FanHouse ChrisBenoit

Back in 2007, WWE superstar Chris Benoit murdered his wife and son before taking his own life. In the aftermath, many have blamed excessive steroid abuse by Benoit as having an integral role, despite the fact that it couldn't really be proven that was the cause.

Regardless, the fact that Benoit's Doctor had prescribed him and many others illegal steroids has landed said Doctor in hot water. That's putting it mildly, actually. Dr. Phil Astin, 54, pleaded guilty to 175 counts -- including distribution of illegal drugs to his clients. In return, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

When the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform decided to look into steroid and illegal drug use in pro wrestling, three members of the McMahon family were called to testify. We've already addressed the testimony of WWE head Vince McMahon and his wife Linda McMahon, but the appearance before the committee of daughter Stephanie McMahon Levesque may have been the most interesting.

A doctor accused of prescribing steroids to wrestler Chris Benoit was indicted on 175 federal counts of illegal prescription abuse, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The doctor, Phil Astin, was already indicted once, almost a year ago, on seven counts of overprescribing to two people other than Benoit. Now he's charged with 175 counts related to 17 more patients.

Although the new indictment includes other drugs prescribed to other patients, make no mistake: This is all part of the government's crackdown on steroids. The Astin case matters to federal prosecutors because they want to show that they're tough on people who distribute performance-enhancing drugs.

Benoit, a WWE star, killed his wife, his son and himself last year, and some have suggested that his steroid use could have played a part in his actions.

The March issue of Hustler Magazine magazine will feature nude photos of Nancy Benoit, who was murdered last year by her husband, professional wrestler Chris Benoit, who then killed their son and himself.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Thrash denied a request for a temporary restraining order against publication brought by Nancy Benoit's mother. The pictures were taken 25 years ago, when Nancy was a 19-year-old aspiring model. It is not clear how Hustler acquired the photos; Nancy's first husband, who was present when the photos were taken, testified that he had been told all copies were destroyed.

From a First Amendment perspective, this is obviously the right legal decision. As Hustler publisher Larry Flynt has demonstrated many times, the First Amendment is there to protect free speech and free press for everyone, including publishers of content that the vast majority of Americans would find tasteless.

But it's mostly just sad, to think of the 19-year-old Nancy envisioning herself living as a famous model some day. Instead her lasting fame comes from the way she died.

WWE hottie Candice Michelle took a nasty spill off the top rope and landed face-first on the canvas in a match against Beth Phoenix on Raw Monday night, and the incident is raising renewed questions about whether WWE cares enough about its employees' safety. This is the official WWE.com video:



The Chris Benoit murder-suicide led to an increased round of criticism of the pro wrestling business and the impact that steroids have on the entertainers' lives outside the ring. But safety inside the ring is also a problem with pro wrestling.

Michelle will only be out six to eight weeks with a broken collarbone, but Pulse Wrestling argues that she could have been injured much more seriously, and that WWE puts wrestlers in the ring who just don't have the athletic talent necessary to do what's asked of them.

That certainly seems to be the case here: Michelle, who appeared in Playboy in 2006, has appeal to many fans regardless of whatever athleticism she may display.
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UPDATE: See video of the aftermath, as Michelle is carried off on a stretcher, only to choke when she tries to get a drink of water.

There was actually a time, not all that long ago, when the organizers and promoters of pro wrestling claimed with a straight face that the matches weren't staged and that pro wrestling was a legitimate sport.

Eventually the WWE and other organizations admitted that it was all scripted, in large part to avoid the regulations that many states put on sporting events.

Now the state of Georgia is considering going back to regulating pro wrestling as a sport, in part because of talk that steroid use or concussions suffered in the wrestling ring may have contributed in some way to pro wrestler Chris Benoit killing his wife, his son and himself in his Georgia home. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

"I'm going to fight like a dog to make sure that exemption is pulled from the law," [a lawyer for Benoit's father] said Tuesday. "I want to make sure we have a way to protect folks in Georgia from the shenanigans of the WWE."

Should state lawmakers opt to rescind the exemption, WWE wrestlers could be subject to drug testing and other regulations just like performers from other sports that compete in Georgia.

"When you look at all the health issues of professional wrestlers and how many of them have died, it's clear they've been abused," Ichter said.

The WWE resists the move and thinks Benoit's father is motivated by an attempt to get money from the WWE in a lawsuit.

Could brain damage explain why professional wrestler Chris Benoit killed his wife, his son and himself? Yes, according to some researchers.

The analysis by doctors affiliated with the Sports Legacy Institute suggests repeated concussions could have contributed to the killings at Benoit's suburban Atlanta home.

The wrestler's father, Michael Benoit, told reporters Wednesday that he knows his son had concussions because his son told him so. But he also said he knows of no medical records or records kept by the wrestling league to support the diagnosis.

Steroid use also has lingered as a theory behind the killings, since anabolic steroids were found in Chris Benoit's home and tests conducted by authorities showed Benoit had roughly 10 times the normal level of testosterone in his system when he died.

It would be a gross oversimplification to blame the Benoit murder-suicide on steroids, and it would be a gross oversimplification to blame it on concussions Benoit suffered in the ring. And it's important to distinguish between making excuses for what Benoit did and trying to find an explanation for why he did it.

But no one should see this report as an excuse. It should instead serve as a wakeup call that the long-term effects of brain damage in wrestling, boxing, football and other sports have consequences that we don't fully understand, and consequences that we need to study more thoroughly.

Just yesterday we presented the news that Congress was planning a hearing to investigate the prevalence of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in professional wrestling. Now, SI.com is reporting that 14 wrestlers have been tied to a steroids/HGH pipeline. Their list of wrestlers implicated in the scandal includes Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, Shane Helms, Randy Orton, John Hennigan, Ken Anderson, Shoichi Funaki, Brian Adams, Charles Haas, Edward Fatu, Darren Matthews, Adam Copeland, and Sylvain Grenier.

As a response, the WWE recently suspended 10 wrestlers for violating the company's drug policy. MJD quite humorously pointed out the euphemism employed by the WWE to describe the suspensions as violations of the company's "wellness policy." Right, and I'm a professional sportswriter. It's good to see the WWE taking some action towards suppressing the use of illegal drugs in the sport, which has ultimately proved to be quite dangerous. It makes you wonder though, will the product suffer as a result?
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Current MLB commissioner Bud Selig and former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue have been through it before, and it now it appears as if the WWE will have its steroids policy under investigation by congress. According to the New York Daily News, the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection will hold its hearing late next month as a response to the premature death of wrestler Chris Benoit.

"I am extremely concerned about the possible illegal and destructive practices by professional entertainment athletes that negatively influence the younger generation," said Rep. Bobby Rush, the Illinois Democrat who is the chairman of the committee. "We must make sure that today's wrestling sports heroes are not using illegal performance-enhancing drugs that, unfortunately, can and have led to their untimely deaths."

A congressional source told the Daily News that the panel has not yet compiled witness lists, and it is still not clear who will be asked to appear at the late-September hearing. Rush's subcommittee sent a letter to the WWE on July 31 requesting information about the wrestling federation's drug-testing policies. Similar letters were sent to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance on Aug. 13.

Heavens! If they start testing for steroids and performance-enhancers in professional wrestling, what will we be left with? Nobody will believe someone as skinny as the 1-2-3 Kid can actually win a wrestling match, wil they? It's all about the spectacle in the sport, and this will be a huge blow. Then again, if it will help save some lives, I can't say I'm opposed to it, though MJD makes a good argument for being unfazed by performance-enhancers.
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I would like to think that if we could find anything remotely positive to say about the murder-suicide of Chris Benoit, his wife and their son, it's that Benoit's fortune will be set aside for his other two children (from a previous marriage) and that those two kids will be well taken care of.

But that might not be the case.

Lawyers for Benoit's mother-in-law, Maureen Toffoloni, filed a petition last week asking a court to determine the order of the deaths, which could affect whether she gets any of the estate.

Neither Benoit nor his wife left a will, so the death order could mean the difference in whether Toffoloni or Benoit's children from a previous marriage inherit the two homes, several bank and investment accounts and other assets estimated to be worth millions.

Toffoloni is grieving the loss of her daughter, and that's understandable, but one certainly hopes there can be some outcome to this other than a protracted legal battle over the Benoit fortune.

The photo shows the makeshift memorial created by fans outside the Benoit home.