House eyes steroid use; Waldrop to testify

Alex Waldrop, the chief executive officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, is scheduled to testify on Feb. 28 in Washington, D.C., in front of a federal committee investigating the use of steroids in sports.

Waldrop is one of 14 witnesses that the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection has called to the hearing. The heads of all four major sporting leagues in the country and their player representatives will also testify.

The NTRA has warned the racing industry that the sport's position on anabolic steroids would draw the scrutiny of federal legislators because of the investigations in other sports. Nearly all U.S. racing states allow for the unregulated use of anabolic steroids, though many states are planning to implement rules that would prohibit the administration of all but four commonly used anabolics by the end of 2008.

According to a statement, Rep. Bobby Rush, the chairman of the committee, plans to introduce legislation on steroid use in sports sometime this year.