I don’t fancy myself a professional wrestling aficionado, but a few recent news tidbits have caught my attention and for all the wrong reasons.

On Friday, March 13, former World Wrestling Entertainment talent Andrew Martin – known to fans as Test – was found dead in his Florida home, just four days shy of his 34th birthday. Although the cause of his death is still unknown, and police do not suspect foul play, speculation of steroid abuse has lit Internet talk sites and message boards aflame.

Test’s shocking passing comes only 21 months after another wrestler, Chris Benoit, murdered his wife and son, and then himself. A month and a half into the police investigation of the double murder-suicide, reports showed Benoit having received steroids not in compliance with WWE’s Talent Wellness Program.

Performance enhancers, while not specifically linked to this incident, did play a role in the death of champion grappler Eddie Guerrero in November 2005. Autopsies showed Guerrero, who was stated to have a vigorous workout regimen, died of heart failure, brought on by years of steroid use.

In an interview with MTV, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, star of movies such as “The Scorpion King” and this month’s “Return to Witch Mountain,” admitted to using steroids during his college career. He was mum on whether he used them during his decade-long run in WWE.

There is no better word to describe this string of drug-fueled deaths other than “ludicrous.” More and more big name athletes are admitting to at least having tried banned substances in not just wrestling but all sports, including baseball’s Alex Rodriguez, who said he was “stupid” and “naïve” to do so. But it’s overwhelmingly clear the message the “big four” sports leagues and WWE are sending to its performers: be “stupid” now, don’t be sorry later.

As it stands, the first violation of WWE’s wellness policy is punished by a 30-day suspension without pay. Major League Baseball imposes a slightly harsher punishment for a first offense: 50 games without pay. The NFL, NBA and NHL all adhere to similar programs, and all tend to let their players off the hook far too easily.

With the rate at which steroid-detection technology is improving, the rate new substances and test bypasses are manufactured has to be increasing twice as quickly. Martin’s death should serve as a wake-up call to not only all the major sporting organizations but to the government as well.

By enforcing even tougher penalties, and perhaps putting the users into a particular rehabilitation program during their suspensions, people such as Martin won’t be the rule but the exception.