Cliff Stearns: “like many of my colleagues, I'm a big sports fan. I have had the opportunity to play sports in high school and in an…”

“like many of my colleagues, I'm a big sports fan. I have had the opportunity to play sports in high school and in an industrial league. I played it in the Boys Club back in 90-pound football. And I think, like most of us, we understand that the vast majority of stars today were a testament to true hard work. They were determined to succeed and often times under difficult situations. Their performances, victories, records and careers seemed to capture the straightforwardness of honesty, hard work and integrity that is based upon the heart of sports today, at least in the past, the ideal that sports allow success based upon merit, whether it be on the court, the field or the track. Unfortunately, Madam Speaker, the scourge of steroids and performance-enhancing drugs is not simply a footnote in the history of sports in America. Steroid use goes much deeper, to the basic integrity of sports and all of athletics. At the most fundamental level, steroid use is just plain cheating. And furthermore, it is illegal. Steroids are classified as a Schedule III controlled substance under the Controlled Substance Act. Those caught in illegal possession of steroids without a prescription face arrest and prosecution. Dealers face a Federal felony charge and up to 5 years in prison. Furthermore, steroid use involves significant health risks for all athletes who use them.”