Mark McGwire's Message: Cheat, Do Drugs, Cover Up When Congress Investigates, Says Ex-White House Drug Spokesman Bob Weiner; World Series Should Test Both Teams During Games

Mark McGwire's Message: Cheat, Do Drugs, Cover Up When Congress Investigates,
Says Ex-White House Drug Spokesman Bob Weiner; World Series Should Test Both
Teams During Games

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The St. Louis Cardinals' new
hire of former home run king/admitted steroid abuser Mark McGwire as hitting
coach sends a message to all baseball and young people of "CHEAT, DO DRUGS,
COVER UP WHEN CONGRESS INVESTIGATES," former White House drug policy spokesman
Bob Weiner said today.

Weiner continued, "What will he tell batters? Grab the drugs? When McGwire
used Andro (Androstenedione), now banned, he hit his record 70 home runs.
After publicly ending his andro use, his home run total dropped from 70 to 30,
he soon left baseball, and he dropped 80 pounds. McGwire is a horrendous role
model -- the Cardinals even kept him away from the news conference announcing
his appointment by Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt and Manager Tony La Russa. Yet
Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig stated, 'I'm delighted (to have)
Mark back.'"

Weiner asserted, "The Selig, La Russa, and De Witt actions and statements
raise questions about MLB's commitment once again...and remind us they need to
more thoroughly test the current crop of players, especially the ones who are
still in the game (including Derek Jeter) who have credible allegations of
past steroid abuse."

"BASEBALL SHOULD TEST ALL THE PLAYERS IN THE CURRENT WORLD SERIES, JUST AS THE
INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE TESTS FINALISTS AT THE OLYMPICS IN ALL
EVENTS," Weiner stated. Weiner advocated and assisted in the creation of the
World and US Anti-Doping Agencies, which test Olympic and other sports, when
he worked at the White House Drug Policy Office. Weiner stated that "the
Olympics, and in particular track and field, are the Cadillac of drug testing
and accountability. No one, star or not, escapes the microscope and
sanctions."

Weiner pointed out that when McGwire testified before Congress in March 2005,
when asked if he had used steroids, he said, "I'm not going to talk about the
past." Since then, his partner in home run record-setting, Sammy Sosa, also
has been implicated in steroid abuse, with ESPN and the Chicago Tribune among
other media reporting that he tested positive in 2003.

Weiner concluded, "Some people think it's funny, irrelevant, or even
entertaining to see the drugged-up behemoths smashing homers. The problem
beyond cheating is that people are getting sick, dying, and even committing
suicide from illnesses related to steroids -- 'roid rage,' depression, and
physical ailments including cancer and diabetes. Between a half million and a
million youth use steroids a year. Youth steroid abuse quintupled when
McGwire broke Roger Maris' home run record and admitted using steroids."

Contact: Bob Weiner/Rebecca VanderLinde 301-283-0821 / 202-306-1200

SOURCE Robert Weiner Associates

Bob Weiner or Rebecca VanderLinde of Robert Weiner Associates,
+1-301-283-0821, +1-202-306-1200