Looking forward to the article. Another piece that needs to be reported is the absolutely pathetic Swiss cheese system that is the NCAA testing system. We know that there have been people who tested positive but then competed while their appeal was pending at foreign testing bodies (either their local nation's anti-drug testing outfit or WADA). But I wonder if this whole Clevenger thing, which is not they important in the grand scheme of things (Iowa State was a great team, but Clevenger was an also ran on the team) is a canary in the cole mine about doping trickling down.
With NIL's being signed earlier and earlier, and the prospect of life changing money for some (even a small $100,000 contract is a big deal for poor families), the motivations to cheat (money, fame, prestige) trickle down further and further. If very good high school senior, say somebody who qualified for XC Nationals but finished 40th there, tested positive, would we know because of FERPA? If not, does this create a situation where people can dope as long as they're enrolled in institutions of higher education? I can think of only one positive of a high school runner who was mediocre that I know of, and I only know of that because usada found his father provided the drugs and banned his father for life.
I don't know how extensive it might be, which is why it would be interesting to see it reported. But I do think that the prospect of NIL money has moved the time frame when people may dope up, and greatly expanded the pool of people who might dope. Nobody is going to dope to win a ribbon at some DII dual meet. But if you hit a time that you know comes with a NIL contract that is more money than you've ever had in your life, it's a different equation.