Owners Endorse New Drug Policy

Baseball’s owners joined Commissioner Bud Selig in support of a new policy against performance-enhancing drugs, including a ban on amphetamines, on Wednesday issuing a statement that asked the Major League Baseball Players Assn. to adopt a stricter code.

In several conversations after the March 17 congressional hearing and in a letter dated April 25, Selig asked union chief Don Fehr to accept a policy that included suspensions of 50 games for first-time offenders of the joint drug agreement, 100 games for second-time offenders and a permanent ban for third-time offenders.

Fehr appeared defiant in a statement released by the Players’ Assn. several days later but said he was willing to discuss potential modifications to the program with Major League Baseball negotiators. The union and the league have operated under the current program -- suspensions that begin at 10 days for a first offense and bring a one-year ban after four -- only since the start of spring training.

Backed by considerable congressional interest and baseball’s owners, who employ him, Selig has become more aggressive regarding steroids in recent weeks.

The collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2006 season, and the joint drug agreement, which amends the CBA, does not expire until 2008.

The Executive Council, consisting of eight owners, met for two days in New York and Wednesday issued a resolution that “encourage[d] the Players Association to join in embracing the policy and ridding the game of the scourge of performance-enhancing substances.”

In the attached statement, owners of the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox and New York Mets expressed their support for Selig’s plan.

Among them, Padre Chairman John Moores was quoted as saying, “I commend Commissioner Selig for taking this firm and decisive action. The recent publicity surrounding the alleged steroid abuse of our players has damaged the public confidence in our game, which we must restore as quickly as possible, and I urge the Players Association to join the commissioner in ridding our sport of these dangerous drugs.”