astin of Carrollton, Ga., Monday on charges that he illegally dispensed painkillers, including Percocet, Xanax, Lorcet and Vicoprofen, to two patients between April 2004 and September 2005.
Police in Benoit's suburban Atlanta community say Benoit, 40, last month strangled his wife Nancy, 42, choked to death his son Daniel, 7, and finally hanged himself.
Although Benoit was not named in the indictment, U.S. Attorney David Nahmias said Benoit received a 10-month supply of steroids from Astin every three to four weeks during a period from May 2006 until May 2007.
According to a story published by TheSmokingGun.com, federal Drug Enforcement Agents identified Benoit as an "excessive purchaser of injectable steroids."
Although large quantities of prescription drugs, including steroids, were found in Benoit's home, WWE officials previously said Benoit tested negative for drugs in April and that it "is entirely wrong for speculators to suggest that steroids had anything to do" with the deaths.
In a statement to Newsday Monday, the WWE stood by its drug testing policy, saying it is "one of the most aggressive of its kind compared to testing programs initiated by competitive sports organizations, and is unique for an entertainment company."
However, the statement added that the WWE "will make any improvements necessary to maintain it as a state-of-the-art program to the utmost betterment of our performers, fans, and business partners. ... It was designed to send a very clear message that WWE finds the abuse of drugs and steroids to be unacceptable."
In an interview last week, Manhasset steroid expert Dr. Gary Wadler criticized WWE's drug testing policy as "woefully lacking." Among the problems cited by Wadler, who sits on the committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency: WWE allows for a higher threshold of testosterone in a person's system than in other sports before considering a steroid test "positive," and WWE gives wrestlers up to an hour's notice between notification of a test and its administering. Wadler also noted that WWE prohibits only "non-medical use" of banned drugs and allows wrestlers to provide a doctor's explanation for use, even after testing positive.
"It's sort of opening up a Pandora's box to define what 'non-medical use' is," Wadler said.
The WWE did not respond to specific criticisms of its drug testing policy.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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