What are the chance Wiley gets a major shoe contract?

+1

They won't care about a suspicious runner - see not only Gatlin but also the long-term support for Decker + Graham + Houlihan + Kersee + M. Jones + C. Lewis + Mitchell + Salazar + Schumacher etc. etc.

On the contrary, there is reasonable hope that she'd do whatever Kersee or Schumacher or whoever will tell her to do. No worries there.

Is the goal of a runner who runs fast to make money or run for the intrinsic joy of running? I say she should take a stand for amateurism and turn down all offers by shoe companies that make their products in countries that exploit their workers and have suspect or low records with respect to basic human freedoms.

Just Say No to Skechers.

Just Say No to Lululemon.

Just Say No to Dr. Martens.

Just Say No to AllBirds.

Just Say No to Altra.

Just Say No to Hoka.

Just Say No to New Balance.

Just Say No to Adidas.

Just Say No to Puma.

Just Say No to Uncle Phil’s Waffles.

Do you do your job for free? No, you don't. So why would you expect a runner to work for free? Don't runners have a right to earn a living?

Athletes don't get to tell their agent who that agent can or can't represent. That’s not how it works.

This what I think some folks really miss: it's not the doping thing that is the cause of the hesitation. It's the walking PR nightmare of her former coaches and the university that would cause sponsors to be hesitant, especially as these things wind their way through the courts.

As little as some posters like it, the shoe companies obviously agree with you.

We know that they know who she is.

We know that they have done a cost/benefit analysis.

We know that they like to sign athletes before their full value is realized, and be there as the athlete's stock goes up. Signing an athlete like this a year before the Olympics would be ideal.

We know that they are will to take some risk (we can insert a long list of names here, and some posters already have; Armstrong, Kaepernick, etc.).

And yet we also know that nobody has signed her yet. That could change any day, obviously. But as of today, it is what it is.

There are reasons for that.

You aren't looking at this correctly. Sponsors don't make decisions based on someone's FORMER coaches.

And if Wiley goes pro, then she is no longer a student athlete at Huntington.

Nike would definitely sponsor her. They have a long list of shady runners, doesn't seem like they care. Most runners at the top dope.

Plus the brand will have PR get her puff pieces

Yes, there are reasons for that, but not necessarily the reasons that you think.

It's normal for these negotiations to take awhile, which is one possibility for her delay in making an announcement about a sponsor. Also, it's possible that Wiley is still deciding whether or not she wants to run another year for her school.

Give me a break. Sydney McLaughlin is very religious. So is Britton Wilson. So are plenty of other athletes. That doesn't automatically make someone suspicious.

And Sydney is coached by a drug cheat/associate of a drug cheat. Of course she's a "nice girl." But is she clean? I doubt it. Do I wish they were all clean? Yes. Are they? Hell no.

Sydney has posted religious stuff on social media since she was in high school. So once again, just because because someone is religious doesn't automatically make them suspicious.

This and the statement she posted to instagram (along with several of her teammates) after the article in the Indy Star came out.

Not directly, but they can certainly leave the agent. I’m pretty sure gold medalists have other options. The athlete is more valuable to the agent than the other way around.

Every single major running/shoe brand has had dopers. Nike just happens to sign more athletes in general. More apples, higher chance you'll find more bad ones. Additionally, not one single NOP athlete was ever convicted of doping. That fact seems to be washed over time and time again. Ten years later, would we even care about L-Carnitine when you've got 90% of athletes slurping down Maurten baking soda on the start line?

Anyways, someone will sign Wiley, but it likely won't be Nike. The weird situation and her young age of just 19 probably feels a bit too much like the girl from NY they went down this road with 10 years ago. I'm sure a couple of agents are camped outside her house, though. Look for Adidas to sign her. They're at an arms length from the US market and they likely don't care if Wiley stay in that cook-oo situation.

Wiley had an incredible year, but this all seems too much too soon. She may be America's next great female distance runner, but if history has taught us anything, buckle up.... The red flags are already waiving.