Why Was A Man With A 10-Year Doping Ban Enjoying The 2012 US Olympic Track & Field Trials From The Nike Sky Box?

rojo wrote:

. . . or give me a call 607-330-4786.

Did you really just post your phone number on this message board?

90lb VS. 180lb wrote:

rojo wrote:

. . . or give me a call 607-330-4786.

Did you really just post your phone number on this message board?

That is the letsrun.com office number. It's already in the public domain. As for John Capriati's email, someone had posted it here but I deleted it.

I'm assuming that was a joke that he'd be willing to help.

Capriotti should be questioned and his response or lack thereof analyzed.

Rojo,

I'd really like to know where you were at the end of the video when you were stopped by security. Forget Nike, what was Block doing with a USATF credential that could get him past that guy but not you. Being allowed into an athletes'/coaches only area seems pretty "involved" to me, far more than a Nike fat cat tent.

This is a good angle to pursue. Someone call USATF or the USOC if USATF stonewalls. Or USADA.

Fabulous job by Rojo in pulling in a couple hundred hits ($$$) by making spurious and fabricated statements about one Mr. Block. Block may be a bad guy, but Rojo has absolutely no evidence that:

1. He was ever invited into the Nike tent;

2. That anyone who knew him didn't tell him to leave;

3. That the "supposed" photo of Capriati and Block, is not a photo of a pissed off Capriati, telling Bloc to leave.

4. That Block had any sort of "credentials" other than a ticket to the Oly Trials,

5. That Jeter has anything to do with Block (she did ignore him in the athlete area, didn't she).

6. The the 10 year ban says that he can't attend track and field events around the country/world.

Were Rojo a real investigative reporter, he would have:

1. Researched and understood the language contained in Block's ban;

2. Noticed that in the photo on the tent steps and in the video in the athlete area, Block did not have any credentials displayed.

3. Avoided the multiple "ASSumptions" that he has made, without any legwork, checking out anything.

This is either a SAD, SAD example of an investigative report of of a incompetent human being with a chip on his shoulder and jealousy seeping through his skin.

questioned? Why not interrogated? Bring out the towel and bucket. Let's waterboard him! Yeah!

oh yeah?

explain this.

The sad fact of the matter is most of the country and most of the world doesn't really give a crap about this sport.

I just didn't get excited about the report as a "story."

Call me jaded, but there is low class in Block's past behavior, and there is low class in the Brojo's and this sites behavior. Once they did their amateur hour job I figured someone legit at the Oregonian would pick it up...

The Brojos have broken a lot of non-stories in their day (the hilarious Bolt-flinch comes to mind, yawn) but this one seems to have merit. Seems this dude is still very much involved with the sport. As A Duck has pointed out, no one has shed light on the explicit terms of Block's ban. I assume they will come soon. When we know the exact details, we will find one of two things: either he is in violation of his ban, or the ban itself has no teeth.

Either way, something has to change. Props to the Brojos for busting this out.

Ding, ding, ding!

I think one of the biggest problems with Rojo and this site in general is their complete denial to their own lack of professional standards, and professionalism.

And it is possible for two things to be true at the same time. 1. Block shouldn't have been there. 2. This site is unprofessional -- to the point that it cannot be taken seriously by a lot of people as a source of professional journalism.

It's pretty obvious -- if you wanted an investigative piece of journalism done on a story like this -- this is not the place you would come. USA Today, ESPN, The Oregonian (although they all have their limitations) yeah. Here...well it very quickly stretched a lot of people's tolerances.

Not Buying It wrote:

Fabulous job by Rojo in pulling in a couple hundred hits ($$$) by making spurious and fabricated statements about one Mr. Block. Block may be a bad guy, but Rojo has absolutely no evidence that:

4. That Block had any sort of "credentials" other than a ticket to the Oly Trials,

Please explain to me how someone with no credentials other than a ticket got to the athletes' area. Rojo at least had press credentials and he was immediately stopped. I think walking right into the warm up area is pretty good evidence that he was more than a spectator. I'm a coach on the USATF directory with an athlete competing and I couldn't get in there. Forget Nike, USATF dropped the ball on this.

"Capriotti should be questioned and his response or lack thereof analyzed."

===========

So, "smoking gun" has photos a Cap talking with Block. First off, this sounds like a typical LR bs post. Secondly, if Cap was talking with Block, he was likely telling him to get his ass out of the VIP area. Yes, Block had a sh#t eating grin as he went down the steps. The sh#t eating grin of a guy just kicked out of a VIP tent.

Read more:

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=4667211&page=15#ixzz1zpLTlAGX

Clifford Diffley wrote:

Hayduke wrote:

ps I would rather laugh, groan, and ignore loser message board posters than spend 5 minutes filling out a registration form!

with OAuth affiliation, you wouldn't have to. you could assert your facebook or other social media credentials and login with that.

Yeah, that would not kill this message bord right?

Use your head, moron.

dd wrote:

[quote]A Duck wrote:

3. As several others pointed out, either there was a simple story to why said banned person/friend was admitted into the Nike area, or their was a loophole allowing the guy to attend meets. I took no dog in this fight, because I didn't know the facts. Once the story came to light, I figured legitimate news sources...like the Oregonian would get an official response...and that the story, whatever legs it might have...would evolve from legitimate news sources like that, or TFN (way down the line).

I'm sorry A duck, but are you a complete moron?

The official respons would be the same no matter what the real story was! Even if Phil Knight gave him the credentials, the official story would be that it was a mistake or something.

How can you NOT understand this?

anonomie me wrote:

This site is unprofessional -- to the point that it cannot be taken seriously by a lot of people as a source of professional journalism.

So Rojo is at the olympic trials. He sees Block coming out of the VIP Nike Tent. At this point really he has 2 options.

a)do nothing or b)put it on his website.

In what universe did he not chose the option than any other good journalist would have? Personally, my opinion about Nike has not changed much at all. I still think they care more about money than about any particular sport or athlete. My opinion about letsrun has changed though. I'm glad they were able to provide us this story.

What does Mark Block do a for a living? What does his W-2 say for an employer? He sure has a lot of time on his hands to still be this involved with track and field.

Thank you, Rojo! Keep it up!