Outside the Beltway

McCain on Steroids

James Joyner · Wednesday, March 10, 2004 · 2 comments

ESPN.com: Senator threatens MLB with steroid legislation

Sen. John McCain gave Major League Baseball a choice Wednesday: come up with a comprehensive drug testing plan or Congress will act.

“Your failure to commit to addressing this issue straight on and immediately will motivate this committee to search for legislative remedies,” McCain, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, told players’ union chief Donald Fehr.

“I don’t know what they [the remedies] are. But I can tell you, and the players you represent, the status quo is not acceptable. And we will have to act in some way unless the major league players union acts in the affirmative and rapid fashion,” the senator said.

While I agree with McCain that steroid testing is desirable, I disagree strongly that this is a proper issue for the federal government. Indeed, a law that required players to submit to steroid testing would be a rather clear violation of their 4th Amendment right against unreasonable searches and their 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination.

In a related story on the same page,

Are you a teenager who has used steroids? If so, Outside The Lines wants to hear from you.

Note that it is Outside the Lines that wants to hear from you, not Outside the Beltway. This is especially true if you’re on steroids and have an intense desire to see Britney Spears “nacked” and/or want to copulate with her.