Linda McMahon has spoken out about the death of Lance Cade, saying that the WWE should not be blamed for it. The Connecticut Post reports that Linda said the WWE should no more be held accountable for the deaths of performers "than a studio could have prevented Heath Ledger's death."

"Who knows what causes people to have addictions and do what they do," McMahon added. She also went on to say that the press only want to talk about WWE, while people she meets want to discuss job creation and the economy.

Marla Romash, an advisor for Linda's Democrat opponent Richard Blumenthal, spoke about how Linda's WWE history should affect the Senate race. "Linda McMahon holds out her record in business as her main qualification for office so it's really important then for people in Connecticut to look at how she treated her workers and wrestlers and ask if she's really going to be there and stand up for them," Romash said.

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When asked about Lance Cade's death, Linda McMahon replied "I may have met him once...."

TheDay.com spoke with Harley McNaught, the father of Lance Cade, and he was not happy when Linda McMahon said that "I might have met him once," in regards to his son. Here is what he had to say…

"I've been with him on two different WWE functions where she came up to him and knew him by name. She disrespected him. She disrespected my family."

"[Lance] would have cut his arm off for Vince McMahon, but it wasn't there in return. He don't care any more than the man in the moon for them, other than as dollar signs."

Ed Patru of Linda McMahon's political campaign countered with the following statement…

"WWE has nearly 600 employees and about 140 performers, and I think it's understandable that Linda may not recollect every interaction she's had, particularly given the fact that she's personally met with thousands of voters since resigning her position at WWE in September. Linda's a very kind and sympathetic person, but she is human. It certainly wasn't Linda's intent to diminish any additional interaction she may have had."

Connecticut’s Hartford Courant published a lengthy article sent in by Michael Benoit, father of the late Chris Benoit, urging voters not to send Linda McMahon to the United States Senate in November. Benoit holds the McMahons responsible for the dozens of young wrestler deaths we’ve seen in recent years and says Linda has used blood money to fund her expensive campaign.

An excerpt from the article:

“My son, Chris Benoit, 40, was one of WWE’s top superstars. In June 2007, our lives changed dramatically, when he tragically killed his wife, son and himself. The press jumped on steroids as the cause of his actions. But tests showed that brain damage in the form of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, not steroids, was responsible for our loss. CTE, caused by repetitive trauma to the brain, can bring on serious disorders such as a loss of emotional control, addictions to drugs and alcohol, depression, aggressive and violent behavior.

Most people view wrestling as fake and the McMahon family pushed that theory to avoid regulation. But in its lust for higher ratings and dollars, WWE began demanding that performers use more weapons and dangerous stunts in wrestling matches. Although matches are rigged and scripted, the harsh physical abuse in the form of blunt force steel chair shots to the head and power bombs through tables onto cement floors are real. I believe that this change in the industry is responsible for the majority of deaths it experienced in the last 20 years.

Michael Benoit says that despite the fact that wrestlers are individuals who have to make their own choices in life, the McMahons have set up a dirty and dangerous enterprise where the deck is stacked against the men putting their lives on the line to line McMahon’s pockets.

You might say that these young wrestlers make their own choices, and that is true. And the McMahons entice them with prospects for fame, wealth and glory that few achieve. If this were any other business or sport, there would be congressional hearings and laws passed to reform this dirty and dangerous enterprise. The McMahons have steadfastly held that wrestlers are just independent contractors and not entitled to health care benefits, pensions or unionization to represent their best interests.

This is how Linda McMahon made the money she uses for her Senate race. This is how she ran her business. This is the true character behind the fancy, Hollywood advertisements. I pray the people of Connecticut do not allow her to buy her way into the world’s most distinguished legislative body.”


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Mike Benoit, father to the late Chris Benoit, recently posted a piece on WWE courtesy of Irvin Muchnick’s blog. Muchnick is author of Chris & Nancy: The True Story of the Benoit Murder and Wrestling Babylon: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandal.

“The Lance Cade story has been told over and over again with the only change being the name itself. Linda McMahon’s reference to Cade as just another wrestler with an addiction issue is reprehensible.

The use of pain killers and sleeping pills within the wrestling world is a clear indictment of the McMahons for their lack of health and safety standards and their lust for ratings and the bottom line. People begin taking pain pills because they are in pain. Addictions become a reality because the wrestlers believe that they are physically unable to participate on a nightly basis without them.

In my son’s case, constant fatigue and difficulty sleeping was a daily issue for him. When speaking to him on the phone, my ‘how are you doing?’ question would always be answered by the statement, ‘I am tired.’ My thought at the time was, ‘You work less than an hour a day. It must be all the travel that is causing the problem.’ But for a man in his thirties, clearly there was more to the story. Brain damage from concussive blows to the head can cause numerous health issues. Two that stand out are addictions and constant fatigue.

The majority of wrestlers who have passed also dealt with addiction issues. The combination of Lance’s alleged excessive use of pain pills and a sleeping problem makes one wonder if brain trauma was an underlying cause . Coroners need to be given a mandate to test any athlete involved in a contact sport who suffers an untimely death.

The deregulation of the wrestling industry – which Linda McMahon publicly calls one of her greatest business accomplishments – has put every participant at serious risk. It is my belief that deregulation has left a trail of death and monumental health issues. Up to this point, no company or individual has been held accountable for them.”