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     Robynmarie Veteran Poster Username: Robynmarie Post Number: 556 Registered: 04-2006 Rating: N/A |
What a stunning fall from grace. She is looking at doing six months in jail for lying to Federal investigators. I wonder if they are going to try to take away her Olympic medals??? From ESPN: Marion Jones admitted using steroids before the 2000 Olympics in a recent letter to close family and friends, The Washington Post reported Thursday. Jones, a triple gold medalist in Sydney, said she took "the clear" for two years, beginning in 1999, and that she got it from former coach Trevor Graham, the newspaper reported. Graham told her it was flaxseed oil. "The clear" is a performance-enhancing drug linked to BALCO, the lab at the center of the steroids scandal in professional sports. Jones had steadfastly denied she ever took any kind of performance-enhancing drugs. Jones is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in White Plains, N.Y., on Friday to plead guilty to charges in connection with her steroid use, a federal law enforcement source told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, and would not provide specific details about the plea. "I want to apologize for all of this," the Post reported Jones saying in her letter, quoting a person who received a copy and read it to the paper. "I am sorry for disappointing you all in so many ways." Jones said in her letter that she faced up to six months in jail and would be sentenced in three months, according to the newspaper. "Red flags should have been raised when he told me not to tell anyone," the Post reported, quoting the letter. No one answered the door at Jones' Austin, Texas, home Thursday night, and a message left by the AP for a phone number registered to her husband, Obadele Thompson, was not immediately returned. The admission could cost Jones the five medals she won at the Sydney Olympics. Though she fell short of her goal of winning five gold medals, she came away with three and two bronzes and was one of the Games' biggest stars. But her career has been tarnished by doping allegations since then. In December 2004, the International Olympic Committee opened an investigation into doping allegations against Jones. "Progress to date has been slow due the difficulty of gathering findings," IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said. "The information that Marion Jones might provide later on [Friday] may prove to be key in moving this case forward." Under statute of limitations rules, the IOC and other sports bodies can go back eight years to strip medals and nullify results. In Jones' case, that would include the 2000 Olympics, where she won gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 1,600-meter relay and bronze in the long jump and 400-meter relay. In addition to any jail term, Jones could face a long competition ban from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. The International Association of Athletics Federations said it was waiting for official notification from USADA setting out the details of Jones' reported admission. If she admits to having been on drugs during a specfic period, the IAAF could strip Jones of all her medals and results from the world championships and other events from that time. She won three gold medals, a silver and a bronze at the 1999 and 2001 worlds. "Our rules are clear if she confesses," IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said. Victor Conte, head of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, repeatedly has accused Jones of doping. Speaking to ESPN.com's Mike Fish on Thursday, Conte reiterated his claim that Jones cheated her way to Olympic Games success by using the oil known as "the cream" and arthritis balm commonly called "the clear." "What I said in December of 2004 is that Marion Jones had used the cream and the clear -- that was a true statement," he said. "I'm here today saying the same thing again -- that before during and after the Olympic Games in 2000 that Marion Jones used [performance-enhancing drugs]." Jones sued Conte in 2004 for $25 million after he told ABC's "20/20" and ESPN the Magazine that the sprinter used designer steroids, human growth hormone and other illegal performance enhancers before, during and after the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Conte said he taught Jones how to inject human growth hormone during a track meet in 2001. He said he also held conference calls with Jones and Graham where the three of them discussed Jones' "doping" regimen. "Jones has never taken banned performance enhancing drugs," the sprinter alleged in her defamation lawsuit. "Jones took and passed over 160 separate drug tests, including five different drug tests at the 2000 Olympics." The pair settled the lawsuit in 2005 for an undisclosed amount. Jones was one of several athletes, including home run king Barry Bonds, New York Yankees slugger Jason Giambi and Detroit Tigers outfielder Gary Sheffield, to be linked to BALCO and were among more than two dozen athletes who testified before a federal grand jury in 2003. According to grand jury transcripts obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, Bonds said he thought two substances given to him by trainer Greg Anderson were flaxseed oil and an arthritic balm. Authorities suspect those items were actually BALCO-linked "the clear" and "the cream. In her letter, Jones said she didn't realize she'd used performance-enhancing drugs until she stopped training with Graham at the end of 2002. She said she lied when federal agents questioned her in 2003, panicking when they presented her with a sample of "the clear," which she recognized as the substance Graham had given her. "It's funky, because you wanted to believe she was clean," said Jon Drummond, a gold medalist in the 400 relay in Sydney. "It's like that old saying, 'Cheaters never win.' So no matter how glorious or glamorous things look, you'll get caught and pay a price for it. "It caught me by total surprise," he added. "It's a shock. I thought it was a closed case. It doesn't help track and field at all, except maybe by letting the world know, people always get to the bottom of things. We shouldn't be afraid of the truth, but it's sad it came to this." Jones' career has been tarnished the last several years by doping allegations against her. In August 2006, a urine sample tested positive for EPO, but Jones was cleared when a backup sample tested negative. She also was among the athletes who testified before a BALCO grand jury in 2003. Her former boyfriend, Tim Montgomery, also testified, and was given a two-year ban for doping in late 2005. Michelle Collins and Justin Gatlin, who also trained with Graham, were banned for doping violations, too. Graham has a Nov. 26 trial date after being indicted in the BALCO case last November on three counts of lying to federal agents. Graham, who has pleaded not guilty, helped launch the government's steroid probe in 2003 when he mailed a vial of "the clear" -- previously undetectable -- to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. A woman who answered the phone at Graham's home in Raleigh, N.C., declined to identify herself, but said Graham was not home before refusing to answer any other questions. There was no answer at the door of Graham's north Raleigh home. USA Track & Field was not aware of Jones' letter nor any pending legal action, CEO Craig Masback said. "Anything that exposes the truth about drug use in sport is good for ensuring the integrity of sport," Masback said. "Any use of performance-enhancing substances is a tragedy for the athlete, their teammates, friends, family and the sport." Darryl Seibel, spokesman for the U.S. Olympic Committee, declined comment on whether Jones would lose her medals until legal proceedings are completed. "If these reports are true," Seibel said, "it is an admission of responsibility from an athlete who owed her sport and the Olympic movement much better." Seibel added that "our position on doping is unequivocal. Doping is cheating, and under no circumstance will it be tolerated. If an athlete cheats, they deserve to pay the price for their action." The Post also reported that, in her letter, Jones said she lied about a $25,000 check given to her by Montgomery, who pleaded guilty in New York in April as part of a criminal scheme to cash millions of dollars worth of stolen or forged checks. He has yet to be sentenced. Wells, Jones' longtime agent, and Olympian Steve Riddick, another of Jones' former coaches, also were convicted in the scam. Bank records indicated Jones had received a $25,000 check from one of the alleged conspirators -- Nathaniel Alexander, who shared office space with Riddick and also was convicted. The check never cleared, according to records, and Jones was never charged. "Once again, I panicked," the Post reported, quoting Jones' letter. "I did not want my name associated with this mess. I wanted to stay as far away as possible." In her prime, Jones was one of track's first female millionaires, typically earning between $70,000 and $80,000 a race, plus at least another $1 million from race bonuses and endorsement deals. In 2000-01, she competed in 21 international events, including the Sydney Olympics, where she won five medals -- three gold. | ||
| Robynmarie Veteran Poster Username: Robynmarie Post Number: 557 Registered: 04-2006 Rating: N/A |
 Marion Jones was America's sweetheart for a while. Pretty soon she'll be nuthin but a number.... | ||
| Cynique "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Cynique Post Number: 10176 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
And another black athlete bites the dust. Marion Jones could win a medal for best actress because she sure did a great job in portraying herself as being innocent of the charges leveled against her. She still has her good looks, however, so maybe she can pull a Vanessa Williams and rebound from this disgrace. Wonder if Marion can sing? | ||
| Chrishayden "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Chrishayden Post Number: 5384 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: N/A |
How did she get caught? | ||
| Chrishayden "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Chrishayden Post Number: 5385 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: N/A |
Also, she should tell them all to lick her ass. Everybody is doing it. You would too for the hundreds of millions that winning gold medals means now. | ||
| Doberman23 Veteran Poster Username: Doberman23 Post Number: 1057 Registered: 01-2006 Rating: N/A |
i heard she could tighten up her booty muscles so tight she could crack an egg. when a woman has that type of capability the world is her oyster. | ||
| Chrishayden "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Chrishayden Post Number: 5395 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: N/A |
heard she could tighten up her booty muscles so tight she could crack an egg. when a woman has that type of capability the world is her oyster. (What disgusting sexism. I'm glad I'm above that sort of racist sexist bilge! These are Femnist Times!) | ||
| Doberman23 Veteran Poster Username: Doberman23 Post Number: 1060 Registered: 01-2006 Rating: N/A |
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| Ntfs_encryption "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Ntfs_encryption Post Number: 2736 Registered: 10-2005 Rating: N/A |
"What a stunning fall from grace. She is looking at doing six months in jail for lying to Federal investigators." Too bad -too sad. It's a done deal now. She will walk into Federal court and admit everything today. A trainer(s) was busted and is now more than likely going to roll over and spill the beans. The government wants a list of names. Marion's name is on that list. She is getting out front first and freely admitting it before she is in Federally indicted for lying to officials. She is doing the right thing. It's like Clinton and the....ummmm....stained dress. Before the DNA testing began, he admitted it. "I wonder if they are going to try to take away her Olympic medals???" Absolutely! She might as well bring them with her when she goes to court. | ||
| Cynique "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Cynique Post Number: 10180 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
LMAO. I hate to keep sucking up to you, Dobes, but I just love your droll humor. | ||
| Chrishayden "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Chrishayden Post Number: 5405 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: N/A |
I hate to keep sucking up to you, Dobes (Really? You got a funny way of showing it) | ||
| Cynique "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Cynique Post Number: 10184 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
This is an "A" & "B" conversation, chrishayden, so "C" your way out of it. When me and Dobes win the lottery, your name will not be on the guest list for our big Thumper's Corner party. | ||
| Chrishayden "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Chrishayden Post Number: 5407 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: N/A |
This is an "A" & "B" conversation, chrishayden, so "C" your way out of it. (I will when you get "D" message) When me and Dobes win the lottery, your name will not be on the guest list for our big Thumper's Corner party. (You may as well put me on it because I'm crashing like a mofo!) | ||
| Doberman23 Veteran Poster Username: Doberman23 Post Number: 1061 Registered: 01-2006 Rating: N/A |
thanks for the compliments cynique... when we hit the megamillions we'd have to invite chrishatin' so we could make dollar fans and wave the fresh money aroma in his face. then he can pretend like he doesn't want any money, but then all of sudden be nice to us when he posts in hopes that someone will hook him up ... and the answer will always be no. | ||
| Chrishayden "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Chrishayden Post Number: 5410 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: N/A |
thanks for the compliments cynique... when we hit the megamillions we'd have to invite chrishatin' so we could make dollar fans and wave the fresh money aroma in his face. then he can pretend like he doesn't want any money, but then all of sudden be nice to us when he posts in hopes that someone will hook him up ... and the answer will always be (You need to get off these computers. You are living in a world of fantasy) | ||
| Cynique "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Cynique Post Number: 10186 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
Words from a man who thinks he can rescue somebody from hell. Fantasy, indeed. | ||
| Doberman23 Veteran Poster Username: Doberman23 Post Number: 1063 Registered: 01-2006 Rating: |
i am getting paid to be on the computer, oh look at that ! some more money while i'm typing right now. how much are you getting while your on here every day, every minute, and hour? i bet your old stankin' ass sleeps next to your monitor waiting to write such gems as "This Morning in the Ghetto" and "Be Kind to the Help at the Restaurant--Or Else!". stop taking wet nap baths and take a real shower to revive yourself, it's ok to go out and get some fresh air and reality every now and then. the trick is to come up with something good and new if your gonna make un-witty remarks especially if you aim them at someone greater than yourself. they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but you can prove them wrong chris .... now go fetch! | ||
| Ntfs_encryption "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Ntfs_encryption Post Number: 2744 Registered: 10-2005 Rating: N/A |
"i bet your old stankin' ass sleeps next to your monitor waiting to write such gems as "This Morning in the Ghetto" and "Be Kind to the Help at the Restaurant--Or Else!"."  .................... | ||
| Chrishayden "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Chrishayden Post Number: 5412 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: N/A |
These are the kind of thing you post when your dad is....no...no...I won't post that. I won't go there. I won't play the dozens even if it is the only way to effectively deal with such swine. If I do you'll be hurt and screaming and curl up in a fetal position just like Clarence Thomas at his confimration hearing-- | ||
| Abm "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Abm Post Number: 9709 Registered: 04-2004 Rating: N/A |
Right now, I'm watching a tape of Marion Jones cop to having taken steriods (with her moms standing next to her). And I've gottah admit, the sh*t is about breaking my heart.  I guess I'm turning into an ol' softy. | ||
| Robynmarie Veteran Poster Username: Robynmarie Post Number: 558 Registered: 04-2006 Rating: N/A |
Abm-I couldn't bear to watch. Why did she not just admit to it years ago? "I panicked," she says. B.S. She cheated because like many athletes she wants to win at any cost... Their speculation she might dime on Barry Bonds. But unless she actually saw him using "the clear" it would be his word against hers | ||
| Ntfs_encryption "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Ntfs_encryption Post Number: 2748 Registered: 10-2005 Rating: N/A |
Yep! It's tragic but that's the way it goes. She should have thought about it before she did it. But when you're caught up in the vortex of winning, anything goes. How much did the roids help her? Hard to say and it can never be proven. It is an illegal substance and once it is revealed that you used them, well.......you know.....just ask Ben johnson. | ||
| Robynmarie Veteran Poster Username: Robynmarie Post Number: 560 Registered: 04-2006 Rating: N/A |
Ntfs-do you think they should take her medals? Who is to say her competition wasn't juiced? Or is it a matter of if you break the rules they take your loot regardless? Will they take her medals because she lied and committed a crime or because she used steroids? Marion is about a silly hoe. Now she loses her medals and goes to jail where if she had told the truth from the git, she would have just lost her medals. Is there no statue of limitations of using illegal substances? | ||
| Abm "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Abm Post Number: 9712 Registered: 04-2004 Rating: N/A |
Robynmarie, She didn't fess up earlier because she was enjoying the benefits of being considered America's Olympic Sweetheart. Chick made (but now I hear lost) MILLIONS from that. Who the heck is going to give THAT up if they don't have too? I think the Feds got the goods on her but, probably because they want to fry a BIGGER fish (aka BARRY BONDS), gave her the option and opportunity to talk. Really, were that NOT the case, WHY after over SEVEN years would she fess up? The Olympic Committee will in all likelihood take the medals because of the steroids. The whole reason why this is an issue is that steroids give an athlete an unfair competitive advantage (well that and they can eventually KILLYAH). And since she admits to having used 'roids leading up to her winning the medals in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the logical conclusion is she did not fairly earn her victories. Frankly, I don't see a rational argument for allowing Marion to keep the medals. Because in the truest sense and spirit of competition, the medals were never really hers to begin with. PS: "Is there no statue of limitations of using illegal substances?" The bigger issue here is her lying to federal prosecutors. Hell, you can get HARD prison time for that even WITHOUT your having committed ANY other crime. | ||
| A_womon Veteran Poster Username: A_womon Post Number: 1944 Registered: 05-2004 Rating: N/A |
Not only is she going to lose her medals, she is going to lose all the money she made off of endorsement deals...she's gonna be broke! Fruit from a poison tree type thing. | ||
| A_womon Veteran Poster Username: A_womon Post Number: 1945 Registered: 05-2004 Rating: N/A |
AND wasn't it her EX HUSBAND who blew the whistle on her seven years ago? HOW SAD. | ||
| Abm "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Abm Post Number: 9715 Registered: 04-2004 Rating: N/A |
A_womon, I seriously doubt the Feds or anyone else can take whatever money Marion has (though I've heard or read she's already broke). If she earned a living illegally SELLING steriods they could take her stuff. Marion's ex C. J. Hunter did say she had been doping, though I think it was more recent than you describe. Perhaps he's the one who provided the Feds sufficient intel to get the drops on her. | ||
| A_womon Veteran Poster Username: A_womon Post Number: 1946 Registered: 05-2004 Rating: N/A |
CNN said that back when she won the medals is when her husband told on her. And he's the one that started the whole thing. I just heard it. | ||
| Cynique "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Cynique Post Number: 10191 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
I saw a TV interviewer asked the girl who finished second to Marion if she thought she should be awarded the the gold medal, and the chick who was black just kinda looked away and said something to the effect that a gold medal at this late date by default was meaningless. Marion and Britney Spears are tragic examples of the double-edged sword of fame and fortune. Fate is fickle. | ||
| Chrishayden "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Chrishayden Post Number: 5416 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: N/A |
Why ain't nobody punishing George Bush for allowing his baseball team to juice up. Do't worry sister Marion. One day juicing will be allowed and then they'll give her back her medals. Until then I guess she'll have to write a tell all confessional I have been healed book, find Jesus, go on TBN, go on Oprah, get on a reality show--that kind of stuff. She could probably be a coach for a professional track team or something. | ||
| Ntfs_encryption "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Ntfs_encryption Post Number: 2749 Registered: 10-2005 Rating: |
"Ntfs-do you think they should take her medals?" Yes. They have no choice. She has openly admitted doing so. Everyone knows she did it from her admission. " Who is to say her competition wasn't juiced?" No one can say. It's just a matter of getting caught. She was caught. It's just like taxes. Everyone is cheating but it's a matter of getting caught. Ya gotta prove it. " Or is it a matter of if you break the rules they take your loot regardless?" Well, depends on what you mean by loot. Her Olympic medals? Yes. The endorsement money she won because her Olympic wins? Hmmmmm.....good question. Since they made money from her endorsing their products, I don't think so. "Will they take her medals because she lied and committed a crime or because she used steroids?" Yes. She admitted using roids. It didn't matter if she lied or not. Once it is revealed that you did so, it's a done deal. They more than likely will demand the medals back because they believe her taking a performance enhancing drug gave her an unfair advantage. Something that can never be definitively proven but the mere fact that you did so makes your wins or superior performance suspect. Every athlete knows the consequences of being caught with the juice. " Marion is about a silly hoe." Well, I don't know if she is a hoe but silly certainly may apply. " Now she loses her medals and goes to jail where if she had told the truth from the git, she would have just lost her medals." Robynmarie, you have to remember, prior to the trainers getting busted, there was no sane reason for her to admit using steroids. No one knew about it (other than the trainers). Now they are about to go down and a plea bargain with a "roid user list" is more than likely to be produced. Marion had to jump out front before her name was revealed. As tragic as it is, it was a predictable and smart legal move on her part. "Is there no statue of limitations of using illegal substances?" Nope! It's considered cheating. It's like a university finding out twenty years later that you plagiarized and copied your masters thesis. I like Marion and I'm sorry to see this happen. But she took a chance and she knew the consequences would be devastating if she was ever caught. Trust me, she spent quite a few sleepless nights before she came forward. | ||
| Libralind2 Veteran Poster Username: Libralind2 Post Number: 930 Registered: 09-2004 Rating: N/A |
Ummmm I aint in on the conversation but when you two hit the lotto..could a sistah get a notebook puter..?? "Ask and you shall receive...???" Im just sayin LiLi who has a birfday comin LOL | ||
| Urban_scribe AALBC .com Platinum Poster Username: Urban_scribe Post Number: 548 Registered: 05-2006 Rating: N/A |
Libralind2 wrote: LiLi who has a birfday comin Careful, LiLi, Nels is a-watchin! | ||
| Ntfs_encryption "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Ntfs_encryption Post Number: 2754 Registered: 10-2005 Rating: N/A |
"CNN said that back when she won the medals is when her husband told on her. And he's the one that started the whole thing. I just heard it." Hell hath no fury like a man scorned....?????? | ||
| Libralind2 Veteran Poster Username: Libralind2 Post Number: 932 Registered: 09-2004 Rating: N/A |
LOL Urban LiLi | ||
| Jmho Regular Poster Username: Jmho Post Number: 294 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: N/A |
The bigger issue here is her lying to federal prosecutors. Hell, you can get HARD prison time for that even WITHOUT your having committed ANY other crime. Yep, that's what got Lil Kim her time. Admitting to taking performance enhancing drugs only get your medals taken, but it's the lying to the feds, that'll get you prison time. It would seem almost unbelievable, if all those surrounding her took them or were in shady financial deals, yet she was squeaky clean. That's why I am not buying "I didn't know and though I was taking flaxseed oil" or "I didn't know about that $25,000 check deposit into my account" defense. | ||
| Cynique "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Cynique Post Number: 10235 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
Maybe the steroids also had an inflated effect on Marion's mentality propelling her into a zone. Maybe her ability to run so fast and to lie so convincingly had the same origin. | ||
| A_womon Veteran Poster Username: A_womon Post Number: 1954 Registered: 05-2004 Rating: N/A |
Welp, she turned in her medals! I bet they go after whatever money she made off of the promos next! | ||
| A_womon Veteran Poster Username: A_womon Post Number: 1955 Registered: 05-2004 Rating: N/A |
Hell hath no fury like a man scorned....?????? HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA! Looks like! | ||
| Troy Veteran Poster Username: Troy Post Number: 858 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
I think they should just stop trying to enforce the prevention of performance enhancing drug use. They don't do a good job, and the threat of getting caught is clearly no deterent. How many people were eliminated from the tour de France? Who doubts that Mcgwire, and Bonds have used some type of drug. If steriods and other perfromance enhancing drugs were legal, physcians could focus on quality, effectiveness, safety and the elimination of 'roid rage. We definitely enjoy the competitions more. One of my favorite moemnts in sports was when Ben Johnson blew by Carl Lweis in the 100 meters some years ago. We all loved Marion because she was a winner, not because she came in 4th. We created her and other like her. We should have sympathy for her. She was doing want is par for the course at her level of competition -- you can't even call it cheating. Part of the competition is not getting caught. Were it not for her ex we would not be having this discussion. | ||
| Steve_s Regular Poster Username: Steve_s Post Number: 305 Registered: 04-2004 Rating: N/A |
I think they should just stop trying to enforce the prevention of performance enhancing drug use. The chance of PED use being normalized in professional sports is zero. They don't do a good job, and the threat of getting caught is clearly no deterent. How many people were eliminated from the tour de France? Who doubts that Mcgwire, and Bonds have used some type of drug. On the contrary, the Tour de France's crackdown on doping has been effective and is motivated in part by sponsors of cycling teams who no longer want their brand names sullied by the association with doping. The various governments have shown that they have an interest in preventing drug abuse, and not just in the United States, where Congress threatened to revoke baseball's anti-trust exemptions and tax breaks unless it cleans up its act. If steriods and other perfromance enhancing drugs were legal, physcians could focus on quality, effectiveness, safety and the elimination of 'roid rage. By this reasoning, if everyone were allowed to carry a concealed firearm, there would be more civility, less violence, and greater gun safety. We definitely enjoy the competitions more. Compared to what? As I see it, there's no difference between competitions in which nobody dopes and competitions in which everyone does. But not everyone cheats. When the Chinese women's track team rewrote the record books en masse in the early 1990s, doping was suspected but could not be proven. Yeah, it was exciting to hear about a small group of runners rewriting the record books. However, it didn't last long. Two years later when the Olympics rolled around, I don't remember a single Chinese woman runner who medaled. I wonder why? One of my favorite moemnts in sports was when Ben Johnson blew by Carl Lweis in the 100 meters some years ago. One of my favorite moments was watching him get sent home in disgrace after being stripped of the gold medal. You know, I read Carl Lewis's book, "Inside Track" when it came out, which covers the Ben Johnson affair. It's not your run of the mill sports book. I believe it was around the time of the Atlanta Olympics when Carl said that the US is the new East Germany when it comes to doping and that all of the athletes coached by Bobby Kersee were dirty. But no one wanted to hear that. A few years ago when Justil Gatlin's "B" sample came up dirty, Michael Johnson wrote a newspaper editorial in which he stated in effect that although he likes Justin personally, he should have known better than to associate with Trevor Graham, who, you probably know is Marion Jones's coach. The book Game of Shadows describes how Graham and Conte used to get into spats on an Internet message board and each would threaten to expose the other's cheating to the authorities, however only Graham followed through by actually sending a hypodermic needle containing trace amounts of the then-indetectable designer steroid THG, while Conte never mailed a letter he had written implicating Graham, which was subsequently fished out of the trash by investigators. We all loved Marion because she was a winner, not because she came in 4th. We created her and other like her. Marion is very likeable. So is Maurice Greene, whose autograph I got at a NYC Marathon expo the same year he won at the World Championships at Athens. He was hanging out with Ato Bolden of Trinidad, who, when Marion's "A" sample came up dirty a few years ago, said that he and others in the sport had long suspected Marion of using PEDs. But Marion was also an inspiration to young girls, which is why the current revelations are so tragic. Unfortunately, the other relay team members will now have to suffer because of her (except in the case of the 1,600 meters, where teammates Torri Edwards and Chrystie Gaines have already served out their own drug suspensions). "Game of Shadows" recounts how Victor Conte bragged that he could take any reasonably good track athlete and turn him or her into a world champion. And he proved that he could, but I doubt that you can. We should have sympathy for her. She was doing want is par for the course at her level of competition -- you can't even call it cheating. Part of the competition is not getting caught. We admire her for owning up to her mistakes, however, doping is hardly par-for-the-course in track and field. To give one example, Regina Jacobs consistently edged out one particular competitor in the 1,500 meters, in fact, eight times at USA Track and Field championships. Her competitor won the title 3 times when Regina didn't compete. Then it turned out that Regina had been using THG, the designer steroid supplied by Victor Conte, and she was forced out of the sport in disgrace. The other runner might have won 11 times. Were it not for her ex we would not be having this discussion. Which one? They both implicated her. Did Rosie Ruiz (Maria Rosales) deserve to win the Boston Marathon when she jumped into the race during the last mile? They crowned her with a laurel wreath even though she crossed the finish line wearing a dry cotton T-shirt! The former Mexican presidential candidate who last week cheated to win his age group at the Berlin Marathon skipped a whole bunch of electronic checkpoints. Stupid, since he was wearing an electronic chip on his shoe! He would have had to run 9 miles in 21 minutes in order to record that finishing time. Like Ruiz, he finished while wearing a windbreaker and lyrca pants even though the temperatures with in the mid-60s! | ||
| Cynique "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Cynique Post Number: 10244 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
I don't use steroids but everytime I drink Jack Daniels and coke, I make a grand slam at the bridge table. | ||
| Troy Veteran Poster Username: Troy Post Number: 862 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
Steve_s you make a lot of interesting points and you know a lot more about the subject than I do. Are you a competitive athlete or runner? I recall in my high school days guys using steroids and this was in the 70’s. I thought those guys were nuts. While I was a gymnast and a city champion diver, I had no illusions of gracing the pages of sports illustrated and therefore no pressure to take steroids. Even as a competitor on a NCAA division 1 team I never considered steroid use – but again I was a Gymnast -- not exactly a spectator sport… You have to concede that you, do not know how many athletes are using PED’s. Further, the chemists are becoming more clever making detection even harder. False positive will increase; casting doubt over more and more atheletes. The demands for winning competitions, making new records, and obtaining the uber-lucrative advertising contracts make the cessation of PED use, legal or otherwise, virtually zero. When I say the we would enjoy the competition more, and you say “compared to what”, I say pretty much anything else. All spectator sports are entertainment. Track and field is only exciting, to the general public, when records are broken. If athletes continued to run 100 meters in 9.9 flat, for the next 30 years, it would cease to be a spectator sport with the exception of family, friends and maybe a few ex runners. The sport can not thrive in our society otherwise. Track and field will be sure to remain a marginalized fringe sport like lacrosse, gymnastics or wrestling. Only to make headlines when someone is busted using steriods, since no one will be breaking records anymore... That is not to say that this is what I want; but this is the reality. Taken to it’s extreme the WWF (or whatever it is called) attracts more spectators in a single night than perhaps all of the competitions held since the Greek tussled naked in Athens centuries ago. You say “The chance of PED use being normalized in professional sports is zero.” You may be right, but this is purely for political/social and hypercritical moral reasoning. Drug use and Prostitution are illegal in most places in the US too. However both are so lucrative; if we could tax it, we would solve the social security shortfall over night. Cynique, cyclists used to drink some concoction containing Cognac to boost their performance -- you ever considered competitive cyclying? | ||
| Chrishayden "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Chrishayden Post Number: 5443 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: N/A |
Sister Marion's case provides a reason why one should be a Republican. If she'd been a Republican and a born again Christian they wouldn't have investigated her. | ||
| Cynique "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Cynique Post Number: 10247 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
The repercussions from this debacle continue as, whether the gold medals won by the relay teams of which Marian was a member, should be returned is now being discussed. What a drag. This would mean the other runners on the team would have to give up the medals they earned "honestly". I wonder: if everybody was allowed to take steroids, would all races be a tie? Or maybe there would be a special medal awarded to the pharamacist who mixed up the best steroid concotion. | ||
| Jmho Regular Poster Username: Jmho Post Number: 297 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: N/A |
I thought it was just me, who thought, to just let every athlete, take performance enhance drugs, and call it a day, was not the way to go. If so, then why not all competitions, and not just sports? Besides, if everyone is cheating, then what's the point. The main reason why I don't have any sympathy, for anyone who broke the rules and cheated, is that they knew they were breaking rules and cheating. They took a gamble and lost. If she really thought that everyone should be allowed, to use performance enhancing drugs, then why not lobby for them to be legally used, and to have the rules changed, rather than take them, unbeknownst to others, all the while, claiming she isn't doing anything wrong. It was just a matter of time, just as in Vick's case, before the truth came out. Jones' first husband tested positive during the Games, she immediately distanced herself, from him, and left him out there by himself, though she knew that she was not drug free. Then her baby daddy tested positive and was banned for 2 years. Again, she claimed, I don't use any drugs. Now it seems to reason that, if she had the same trainer as these wrongdoers, (I read that coach has had about 6 world class athletes to have tested positive and/or been banned) and trained with them, the likelihood that she was using, is greater than not. Jones even filed a $25M lawsuit against someone who claimed she used drugs and watched inject herself, and still was saying, I am clean and have always been. Besides, no world class athlete is going to take a substance, from a coach, and not know what it is. She placed herself up on that pedestal, and now that's she has fallen down, hard to have sympathy for her. | ||
| Chrishayden "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Chrishayden Post Number: 5459 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: N/A |
CNN said that back when she won the medals is when her husband told on her. And he's the one that started the whole thing. I just heard it." Hell hath no fury like a man scorned....?????? (Well people were jumping up and down when they tried to start a "No Snitching" campaign. He just did his "duty" | ||
| Chrishayden "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Chrishayden Post Number: 5460 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: |
It would seem almost unbelievable, if all those surrounding her took them or were in shady financial deals, yet she was squeaky clean. That's why I am not buying "I didn't know and though I was taking flaxseed oil" or "I didn't know about that $25,000 check deposit into my account" defense (You'd buy it if she was white. Where were you on Arnold Schwartzenegger, the big steroid user? Sylvester Stallone? Where are you on Mark McGwire? Why are you cutting George W. Bush so much slack) |
