It's as horrific a story tied to sports as we've seen since the OJ Simpson Murders. Chris Benoit, in a fit of (cause yet to be determined) rage, murdered his young boy then his wife and topped off the stranglings by hanging himself from his bowflex. How apropos.  

We (probably) are all aware that steroids are capable of producing many negative results in human beings. But up until now, we've not been faced with murderous tendencies. Up until now, it seemed like one could trade five or six extra NFL seasons or five hundered extra home runs for the brain tumor or dying heart muscle that awaited a athlete/cheater heretofore known as an "athleater".

News reports are circulating stating that Benoit was ordering a "ten-month supply" of anabolic steroids every 3-4 weeks. Now I don't know how much a ten month "supply" is, but I do know that ordering and consuming ten months worth of anything every 3-4 weeks, even my beloved donuts, is not a healthy practice. I was stunned that anyone could even consume that much dope and live through the first three weeks much less make a habit of it. But evidently, Benoit did, the medical records prove it.

Unlike the other perpetrators and prevaricators, though. It appears that Benoit made little in the way of an effort to cover his paper trail. Which tells me a few things:

One: MLB looks like the Steroid Gestapo compared to Vinny Mac's WWE.

Two: Benoit didn't expect to be investigated, much less caught.

Three: Even though the Crippler must have put some thought into murdering his family, the change of nickname to "Strangler" couldn't have been so premeditated as to make him launder the paper trail.

So it raises the obvious question. Are steroids to blame? And the answer is no. The answer is always no. Steriods are never to blame.

Hulk Hogan, legitimately the Muhammad Ali of wrestling, went on record as saying that the murders were uncharacteristic of Benoit, and that his wife was "into Satan Worship". So maybe Benoit was just saving the souls of his wife and obviously religiously polluted son. After all, he placed bibles next to their dead bodies. Or maybe it wasn't. Hogan's remarks disgusted me, as it was clearly a thinly veiled attempt at laying the blame on the victims. But then again, Hogan was never known for his brainpower. He found a great gimmick and had the size and personality to ride it out.

But if it wasn't "curing" devil worship, and it wasn't steroids, that what is to blame? Mental Illness? Bad batch of painkillers?

It's not a "what" folks. That's why we can't blame the dope or the devil. Chris Benoit injected those drugs and Chris Benoit strangled his wife and child. Chris Benoit chose, years ago, to remain part of an industry of muscle bound, arrested adolescents who sacrifice their bodies, their families and their souls to a detestable promoter, because they'd probably be digging ditches otherwise.

So let's play it straight, kids. The drugs aren't the problem. The people are. As long as there are ways to cheat, there will be cheaters. And like Chris Rock said; "you don't 'sell' drugs, the motherchuckers come to you". "Ain't no 'sellin' drugs".

So before we rush to blame the dope, the Doctor or the Devil, lets lay the rope where it truly belongs; at the feet of Chris Benoit.

Wrestler, Father, Drug Abuser, Murderer; and you don't have to be all four to be any combination of the others.