Vince McMahon Absent at Congress Hearing

The recent focus of Congress has been on Roger Clemens, his trainer, dirty syringes and performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball. But WWE fans will remember that several months ago Congress had requested WWE to hand over all sorts of records, which they did along with a letter from the WWE's attorney. The investigation launched after the tragic incidents surrounding Chris Benoit, and the double murder-suicide in 2007. Wednesday there was a Congressional hearing held on steroids in sports, and Vince McMahon, although he was invited as a witness, was glaringly absent.

According to Newsday.com:

Newsday first reported last week that McMahon was the only witness to decline the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection's invitation to testify. WWE officials told Newsday last week that they notified the subcommittee in January that McMahon would not be able to attend because his attorney is involved in a lengthy criminal trial in Pittsburgh. They never heard from Congress again, they said.

The explanation was not good enough for subcommittee chairman Bobby Rush, who said he was "exceptionally and extremely disappointed" in McMahon's absence.

"Steroid abuse in pro wrestling is probably worse than in any professional sport or amateur sport. And while I recognize that professional wrestling is not actually a sport, it certainly requires a great deal of athletic talent," Rush said before the hearing. "I want to insure Mr. McMahon that this subcommittee fully intends to deal with the illegal steroid abuse in professional wrestling."

McMahon's attorney, Jerry McDevitt, has said that McMahon's inability to appear was not meant as a slight on Congress, and noted that McMahon, his wife and WWE CEO Linda, and his daughter, executive vice president Stephanie McMahon, have been interviewed by Congressional investigators and turned over some 3,000 pages of documents regarding their drug policy to them.(SOURCE)

According to the Newsday report, Representative Lee Terry, a Republican from Nebraska has accused Vince of "flipping his finger" at Congress with his failure to appear. Vince has told Congress in a statement that he is fully willing to cooperate with any further inquiries of Congress.