The talk of steroid use has moved from sports to the entertainment industry. Some people would wonder why those in show business are being asked for comment on a subject that has more popularity in the field of bodybuilding and athletics. But then consider the fact that there have been several athletes that have crossed over from professional sports to showbiz. Dwayne Johnson is one of them and proves that in reality there is no delineation between sports and showbiz when you talk about steroids.

In an interview with MTV, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson admits to have used steroids when he was playing in college football for the Miami Hurricanes. His reason was not to enhance his performance but out of curiosity. From college football he became World Wrestling Entertainment’s biggest stars.

From MTV.com:

That was around the time that Johnson was a defensive lineman for the University of Miami Hurricanes, where he was part of the 1991 National Championship team. After a short stint in the Canadian Football League, Johnson gave pro wrestling a go, and eventually became one of World Wrestling Entertainment’s biggest stars.The WWE has experienced numerous steroid scandals, from the suspension of 10 wrestlers for drug-policy violations in 2007 to the suspected steroid-related deaths of stars Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit.

“It’s not as prevalent today in our sports as it was 10 years ago,” Johnson said. “But we have to recognize that a culture was created where it was OK to do that, and a lot of team managers, owners, players who didn’t do it would turn the other cheek. We recognize that, and now we have to institute stronger penalties, which we are doing.”

Johnson further laments that there are still a lot of athletes attracted to steroids despite the sanctions and the attention that media was giving them. He says that it is important to teach children the value of hard work and the dangers involving the use of performance enhancing drugs.

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Tags: Benoit, Dwayne Johnson, Guerrero, Miami Hurricanes, steroids, The Rock, World Wrestling Entertainment

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Linda McMahon is not only Vince McMahon’s wife. She is the CEO of the World Wrestling Entertainment, and she had also been called for questioning by the  U. S. Congress with regards to rampant anabolic steroid use in professional wrestling. Linda McMahon’s interview was far more useful than the highly criticized Vince McMahon testimonial. In fact, Linda gave a very interesting comment about Ted Turner, one of America’s most prominent businessmen.

From AOL Sports:

“(W)e had put into place a pretty significant drug policy which he refused to put into place,” Linda McMahon told the investigators, “so (Turner) had a lot of opportunity with some of our top stars, Hulk Hogan being one of them who went with him at that time.”

Later, an investigator asked, “Do you think their lack of drug policy had anything to do with talent moving to WCW?

McMahon answered, “I think it could have, yes.”

Obviously, gone are the days when the then-WWF strongly showed their support for steroid testing policies. From what Linda McMahon pointed out, Turner didn’t openly promote the use of steroids in order to gain more wrestlers. He just kept a blind eye on wrestlers using steroids. It’s no wonder that Turner was able to lure a lot of individuals into joining professional wrestling in the mid-90s. It wasn’t just the smell of money that attracted them; it was the opportunity to get away with steroid use in a profession where you’re looked upon as the next action hero.

Maybe the congress didn’t waste its time getting Linda McMahon’s testimonial, but the question really is: Why didn’t they get one from Ted Turner himself? With such an obvious lead Linda had given then, it makes you question the committee’s efforts in getting behind the steroid action in the world of wrestling.

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Tags: Add new tag, Linda McMahon, Performance enhancing drugs, steroid testing, steroids, Ted Turner, Vince McMahon, World Wrestling Entertainment, wrestling, wwe

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“Mad Dog” Mike Bell, brother of Chris Bell, writer/director of the highly acclaimed steroid documentary Bigger, Stronger, Faster*, dies at 37. The cause of death is yet undetermined as results of a toxicology report are still pending, according to Poughkeepsie Journal.

Mike was a former pro wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment and Extreme Championships Wrestling. He was also a football captain at Arlington and also played at the University of Cincinnati on scholarship.

Mike and the whole Bell family – brothers Mark and Chris, and parents Rosemary and Sheldon – were featured in the steroid documentary which tackled anabolic steroid use within the family as well as in American sports.  The film world premiered in January at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and garnered great reviews.

It was through the film that the public had come to know of Mad Dog’s problems with recreational drugs and alcohol. Prior to his death, he had attempted to stay sober according to Chris. Mike had been living at a sober community in Orange County, Calif., at the time of his death.

“He had decided it was time to clean up his act,” Chris Bell said. “He was 60 days clean and sober and that was a first for him. For our family, it was a big accomplishment for him.”

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Tags: anabolic steroids, “Bigger, “Mad Dog, Chris Bell, Extreme Championship Wrestling, Faster*”, Mark Bell, Mike Bell, steroid documentary, Stronger, World Wrestling Entertainment, wrestling

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