SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A congressional committee intends to subpoena Major League Baseball and seven current or former players as early as today as part of its investigation into steroids.
Rebuffed by baseball and the majority of the players invited to testify in a March 17 hearing in Washington, the House Committee on Government Reform on Tuesday drafted and sent a subpoena to Rob Manfred, MLB executive vice president.
The subpoena, a copy of which was obtained by The Times, requested copies of documents in 11 areas, including results of drug testing since 2003 with names redacted, all drug testing policies for steroids or addictive drugs since 1970, copies of drug-testing proposals made by Major League Baseball to the Players' Assn. in 1994, and documents detailing the names, disciplinary action taken and reason for suspension for all drug-related violations since 1990.
The deadline for the seven players -- Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, Sammy Sosa, Frank Thomas, Rafael Palmeiro and Curt Schilling -- to notify the committee of their intentions was Tuesday. Canseco, whose book described rampant use of steroids and accused many of its stars of taking them, has accepted. Of the others, only Thomas has publicly said he would comply.
McGwire's representative, Marc Altieri, said Tuesday night that McGwire, through his attorney, had declined.
Those subpoenas, first reported by the Baltimore Sun, could go out today.
Stanley M. Brand, the attorney representing baseball and the players' union, Tuesday questioned the House committee's jurisdiction on several fronts in a five-page letter hand-delivered to committee Chairman Thomas M. Davis (R-Va.) and ranking member Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles). A copy of the letter was obtained by The Times.
Based on "constitutional and institutional interests," Brand declined the invitation of six of his players and Commissioner Bud Selig to testify at the hearing. Canseco was excepted. He advised the committee that Manfred and union chief Don Fehr would attend, but only to "address the current and prospective application of the industry's new drug testing policy."
On Tuesday night, the committee answered with a letter to Selig that stated it was "disappointed" with baseball's response, given the recent steroid "allegations have raised questions about the integrity of the game," and summarized baseball's failure to provide drug-related documents. Signed by Davis and Waxman, the letter concluded, "In light of these developments, we have issued a subpoena for these documents."
