Drug Tests for WWF?

By Stephen M. Silverman

09/28/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

To protect children and make all sports heroes drug-free, New York lawmaker Thomas Libous is calling for pro wrestlers to undergo mandatory drug testing. "Almost all other major professional sports have adopted similar requirements for legal participation," Libous told the Associated Press. Libous, a Republican state senator, said the proposal came about because of the drug-related death of "Ravishing" Rick Rude and the high ratings that wrestling matches generate. But the announcement set off a bell inside the World Wrestling Federation, which, face it, is no stranger to a fight. "If, in fact, he's trying to single us out, that is unconstitutional," WWF honcho Vince McMahon told the Associated Press. "We are performers, we are showmen, he'd be drug testing everyone on Broadway. He'd be drug testing the circus."