Marion Jones to Finally Fess Up

I was surprised to see emblazoned across the Fox News home page that three-time Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones was expected to enter a guilty plea in the U.S. District Court in White Plains, N.Y. for charges in connection with steroid use, which has dogged her for a few years. This confirmed what I had believed all along, that somehow she knew exactly what was going on with the BALCO scandal. She was associated with too many people in the scandal to be so blind as to know nothing. The great Marion Jones, may yet, take a terrible fall from which she will never recover. She will be remembered not for the medals she won, but for her role in the doping scandal that may ultimately claim the very gold medals for which she was so proud.

The Washington Post has reported that Jones sent a letter to her family and friends in which she stated she had used steroids before the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. It is said that she faces up to six months in jail and would be sentenced in three months. In addition to the jail term, Jones would face a long competition ban from the U.S. AntiDoping Agency. The admission, in and of itself, could cost her the five medals she won in Sydney, a feat that catapulted her to fame and made her an instant star. The International Olympic Committee has said that it was prepared to strip her of these medals if she confesses to the doping allegations. Under the statute of limitations rules, the IOC and other sports bodies can go back eight years to strip medals and nullify results. The stakes are painstakingly high for Jones. The International Association of Athletics Federations has said that it was awaiting official notification from the USADA detailing Jones' reported admission. If she admits to the allegations, then the IAAF could strip her 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 world championships, respectively.

It is said that she took a substance known as "the clear" for two years, commencing in 1999, which she received from her former coach Trevor Graham, who reportedly told her that it was flaxseed oil. The substance was a performance enhancing drug that was linked to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, or BALCO, which was the lab at the center of the steroids scandals that included baseball's Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield. What is unsettling, to say the least, is that Jones denied the allegations for many years and even sued BALCO founder Victor Conte in 2004 for $25 million for defamation of character. Conte repeatedly accused her of using performance-enhancing drugs and has said that he personally saw her inject herself. Jones committed a major faux pas when she deliberately lied to federal agents who questioned her in 2003, saying that she panicked when they presented her with "the clear," which was the same substance she was given by Graham. She may well have forgotten that the truth always comes back to bite you in the pants when you least expect it to. Her soul has, indeed, opened up and she will never be the same.

There is a broader issue here that permeates the entire sports industry in the United States and the world at large. Many have said that North American athletes are very arrogant and always felt that they should win the top prize. I recall when Canadian sprinter, Ben Johnson was stripped of his gold medal in 1988 during the Seoul Olympic Games after testing positive for steroid use. Johnson had won the 100 meter final in 9.79 seconds, shattering previously set world records. He had vehemently denied the allegations until the results were made public, the IOC said that they had found traces of the anabolic steroid, Stanozol in his urine. This was a great tragedy for Johnson, who could have been a great ambassador for the sports and for Canada and Jamaica, where he was born. Doping allegations have followed cyclist Lance Armstrong for several years as to the possible reasons for winning the Tour De France eight times. More and more American athletes are becoming linked to performance enhancing drug use. Consider sprinter Justin Gatlin, who was rather ostentatious in his behavior when he beat Jamaica's Asafa Powell and others. Gatlin, who was also trained by Graham was banned for doping violations following a positive test for testosterone and other steroids at the Kansas Relays last April. There is a common thread in this scandal that includes Marion Jones' circle, former boyfriend, Tim Montgomery, who was banned for two years and also faces sentencing for being part of a criminal scheme to cash millions of dollars worth of stolen or forged checks. Jones' longtime agent and Olympian Steve Riddick, who was her former coach, were also implicated in this scam. Bank records have shown that Jones received a check from one of the alleged conspirators, Nathaniel Alexander who shared office space with Riddick and was also convicted. The check she received was never cashed and she was never implicated in the scandal.

I feel no sympathy for Marion Jones, who it is said is broke. Seven years after winning a record five Olympic medals and signing multimillion-dollar endorsement deals, she is broke. She is heavily in debt and last year a bank foreclosed on her $2.5 million mansion in North Carolina. She was also forced to sell two other properties, including her mother's house, to raise money. Veteran track coach Dan Pfaff has won a judgment against her for about $240,000 in unpaid training fees and legal expenses. Last year, a sample of her urine tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug EPO. She was eventually cleared after a backup sample tested negative, but she missed at least five major international meets and has forfeited an estimated $300,000 in appearance and performance fees. This situation could have been avoided if she had played by the rules and not cheated. She could have made a real difference in the lives of young African American children who aspire to be athletes one day. One article has said that in her prime, she was one of track and field's first female millionaires, typically earning between $70,000 and $80,000 a race, earning at least another $1 million from race bonuses and endorsement deals.

There are several lessons for us to learn in this latest scandal. One must be honorable and dignified in all one's undertakings or the truth will rear its ugly head at the least opportune moment. You cannot continue to cheat and not get caught. When you are caught cheating, you cannot lie your way out of the situation because you are creating an even more insurmountable situation for yourself. Additionally, you have to surround yourself with the right people and have the right friends. Marion, it is time to face the music, if you are guilty! Marion Jones, for what it is worth, could have been one of the greatest athletes that ever lived and be considered among greats such Jessie Owens, Jackie Joyner Kersee, Merlene Ottey, Florence Griffith-Joyner, Wilma Rudolph, Carl Lewis, to name a few. The sad reality is that her image has been forever tarnished and yes, today, her soul opened up.....