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Despite reports Thursday indicating that Major League Baseball players were unlikely to be invited to testify before a congressional hearing on steroids, a published report Friday said the committee hadn't made up its mind yet.

"We haven't ruled out inviting players," Philip M. Schiliro told The New York Times.

Schiliro is the chief of staff for Rep. Henry Waxman, the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Waxman has the final say on the issue.

On Friday, Schiliro told 1050 ESPN Radio's Andrew Marchand that the committee will decide in early January if it will invite players to testify at the hearing, scheduled for Jan. 15. Schiliro said the committee will only invite players if there is a "specific" reason for them to be there. And he said the committee wants to focus on the future and what the major sports are doing to set a good example for college and high school athletes.

When asked specifically about Roger Clemens, he said the Committee "doesn't have specific people under consideration right now."

On Thursday, the ranking minority member of the committee, Rep. Tom Davis, said he didn't expect any players to be part of the Jan. 15 hearing on Capitol Hill.

"We don't want to turn this into a circus," Davis told USA Today. "We just want to know what Major League Baseball plans to do about their problems. We understand the collective bargaining agreement complicates matters, but we'd like to see if they agree with Senator George Mitchell's recommendations, and move on."

Davis reiterated those comments Thursday on the Stephen A. Smith Show on ESPN radio, saying "no" to whether players, such as Roger Clemens, would come to Capitol Hill.

A few of the faces likely to grace Congress for January's hearings are Commissioner Bud Selig, MLB players union executive director Don Fehr, and Sen. George Mitchell.

"If players believe they are wrongfully accused in the report," Davis told USA Today, "they are welcome to volunteer and we'll take it under consideration. But as I understand it, all these players had a chance to cooperate [with Mitchell], and everyone declined to cooperate.

"So, to an extent, that's what they get."

Andrew Marchand of 1050 ESPN Radio in New York contributed to this story.