Owners Vote to End Joint Drug Accord

Major league owners, frustrated at their inability to come to terms with the players’ association on a drug-testing program, voted Tuesday to end baseball’s 18-month-old joint drug agreement.

Barry Rona, chief counsel to the owners’ Player Relations Committee, told the owners that talks with the players’ union had produced little progress.

“It is extremely unfortunate for all baseball that we were unable to reach a testing agreement with the association,” Rona said in a prepared statement.

Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth said that he would not comment on the owners’ action and that he would not discuss the drug issue until after the World Series.

Last month, Ueberroth sent letters to major league baseball players, asking them to voluntarily submit to three drug tests next season. Ueberroth was accused of circumventing the union by Donald Fehr, executive director of the players’ group.

The joint drug agreement had provided for a review board of three doctors in cases where a club suspected a player of having a drug problem. The agreement also included a clause allowing either side to end the agreement at any time.

Gene Orza, general counsel for the major league players organization, had no immediate comment when told of the owners’ decision.

Fehr, in a telephone interview with the Associated Press from his New York home, said the termination by the owners “has the appearance of a predetermined decision because there have been, in fact, no negotiations.

“We had one meeting when this was open to discussion,” Fehr said. “When the matter was raised by them, when their proposal was made, we asked a number of questions about it which they were not prepared to answer.

“For example,” Fehr said, “they could not even tell us the name of the test they wanted to do. There have been no further meetings, although we have been ready to have those meetings.

“Were the owners truly interested in trying to reach a resolution of this matter, they would be willing to engage in good-faith negotiations to try and resolve that matter. They have been unwilling to do so. I find their action regrettable.”

Fehr is expected to make an official statement today.

Bob Fishel, executive vice president of the American League, told the Associated Press:

“We hope we get something else. The commissioner is going to give it some thought. We’re going to do everything possible, explore every possibility.”

Fishel said the proposal to end the agreement was made by one owner, whom Fishel would not name, and was agreed to unanimously by the other owners.