Posted on 10/28/2010 7:06:43 AM PDT by Cowman
Wrestler's Father Criticizes Linda McMahon
October 25, 2010|By DANIELA ALTIMARI, altimari@courant.com
HARTFORD — The father of professional wrestler Chris Benoit came to Connecticut Monday to slam Republican U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon.
Michael Benoit urged voters to spurn McMahon's candidacy because, he said, the company she helped build and ran for many years, World Wrestling Entertainment, has shown a complete disregard for the health and safety of its performers.
One of those performers was Benoit's son, Chris Benoit, who killed his wife and young son before killing himself in 2007. Chris Benoit had taken steroids and suffered chronic traumatic encephalopathy as a result of being hit repeatedly in the head, Michael Benoit said.
After the tragedy, Linda McMahon did not reach out to the family, Michael Benoit said during a 90-minute press conference at the Hilton Hotel in Hartford. Benoit lives in Alberta, Canada. His visit to Hartford was paid for by the campaign of McMahon's Democratic opponent, Richard Blumenthal.
McMahon spokesman Ed Patru said Chris Benoit was responsible for killing his family.
"It is outrageous and reprehensible that Dick Blumenthal's campaign is now suggesting someone else is responsible for this heinous crime,'' Patru said. "The public overwhelmingly rejects the irresponsible notion that a murderer's behavior ought to be excused and instead someone else should be held accountable. And frankly, it's deeply troubling that Dick Blumenthal would take this governing philosophy to Washington and write laws in a way that reflects this thinking." In Benoit's view, McMahon's high-profile run for elective office has had one positive effect: It has shone a light on the business practices of WWE. Benoit said the company's performers were abused in the ring by having metal chairs thrown at them, endured a grueling schedule of performances, and sometimes turned to prescription painkillers to blunt the effects of the injuries they received.
WWE spokesman Robert Zimmerman said via e-mail: "The double homicide-suicide … was an extremely tragic and unforeseeable occurrence. The WWE cannot speculate on what led to the senseless murders and suicide, nor can WWE be held accountable for the tragic personal actions of Chris Benoit."
You’ll get it soon enough Grasshopper! lol :)
The father is making all sorts of wild accusations. The WWE never speculated on any aspect of the senseless murders and suicide. They never commented on it, and left it up to Atlanta authorities to handle.
Perhaps it should be named Cindy Sheehan Syndrome since it's clearly an identifiable mental disorder.
Well....I drink heavily.
>>> but Linda McMahon isn’t any more responsible for this
Not directly but certainly she is to the extent the corporation tolerated and implicitly encouraged steroid use. To be a star in modern wrestling you have to be a physical freak of the sort that few can achieve without chemistry. Drugs that COULD have been tested for if the corporation genuinely wished to discourage their use.
But they turned a blind eye instead. They gave the screaming ringside mob what they wanted. Not real wrestling, but a freakshow. A number of wrestlers paid the price.
This is an issue they had to know would be thrown into the mix. My guess is the people who would be turned off Linda by this weren’t reachable in the first place.
So why then don’t all professional wrestlers kill their family?
Benoit is the man who’s responsible. This is the usual slime tactics of the Dims. Blumenthal thinks this will get him traction, he’s wrong.
I despise him for taking advantage of the grief of Benoit’s dad.
probably cashing the checks.
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