Carmelita Jeter Walks Out of Monaco Press Conference after Doping Question

this is what really kills the sport.

Jeter is so arrogant, even when the manager talks next to her, she is laughing...

well, they get paid for running not for the brains and intelligence...

The day she gets busted will be a great day for our sport

coach d wrote:

Rules apply to journalists as well as athletes. They were told the rules and they chose to try to get around the rules.

How is Simon Hart better than Asafa Powell?

I'd walk out, too, as would most athletes.

Total bullsht. It's a press conference, biggest story in the sport this week, and they expect to allow any questions on it to be off the table???

THIS IS THE FCKING HOME TOWN OF THE IAAF YOU IDIOT.

It's the company town, and if they can't prepare the athletes to answer the questions in a classy prepared statement kind of way -- and then segue to pumping up their race and the meet by complimenting their competitors and the event -- then they are all incompetent idiots. And you want to support that?

Walking out just makes you look like you have contempt for the sport, the fans, the press.

Carmelita is innocent until proven guilt; she is however guilty of being arrogant and over playing her hand.

You could teach a 12 year old how to handle that situation, not only better, but well.

"Well, of course we're all disappointed by the events last week. We're here today to focus on this great meeting in Monaco, I'd like to talk about my great competitors I'll be facing and what a great race it will be...so in so has a season best of XX.X and looks to be in great shape and a tough competitor tomorrow..." bla bla bla. Easy. Done.

Both of them could have just used the questions to flip the journalists attempts -- and then gone on to promote the meet in a classy way.

I'm not surprised that Coach d would be a snitty primadonna and walk out and make the sport look bad, rather than handle it with class.

I can't imagine say Jenny Simpson not being able to handle those questions and then promote the meet like PRO.

Freaking Mary Cain could have handle it classier than those two sprinting air headed children.

d is still butthurt because his crutch in all of this, "Project Believe", has failed him.

joho wrote:

Wasn't it Wejo that took a beating for asking doping questions once?

I understand why a journalist would ask such a question. But, really, what do they expect to get in return except for some corporate approved jargon. Did the journalist expect Carmelita to come clean if she was doping? And if she isn't, who is going to be convinced by her answer? If you think she is a doped you are going to think she is a doper regardless of her answer.

It's a no win situation for the athlete. Walking out does look bad though.

Classy "corporate" approved jargon is the appropriate first step as they cannot comment on cases that are not their own.

Then they can hype the meet. And just repeat, "we're hear to talk about the meet and our races, we know there was a big story last week, you'll need to talk to those parties that are involved, if you would like to ask me a question about my competitors or how I think my chances are, I am happy to answer.."

That's what she gets paid to do.

+1 - well said. These people are adult professionals, they should be able to smile and say no comment

Paavo's Stopwatch wrote:

The rules weren't made by the meet, but by those individual athletes' managers. Granted, the meet should have told their managers that questions about doping will not be made off limits.

If either of them care about having a clean sport, they should welcome questions about doping and use those questions as opportunity to speak out against doping and advocate for a clean sport.

Indeed. Coach d sounds like an idiot and an apologist for dopers.

lost in Boston wrote:

If someone talks for a while it's frequently the case that they will reveal facts or attitudes that they would like not to come out. That's one of the reasons why lawyers advise their clients not to speak. It is hard to hold together a web of lies in a pressure situation. The truth has a way of leaking out. Hence, the gag order.

If you can't be coached to lay down a pat, classy statement, and then roll to praising the event and your competitors -- then you are an idiot with an IQ of 89.

Pro's would have spent some time last night, and today, with basic media training and a short script and spin to promoting the meet -- OTHERWISE WHY HAVE THE FREAKING PRESS CONFERENCE.

THIS IS IN THE IAAF HOME CITY -- THE COMPANY TOWN, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.

MANY UNDERLINGS DROPPED THE GD BATON HERE.

EMBARRASSING. FOR OUR SPORT.

Hey glad they are testing more and harder and catching more, but in this area, they did a total FAIL for a sport that needs to be out front and show the most positive face to the media.

Otherwise, why put these embarrassments on stage???

While this is definitely an important issue that needs to be addressed, I can't really fault the athletes for not wanting to talk about it at a pre-meet press conference. In this environment, any question directed towards them about doping will carry an implicit accusation of doping. Guilty or not, there is nothing wrong with not wanting to deal with that.

Furthermore, press conferences in general can be obnoxious (speaking about press conferences for all sports). Athletes are essentially put on display and have all kinds of negative questions hurled at them. There is a big difference between seeking the truth and just harassing someone.

Finally, what truth is actually being pursued here? Simply asking a generic question about doping doesn’t automatically illuminate the issue, especially when the speaker is someone without any influence on the IAAF/testing agencies. I can't imagine that these questions would have yielded anything more than a hackneyed 'it's bad for the sport' response.

_This wrote:

How hard is it for these idiots to learn a few PR type prepared comments and then ask for the questions to move on to another topic.

Speed doesn't make up for shitty education.

Jeter the cheater should have been booted years ago. It's a comedy seeing her toe the line in a woman's race.

Did she have a safe room to hide from the drug testers, like Serena Williams did?

at the very least babble like Rachel Jenteal, no one will be able to understand you and MSNBC will call you a genius the next day.

The first rule of dope club: There is no dope club

well then don't show up to the press conference. If you are so thin skinned that you can't smile and say 'no comment' and wait for question that meets your criteria for acceptability...then you are a punk with no manners or sophistication.

After three 'no comments' the press would get the idea and start asking about your race and fitness. Instead jeter bolted like a child.

I've said it countless times before. Our sport is a dope ridden joke at the elite level. This is just another glimpse into how much of a joke it is at that level.

Agree, and basic training in how to handle those questions with class, and not attitude, is easy enough for a 12 year old.

Jeter has a snooty attitude and lacks the intelligence to handle it.

She is in a echo chamber with her coaches.

TLW wrote:

I've said it countless times before. Our sport is a dope ridden joke at the elite level. This is just another glimpse into how much of a joke it is at that level.

yeah, but just up to 1500m...

Here is the giant obvious fact about human behavior: If cheating were truly rare and a cheater were caught and suspended or banned, then the remaining athletes would no doubt speak openly about how good it is to clear the immoral, unfair element out of the sport. They would reflect on how cheaters devalue the efforts of clean athletes and devalue the experience, money and attention of fans.

Instead they behave like this, and the beat goes on.

The first rule of dope club: There is no dope club

We'll know that we have turned the corner when athletes freely and openly discuss there distaste for doping and unclean competition in front of one another and in front of fans. This may happen soon, it may happen in awhile, and it may never happen.