The headlines started to surface and confirmed what many thought for years - The New York Times: "Olympic Champion Acknowledges Use of Steroids" and ESPN.com: "Jones used steroids for two years before 2000 Games." These past images of the one time darling of track & field are no longer.
Although I'm extremely disappointed, I'm not surprised that Marion Jones finally admitted to steroids use as far back as 1999 before her historic run at the Sydney Games (technically she is pleading guilty to lying to federal agents when asked about her drug use, but she sent out letters to friends and family apologizing for her steroid use and for disappointing everyone).
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/trackandfield/news/story?id=3049333
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/sports/othersports/05araton.html?ref=sports
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/sports/othersports/05balco.html?ref=sports
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1668849,00.html?imw=Y
I was a huge fan of hers for many years and I didn't want to believe that she was involved in steroids. She was a great role model and face of the sport. Her smile and happy go lucky attitude intoxicated everyone. However, when allegation after allegation was levied against her and every man in her life had been involved with and convicted of using steroids (CJ Hunter, Tim Montgomery, Victor Conte) it's hard to imagine that she wasn't involved in taking performance enhancing drugs as well. Every time she was asked in the past about steroids, she vehemently denied it and made fools of everyone around her. She even filed a libel suit against Victor Conte that was settled out of court. I guess you can't lie forever - it will catch up to you eventually (see Pete Rose). It is just sad that another great athlete has proven to be a fraud and has ruined it for many others. Unfortunately we live in a world now that when someone accomplishes a great feat or breaks a record, we can't fully embrace it. There is now always a small part of us asking ourselves "is this person clean?"
I was a huge fan of hers for many years and I didn't want to believe that she was involved in steroids. She was a great role model and face of the sport. Her smile and happy go lucky attitude intoxicated everyone. However, when allegation after allegation was levied against her and every man in her life had been involved with and convicted of using steroids (CJ Hunter, Tim Montgomery, Victor Conte) it's hard to imagine that she wasn't involved in taking performance enhancing drugs as well. Every time she was asked in the past about steroids, she vehemently denied it and made fools of everyone around her. She even filed a libel suit against Victor Conte that was settled out of court. I guess you can't lie forever - it will catch up to you eventually (see Pete Rose). It is just sad that another great athlete has proven to be a fraud and has ruined it for many others. Unfortunately we live in a world now that when someone accomplishes a great feat or breaks a record, we can't fully embrace it. There is now always a small part of us asking ourselves "is this person clean?"
3 comments:
Unfortunately we live in a world now that when someone accomplishes a great feat or breaks a record, we can't fully embrace it. There is now always a small part of us asking ourselves "is this person clean?"
oh yeah...the letsrun.com message board is full of that.
I can only hope that we are in that interim period when past champions are being exposed, and that today's champions have learned that steroids are not the way...
This has to end soon.
Out of all of the recent scandals, I felt the most betrayed by this one. She was such a great athlete and person and you wanted to believe so much that she was telling the truth. Unfortunately it just shows that no matter how steadfastly someone denies an allegation, you can never be sure. Where there's smoke there's fire and there haven't be too many people, if any, that have been wrongly accused yet. You can watch her press conference from today on MSNBC.com. It was both saddening and disappointing. It just seems that these doping scandals will never stop. I hope things get better soon.
Post a Comment