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Congressional Hearing
 

On March 17, 2005 a congressional hearing was held to discuss the involvement of professional athletes, with many famous athletes, retired and current, invited to discuss personal involvement and experience. Representative Thomas M. David, the committee chairman, opened the hearing at 10 a.m. saying, “I think they misjudged the seriousness of our purpose.” He went on to say: “I think they misjudged the will of the American public. I think they mistakenly believed we got into this on a whim. We did not. We gave this serious, serious consideration and we have decided that it's time to break the code of silence that has been enveloped the game” (ESPN). The commissioner spoke of a silence that was in the game, which is unbelievable. Managers and other coaches should have stressed the importance of playing the game fair. Some people think that even that Bud Selig knew of the abuse but chose to ignore (ESPN). During the hearing, former player Mark McGwire agreed that “there has been a problem with steroid use in baseball.” When the committee asked questions of his involvement he replied by saying, “I’m not here to discuss the past,” or “I’m here to be positive about this subject.” Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, and Curt Shilling also gave statements. Some of the players were more candid than others and it made suspicion more prevalent for the players who would neither deny nor admit to their use.