Pubdate: Mon, 24 Apr 2000
Source: Press & Sun Bulletin (NY)
Copyright: 2000 Press & Sun Bulletin
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Author: L. Anne Newell - Associated Press

LIBOUS: GIVE PRO WRESTLERS DRUG TESTS

ALBANY - State Sen. Thomas W. Libous, R-Binghamton, is recommending
mandatory drug testing for professional wrestlers competing in New
York, saying it's not a jab at the simulated violence but a way to
protect children trying to emulate their heroes.

"Almost all other major professional sports have adopted similar
requirements for legal participation," Libous said.

Drug testing as part of the state's licensing requirements would show
fans the wrestlers are drug-free, plus it would improve the level of
competition and protect the wrestlers' health, he said.

World Wrestling Federation officials say it's a plan that hits below
the belt.

"We are performers. We are showmen. He'd be drug testing everyone on
Broadway. He'd be drug testing the circus," said WWF Entertainment
chairman Vince McMahon. "If in fact he's trying to single us out, that
is unconstitutional."

Wrestlers seeking licenses to compete in New York already must give
references, divulge any criminal history and submit to a pre-match
physical.

Libous' proposal would take that a step further by adding the drug
tests and punishment for wrestlers who fail them.

Wrestlers who tested positive for illegal drugs one time would be
prohibited from wrestling in the state for 24 hours under the
proposal. A second positive test would strip them of the license for a
year and fine their sponsors $25,000. A third would mean a permanent
ban from New York competition and a $100,000 fine for the sponsors.

Alan Sharp, a spokesman for the Atlanta-based World Championship
Wrestling said he could not comment on the proposal without having
seen it. But Sharp and McMahon said WCW and WWF wrestlers undergo
pre-employment drug tests, and the WCW randomly tests its employees.
The WWF said it reserves the right to test anyone who exhibits signs
of drug use. 
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