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George Mitchell Steroid Report DueBaseball's Performance-Enhancing Drug Report Tainted by ConflictThe chief investigator in Major League Baseball's steroid investigation is an active member of the Boston Red Sox Board of Directors. Isn't that a conflict? Uh, Yeah.
A modern day William Shakespeare might say that something is rotten in the State of Massachusetts. Lawyers would call it an appearance of impropriety. Investigative reporters, if such people still existed in George Bush's America, would say it's a conflict of interest. Whatever you want to call it, one thing is for sure: it ain't kosher. "It" is Major League Baseball's investigation of steroid use among ballplayers over the past two decades. And it is being run by a card-carrying member of Red Sox Nation. George Mitchell's Steroid ReportThat's right. George Mitchell, who is on the Red Sox board of directors, is investigating alleged illegal drug use by players from not only his team, but from 29 other teams as well. That should bother you. It should bother you because there is too much potential for Mitchell to put his own self-interest (and the interests of his close friends on the Red Sox board) ahead of the search for truth. Moreover, he could be tempted to pry a little deeper, and try a little harder, when it comes to investigating players on teams that are direct financial competitors of his employer. Finally, even if Mitchell uses the utmost care and acts in the purest good faith, there will be many fans, writers, and fellow team owners who will always question the integrity of the report. A Clear Conflict of InterestThis conflict of interest, whether it is real, apparent, potential, or just an appearance of impropriety is unacceptable. If the impartiality of a judge or a prosecutor is in question, then the public's confidence in the entire proceedings is going to undermined, or so the argument goes. Think about it this way: Imagine if George Steinbrenner was put in charge of a gambling scandal that involved Major League Baseball players that included, potentially, members of the New York Yankees. Would you have complete confidence in the findings of that inquiry or proceeding? Would you believe the results completely? Might you at least suspect that Steinbrenner may have influenced or twisted the results to favor friends and business interests? Of course you would. The most upsetting aspect of this entire investigation is that baseball commissioner Bud Selig could have picked anyone to conduct this investigation. The alleged reason that he chose Mitchell was that the former senator's good name and reputation would lend credence to the investigation and the report. Maybe he also thought that by having a former Senator lead the investigation, he could avoid another embarrassing congressional inquiry on the subject. But by choosing a man with such a blatant conflict of interest, has Selig guaranteed more government intrusion into baseball? Mitchell recently announced that he will release the long-awaited report summarizing the results of his investigation on Thursday, December 13, 2007. No matter what it says, some folks might be a little bit skeptical of the results.
The copyright of the article George Mitchell Steroid Report Due in Baseball is owned by James Lincoln Ray. Permission to republish George Mitchell Steroid Report Due in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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