Former WWE pro wrestler Andrew “Test” Martin was found dead at the age of 33 in his Tampa residence during a police welfare check on March 13, 2009. The cause of death has not been determined but foul play is not suspected. The Tampa Police Department has requested toxicology tests after discovering large amounts of prescription painkillers and anabolic steroids in his Post Harbour Place condominium. Martin was apparently notorious for his use of steroids and sometimes faced fans who chanted accusations of steroid use; Martin defended steroid use for cosmetic purposes as similar to Botox or a facelift. His WWE nickname “Test” is coincidentally slang for testosterone and his fans were affectionately called his Test-icles (”Friend Of ‘Test’ In Shock Over Pro Wrestler’s Death,” March 17).
Prescription drugs including painkillers and steroids were found in Martin’s home, Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said today.
“We’re awaiting the toxicology report to determine if any of those painkillers and steroids played a role in his death,” McElroy said.
“He was obviously very healthy. The mystery of his death will likely come out in his toxicology report.”
The tragic culture of professional wrestling that involves the use of anabolic steroids, prescription painkillers, muscle relaxants, and alcohol has seen numerous young stars die prematurely. The general public has rushed to identify anabolic steroids as responsible for the death of Andrew J. Martin. The predetermined conclusion that steroids were the culprit the death of Andrew “Test” Martin will undoubtedly persist regardless of the official and actual cause of death.
Representative Henry Waxman isolated anabolic steroids as “the” problem when calling a congressional investigation to examine the steroids in professional wrestling. The unfortunate consequence of such contemporary steroid hysteria is that, in the rush to blame anabolic steroids as the single cause of death, the most significant risk factors are predictably overlooked.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson admitted to using anabolic steroids in an interview with MTV Movies Editor Josh Horowitz. The former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar admitted using anabolic steroids along with his friends around the time he played collegiate football as a defensive tackle for the 1991 NCAA Division I-A national champion Miami Hurricanes. The admission of steroid use has almost become a rite of passage for athletes and entertainers with very muscular physiques during the contemporary era of steroid hysteria. The personable Johnson had fun with the admission in an entertaining discussion of steroid use with MTV News; the revelation of steroid use happened while promoting his latest Disney movie “Race to Witch Mountain” in the back of a New York City yellow cab (”Dwayne Johnson Admits To Steroid Use Years Ago,” March 12). Read more
John Cena was sickened by MLB player Alex Rodriguez’ admission that he used anabolic steroids according to a recent interview. The actor and rapper is employed by the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) which has experienced its share of steroid-related controversy including a recent Congressional investigation into steroid use in professional wrestling and the apparent widespread use of steroids in pro wrestling. Nonetheless, John Cena believes that steroid users should go to jail (”Cena works hard on his rags to riches story,” February 16).
What happened with Alex Rodriguez and the steroids revelations sickened him. He thinks if everyone really wants to get serious about cleaning up the game, “they should send the guys to jail.”
Cena is about as cut as they come, but he said he’s not steroid enhanced.
“I’m not only a guy who will say I’m clean, but I’ll beat my chest to the world that I’m clean,” he said. “I have very, very strong opinions on that.”
John Cena’s belief that individual steroid use should be criminalize is somewhat surprising since Cena appeared to share director Chris Bell’s disdain for the hypocrisy of steroid laws. Cena asked Bell about anabolic steroids when compared and contrasted with legal, acceptable drugs that are more addictive and harmful than steroids. Chris Bell, the director of the steroid documentary ‘Bigger Stronger Faster*’, offered an excellent response criticizing the demonization of steroids suggesting that society has “deemed steroids immoral simply because they are illegal.”
But any assumption that John Cena was on the same page as Chris Bell was clearly erroneous. Most people who have worked at Gold’s Gym Venice and have had the chance to interact with steroid users on a regular basis tend to be more critical of steroid laws that put otherwise law-abiding citizens in jail. But not John Cena.
Phillippe Astin, M.D., the family physician who prescribed anabolic steroids to Chris Benoit in the year prior to the Benoit double murder-suicide, is going to trial on March 16, 2009. Many will be surprised to learn that in the final 175-count federal indictment, there is not a single charge related to anabolic steroids. Press coverage demonized Dr. Phil Astin as the doctor who prescribed steroids to Chris Benoit. If steroids were to blame for the Benoit tragedy, the evil doctor who gave them to Benoit must also be held responsible.
Federal prosecutors, who initially felt the prescribing of steroids was a “major issue” in the Astin case, decided against steroid distribution charges in the revised indictment. Perhaps they concluded, upon the advice of the Georgia Chief Medical Examiner, that there was insufficient evidence to support the illegal prescribing of steroids. Instead, Phil Astin faces charges of distributing and dispensing approximately one million dosage units of painkillers and stimulants classified as controlled substances, including Percocet, Oxycontin, Demerol, Lorcet, Ritalin, Vicodin, Xanax, Klonipin, Methadone, Ritalin, Adderall, Dexedrine and Soma “for other than a legitimate medical purpose and not in the usual course of professional practice. “
The media chose to demonize anabolic steroids while (purposefully) ignoring the fact that the Benoit household was the recipient of almost 15,000 dosage units** of Lorcet, Soma and Xanax prescribed by the dubious Dr. Astin over a 30 month period. This would supply an average of 15 pills per day.
The media’s main storyline, consistent with the contemporary steroid hysteria, revolved around the scientifically unsupported belief that anabolic steroids caused “roid rage” which ultimately resulted in the tragic Benoit murder-suicide. The media was quick to find statements that they could incorporate into this storyline.
United States government investigators targeted World Wrestling Entertainment Chairman Vince McMahon in a contentious and adversarial meeting that appeared to be nothing more than a steroid witch-hunt; investigators asked very few factual questions during the three-hour interrogation at the Rayburn building. David J. Leviss, Senior Investigative Counsel for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, repeatedly asked McMahon for his lay opinion on the medical and pharmacological aspects of anabolic steroids.
After over two hours of dubious questioning failed to bear fruit, the House Government Reform Committee investigators attempted to salvage the interview with a last-ditch effort to implicate Vince McMahon as a user of anabolic steroids perhaps hoping they could trick him into perjuring himself. (Perjury has been a popular weapon used by federal investigators to pursue steroid users.)
The government investigators reconvened after a short break to ask McMahon about his own use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone. In what appear to be hastily arranged questions, Leviss inaccurately referenced events in the 1993 case of USA v. Vincent K. McMahon in which McMahon was acquitted of conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids to wrestlers. David J. Leviss, Senior Investigative Counsel, was promptly put in his place by Vince McMahon’s counsel Jerry S. McDevitt, Esq. Read more
WWE’s John Cena interviewed Christopher Bell, the director of the steroid documentary ‘Bigger Stronger Faster*’ about the hypocrisy of anabolic steroid laws. Cena asked about anabolic steroids when compared and contrasted with legal, acceptable drugs that are more addictive and harmful than steroids. Chris Bell offered an excellent response criticizing the demonization of steroids suggesting that society has “deemed steroids immoral simply because they are illegal” Read more
