Congressman calls for official hearing amid massive MLB sign-stealing scandal

Amid the massive sign stealing scandal rocking the baseball world this month, at least one lawmaker is urging Congress to get involved.

Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) called for an official Congressional Oversight hearing into the scandal on Friday in a letter to the chairs of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, which is in charge of oversight of major league sports, according to Levi Weaver of The Athletic.

“As the sole committee in the U.S. House of Representatives given this authority, I believe it is our ethical and moral imperative to investigate the Major League Baseball cheating scandal fully and to determine the extent to which this cancer has spread,” Rush wrote. “I firmly believe that our investigation must also look at the actions taken by Major League Baseball, and the teams that comprise it, to reprimand the individuals who have been implicated.”

An MLB investigation into the Houston Astros found that they illegally stole signs during their 2017 World Series run, which resulted in the firing of both general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch. Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who was a bench coach for the Astros in 2017, left his post in the wake of the scandal, and New York Mets manager Carlos Beltran parted ways with the organization this week, too.

With more sure to come out in the widespread scandal — the investigation into the Red Sox is still ongoing — Rush is not the only lawmaker wanting to take action. The Los Angeles City Council is expected to vote on a resolution urging MLB to recall the World Series trophies awarded to the Astros in 2017 and Red Sox in 2018 and award them to the Dodgers instead — something unlikely to ever come to fruition.

Still, if Rush has his way, some of the biggest names in the sport could soon find themselves testifying on Capitol Hill.

“It is clear that Major League Baseball is firmly in the midst of ‘an ethical crisis,’” Rush wrote. “Cheating in any sport is anathema, especially in professional sports. Many children, and adults for that matter, look up to professional athletes as a testament to the American dream and what is possible through hard work and determination. This latest fiasco is nothing short of a gut punch to those ideals … We must use this oversight of organized sport to maintain the highest ethical standards.”

Rep. Bobby Rush has called for an official Congressional Oversight hearing into the massive cheating scandal rocking Major League Baseball.
Rep. Bobby Rush has called for an official Congressional Oversight hearing into the massive cheating scandal rocking Major League Baseball. (AP/Chris O'Meara)

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