Update: USTFCCCA comes to its senses and removes Randolph Ross from Bowerman consideration

Maybe they're taking a page out of the Rojo's Doper's Playbook and excusing clear-cut and blatant violation of the doping rules?

Yes, unfortunately, that seems to be common practice here, see for example Drummond, Graham, Kersee, Mitchell, Ross Sr, Salazar, Schumacher etc. etc.

Rojo speaks. The world listens.

They have removed him as a finalist.

ustfccca.org

The Bowerman: Statement Regarding Randolph Ross Jr.

USTFCCCA Communications

The Bowerman

Open link

Good job Rojo!

Well, Shelby had neither a good explanation nor was screwed over, and yet you're quick to jump to her defense.

Damn straight!

Good to see this update but there’s a much bigger issue with the finalists that I haven’t seen you address: how the heck is Joseph Fahnbulleh not a finalist?? He should be the winner!

Randolph posted on his instagram that he had a whereabouts violation and attempted to doctor a previous whereabouts confirmation email to get off the hook for the violation. Oops!

Randolph took one straight from the playbook here.

1. Highlight you never had a negative test (Lance, Marion, etc.)

2. Accept blame for being forgetful but also lessen your most egregious (that is known offense.) Using the phrase “attempting to correct my absent-mindedness” sounds much better than “forged an email to trick drug testers”.

3. Deflect. Making this about the Bowerman is meant to distract from the actual issue. 3 year ban, no Olympics, etc.

4. Paint yourself the victim. “The Track and Field world is one of the most corrupt organizations in the world”. What organization? The Bowerman? WADA? USADA? AIU? IAAF?

5. The Bowerman tried to make him lie and remove himself. Can this actually be confirmed or denied? Another smoke screen to gain sympathy.

I am looking too far into a post but it reads to like word garbage. As we saw with Houlihan though, thousands of people will tell him he is great and they believe the story. These athletes can go sit in their social media cocoon and feel they are vindicated. The only part of all of this we know is true, he missed 3 tests in 65 days and forged an email as a cover up. Outside of that, its all word garbage.

It really is remarkable how similar they all are. Complete with a parade of character affirming statements from friends "I know so and so and they would never."

Regarding your 5th point, I would bet money that the Bowerman Award committee told him that they were going to remove him but that if he wanted to, he could officially withdraw himself first and they would let the official narrative would be that he withdrew rather than be removed—making him look better. For some reason, he decided to take what he believes to be the high road here: refusing to “lie” and say that he was withdrawing.

I agree with you—this is word vomit and it only serves to make me even less sympathetic for him.

Sad but true. And some of the apologists will defend the cheater here, and attack those who don't agree.

Why in God's name?? On IG?? Does he not have an attorney?? Where is his dad?? I think he's too young and doesn't have enough life experience to even realize these people are trying to HELP him. Others in the same situation have kept their mouths shut, their head down, and had time removed from their ban. IG is not your therapist.
These kids need handlers.

Where is his dad, lol. His dad is a convicted drug cheat, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree

Well, yeah, we know that, but it would seem you might want to keep your kid from having to go through the same ish.

Or maybe Dad thought he had a better process after learning from experience. Amazing how good NC A&T was.