Ex-Steeler who used steroids will testify at hearing
Former Steelers offensive lineman Steve Courson, who has said he used steroids during his NFL career, was added to the list of witnesses scheduled to testify at a U.S House hearing on the NFL's drug policy on April 27.
Courson, 49, is the author of "False Glory," a 1991 book about performance-enhancing substances, and testified in 1989 as an expert witness in U.S. Senate judiciary hearings investigating steroids in the NFL.
The U.S. House Government Reform Committee said in a news release that it also is scheduled to hear testimony from NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, NFL Executive Vice President of Labor Relations Harold Henderson and NFL Players Association Executive Director Gene Upshaw.
The hearing is part of the committee's inquiry into steroid use at all levels of athletics, from high school to the professional leagues. A high school football coach and several doctors who specialize in anabolic steroid research also are scheduled to attend, the committee said.
The government reform committee last month subpoenaed Major League Baseball players and executives to testify about steroid use. Among the current and former players at the hearings were Curt Schilling, Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco.
The NFL has banned steroids since 1993. The league's current drug policy calls for a four-game suspension without pay for a player who tests positive for steroid use. Seven players from each of the NFL's 32 teams are tested every week during the regular season and playoffs.
Courson, a member of two Steelers' Super Bowl-winning teams, has estimated that 65 to 95 percent of the NFL's top linemen used steroids when he played from 1978-85. He's now a personal trainer and professional speaker.
The House committee has also asked other sports bodies, such as the National Basketball Association, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer, to provide details on their steroid policies. It's not known when the other leagues might be called for hearings.
