Rock speaks out on steroids, Benoit and says he tried steroids while playing college football but never during his wrestling years.

The Rock sounds off on WWE's 'roid woes

In light of World Wrestling Entertainment's latest steroid scandal, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson said he hopes the company continues to lay the smackdown on performers who are using muscle-building drugs.

WWE suspended 10 performers on Thursday for violating the company's wellness policy. The punishment stems from those grapplers receiving packages of steroids and human growth hormone from an illegal distribution ring being investigated by the Albany (N.Y.) County District Attorney's office.

While WWE didn't release the names of those suspended, Sports Illustrated's Web site listed 14 wrestlers who were sent drugs through the mail from "mills" where rubber-stamp prescriptions were allegedly commonplace. Three of those performers — Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and Brian Adams (who hadn't wrestled for WWE since early this decade) — are dead.

Ten of the other 11 — including such top talent as Randy Orton, Mr. Kennedy, Umaga and Edge — are still with the WWE, which is facing Congressional scrutiny following the June murder/suicide of Benoit and his family.

Johnson said he had only learned of the suspensions shortly before a Friday morning telephone interview with FOXSports.com for his upcoming movie release The Game Plan. Johnson, though, wasn't happy to hear that the sports entertainment industry where he thrived before shifting his acting skills full-time to Hollywood is continuing to struggle with the steroid issue.

"Clearly, there has to be an aggressive educational program put in place," Johnson said. "These guys have to be armed with the knowledge and understanding of how bad these drugs are and the dangers of mixing these drugs with the lifestyles they lead."

Johnson wrestled in the WWE earlier this decade at the same time as Benoit, who murdered his wife and 7-year-old son in their Atlanta-area home before taking his own life. Benoit was found to have greatly elevated levels of testosterone in his system as well as the anti-anxiety drug Xanax and painkiller hydrocodone.

"I was blown away," Johnson said. "I had a chance to work with Chris on many occasions. He was a great guy and I knew his wife very well. The guy I knew wasn't the guy who committed these heinous crimes.

"I've stopped trying to figure it out because Chris had wiring that allowed him to do that where anybody who was sane couldn't fathom doing that."

Johnson, who is officially retired from wrestling, said he didn't take steroids during his nine years (1996 to 2004) with the WWE. Johnson, who wrestled with the WWE before the promotion enacted a steroid testing policy, did admit to briefly using them with unsatisfactory results entering his freshman year as a University of Miami football player in the early 1990s.

"I always joke about it because nothing happened," said Johnson, who played collegiately as a 6-foot-4, 270-pound defensive lineman. "I had no idea what I was doing. I was probably taking Advil or something like it because it seemed like there were no changes. I didn't understand what it was all about and that UM had drug testing all the time.

"When I got in the wrestling business, I never cared about being the biggest guy. I just wanted to be the most entertaining."

Johnson did that, winning the WWE title seven times while parlaying his wrestling stardom into a burgeoning acting career. Johnson points to himself as proof that wrestling can survive without steroids, even though today's fans are programmed to expect their heroes and villains to have superhuman physiques.

"I always tell guys I know that want to get into pro wrestling to make a box with their hand and put it around their face," said Johnson, who is carrying far less bulk now than during his wrestling days. "I tell them, 'This is where you're going to make your money in wrestling. You should take care of yourself and your body but you're not going to make money with only your biceps.'"

The Game Plan gave Johnson a chance to use both his brains and brawn. Johnson is cast as star quarterback Joe Kingman, who is set to lead the Boston Rebels toward a football championship until an 8-year-old daughter he didn't know existed enters his life. Kingman ultimately abandons his celebrity lifestyle to become a caring father in this family friendly movie, which is set for national release on Sept. 28.

"For a long time, my goal had been wanting to do a big, broad comedy," said Johnson, who was cast in action roles in such films as The Scorpion King, The Rundown and Walking Tall. "I love the idea about a guy who had everything that you could arguably want being presented with that decision of having to give everything up for the 8-year-old girl that he loves.

"Plus, I got the chance to play a professional football player. ... It reminded me of how cool my job is and the magic of movie-making."

But such a role came at a physical price. Johnson, who worked extensively with former NFL quarterback Pat O'Hara to learn how to look the part, tore his Achilles' tendon during filming when landing awkwardly after a pass. Johnson spent two months on the sideline before returning to finish filming, which was done at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

At this point, Johnson may actually be keeping closer tabs on the NFL than WWE. Johnson recently invited a group of Miami Dolphins players who also have Samoan ancestry, including starting rookie center Samson Satele, to his Davie, Fla., house to celebrate his grandmother's 80th birthday.

"I know those guys are all a long way from home and I know what it's like to experience that for the first time," said Johnson, referring to his ill-fated Canadian Football League stint during the mid-1990s before becoming a pro wrestler.

"We all danced, which is a tradition in Samoan culture, and they put together an amazing dance for my grandmother as well. I was so appreciative. I told those guys they would always have a home to come to in South Florida. I also drove home the point to them that there is no substitute for hard work. Even with all the hard work they've done in the past, they have to take it to another level."

And do it without steroids or risk a suspension under an NFL drug-testing policy that has proven far more effective than the WWE's.