Zero Tolerance Roundtable Final Meeting
Representatives from Professional, College, and High School Athletics Among Those to Again Discuss Eradicating Steroid Use

August 28, 2006

What: House Government Reform Committee Zero Tolerance Roundtable --Media Welcome

When: Wednesday, August 30, 2006, 11 a.m.

Where: Room 2154, Rayburn House Office Building

Background:

Zero Tolerance was created at the Government Reform Committee's March 17, 2005, hearing "Restoring Faith in America's Pastime: Evaluating Major League Baseball's Efforts to Eradicate Steroid Use," to gather information, foster discussion, and provide recommendations on how to address the growing problem of steroid abuse by youth.

This week's final meeting will feature participant consideration and approval of recommendations from the Roundtable's three subcommittees (Enforcement, Education, and Testing).

On May 23, 2005, House Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-VA) joined Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling and a cross-section of representatives from the four major U.S. sports leagues, the medical community, and youth sports in a conference call to set the stage for Zero Tolerance, which was formed to address the growing problem of youth steroid abuse.

Participants in that call including representatives from Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League, and representatives from the labor unions of all four sports discussed public education campaigns and other strategies to curtail illegal steroid use among young people. Since then, Zero Tolerance and its subcommittees have met formally and informally several times to discuss the recommendations to be released this week.

As many as 1 million high school students nearly triple the number from 10 years earlier have tried steroids, according to a 2003 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other studies have detailed steroid use by even younger children, with new reports focusing on the use of steroids by young girls as a way of improving their body image.

"The purpose of this meeting is to put forward our recommendations for improving the fight against steroid use among youths," Chairman Davis said. "We came here a little over one year ago from varied backgrounds but with a common goal in mind. The mission, as laid out in our first meeting, was to gather information, foster discussion, and provide recommendations on how to address the growing problem of steroid abuse by young athletes. I believe that when you read the recommendations, you will see that we have met that mission. All of the participants were willing to take time out of their busy schedules to sit down and talk about how we can make this campaign against steroid use more effective. These recommendations reflect the time and effort put into the process."

Participants at the Final Roundtable Meeting will Include:

Subcommittee on Enforcement
1. Adolpho Birch (National Football League)
2. Marty Gold (National Football League)
3. Ben Zelenko (National Football League Players Association)
4. Barnaby Harkins (National Basketball Association)
5. Josh Alkin (Major League Baseball)
6. Peter Sirh (Major League Baseball Players Association)
7. Phil Hochberg (National Hockey League)
8. Kathy Behrens (National Basketball Association) via teleconference

Subcommittee on Education
1. Mary Wilfert (National Collegiate Athletic Association)
2. Dan Wexler (National Federation of State High School Associations)
3. Marcia Lee Taylor (The Partnership for a Drug Free America)
4. Fernando Montes (Taylor Hooton Foundation)
5. Curt Schilling (Boston Red Sox) via teleconference
6. Bobby Barnes (Buckeye Union High School) via teleconference

Subcommittee on Testing
1. Dr. Gary Wadler (New York University School of Medicine)
2. Dr. Cindy Miner and Geoffrey Laredo (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
3. Dr. Larry Bowers (United States Anti-Doping Agency)
4. Dr. Bertha Madras (Office of National Drug Control Policy)
5. Mr. Frank Uryasz (National Center for Drug Free Sport) via teleconference
6. Dr. Charles Yesalis (Penn State University) via teleconference

Chairman Davis will also be announcing a new request to the Government Accountability Office to gather up-to-date data on the number of young people using steroids today.