Thoughts on Jones
October 9th, 2007 " Could someone explain to me why I can count on 1 hand the number of interview requests I have had this year. Yet Marion’s confession story breaks and I had seven requests in the same day?? They said they want to know what the current U.S. sprint queen feels. So now I am your queen?? I understand the media has a job to do. That is all fine but it doesn’t change the way I feel about the circumstances under which I was approached.
At any rate here is my perspective. I found out about Marion’s recent confessions Thursday evening just off the plane from Korea where I finished out my season by answering my mother’s phone. My sister was on the other end. She thought I already knew that Marion had confessed to using performance enhancing substances so mentioned it matter of factly during our conversation.
My first response to Marion’s announcement was that I was unmoved by the situation but glad she came clean. Now, there is no reason to wonder. But Friday evening I saw her address the public and emotions swirled as I listened to her speak. Track was not a childhood dream for me as you hear many elite athletes say. With my performances of the past year, I have often wondered if some of my suffering is because of lack of love for what I do. But you don’t get as worked up as I did watching her speak because of something you don’t care about. When it comes to my feelings toward Marion, I am back and forth between sad for her unfortunate situation and angry at the mess she has created and left for current athletes to clean up. I also wonder if I am a poor judge of character that was taken advantage of by a con artist or is Marion a good person who made some bad decisions. In 2004, she treated me like a little sister and I thought surely this woman can not be the monster the media claims she is. She even remembered my birthday. Marion Jones called me to wish me happy 21st birthday. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to live a lie so important to all you’re telling it to. One thing I grasped well very early in childhood was the idea that for every action there is a reaction. I became very good at measuring the consequences of my behavior and deciding whether what would happen was worth my taking on the momentary gratification.
Marion is a smart woman and although I have never considered her an idol I have always been impressed with her ability to articulate. Being able to put your thoughts together instantly and having them flow from your mouth so smoothly is a gift. I can’t understand how she couldn’t know that the effects of her behavior being kept secret were waaaay larger than just her own embarrassment. Sometimes you have to swallow your pride and do what will be for the greater good of everyone involved. I try to tell myself that although this decision affects me directly, everyone in life makes bad decisions. If she had had an affair with a married man we wouldn’t be discussing it. As long as that married man wasn’t my husband or the husband of someone close to me I wouldn’t care. But that is definitely an action I frown upon, just like drug use. So shouldn’t she be forgiven and we move on? Easier said than done. Still my sympathetic side had to agree with a close friend of mine who summed my own thoughts up better than I could by saying “I don’t wish bad on anyone nor do I condone drug use or cheating. What happened to Marion is very unfortunate. Although many will believe she got what she deserved, I don’t think it is for me nor anyone to judge or prescribe.
Why I believe her situation is unfortunate is because she has created a life outside of track and field. And that life consists of two children and a new husband. Her children, will have a period in their life w/o a mother due to the decisions she’s made in the past and/or the people she chose to associate herself with. That is unfair to them. So now maybe u can understand ‘unfortunate’ because now her past has caught up to her present and will effect not only her future but her children’s future.” I asked this question before I met her in 2004. What did she contribute to our sport so far? I saw plenty of commercials and interviews but I have never heard about anyone saying that Marion contributed anything to the sport off the track. It is 2007, and I still wonder what other than run fast did she do to improve the sport for everyone?? I think Marion owes us something. She should make an effort to redeem the sport. She shouldn’t go hide now in shame. She should speak to children about how not to make the same mistake. She should discuss with USADA what they can do better, and at meets make herself available to answer questions to fans of the sport. She should serve on a panel at the USATF national convention this December where we can ask her whatever we want about how this happened and explain to her how we feel. Also there should also be a tell all that explains the whole story and how it unfolded. Many people don’t condone writing a book that tells a story of conspiracy, fraud and other negative behavior by an author.
Of course, the author profits but if she doesn’t plan to explain any further than what she has disclosed to the media, then I think the least she could do is write a book telling her whole story so we can get a better understanding of what happened. As far as the timing of her announcement, I am glad this broke now as opposed to next year. Once the season has started it should be old news to the mainstream media. Hopefully those few who cover us regularly know the importance of not dwelling on this for the stake of salvaging what is left of our sport. The announcement itself is bad for the sport. I don’t mean that she should have continued to hide the truth I mean the fact that this happened at all is bad for those of us currently competing. Every spectacular performance will be scrutinized. I believe with science and technical improvements and increased knowledge of the sport, we should be faster now than ever before — DRUG FREE!! One more comment about the media! I am disgusted that we couldn’t get ESPN coverage of the world championships in Osaka. At least a brief highlight of the Americans who medaled would have been nice. But Marion’s story made SportsCenter for the whole day and is still a topic now five days later. People wanted to give their expert opinion about a sport they know nothing about. America doesn’t watch us because we are very seldom televised. That is why no one knows anything of our sport except the drug scandal. And I’m confused about the timing as she explained first taking the drug. Sept. of 2000? Wasn’t the original statement 1999? If I am unsure of the info I am getting just imagine how people that are uneducated about our sport are misconstruing the facts and spreading this misinformation.
I find it amazing no one, be it the media who has covered everything else or the athletes who have been implicated and/or banned while working with Trevor Graham, has publicly slammed him for his role in these athletes’ demise, if they truly didn’t know what he was doing. I would hate to test positive to doping because I trusted someone who gave me something illegal. So the first thing I would do is shout it from the roof top that I was taken advantage of. And where is Trevor anyway? Why hasn’t he said anything in his own defense? That about sums up my thoughts for now. What more is there to say except SOMEONE HAS SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!!! –sub11 "