Mo Trafeh, 2-time FL finallist, 8-time US champ, US 25k record holder, has been caught with EPO, will retire from sport

A good editor doesn't just proofread for typos. The questions themselves need to be edited. The questions are valid, but need to be reworded. There is an art to communication.

By retirement he means, "Wait it out a year, then switch to triathlon."

Rojo:

Given that you are incapable of writing a comprehensible and grammatically correct sentence, most people doubt that you wrote your Junior Papers and Senior Thesis without help.

Who did you pay to write those papers? Can we see the receipts?

Who else did you see violating the Honor Code?

Was Wejo also involved in cheating?

Will you be renouncing your degree?

Did your father bribe the admissions officer?

txRUNNERgirl wrote:

A good editor doesn't just proofread for typos. The questions themselves need to be edited. The questions are valid, but need to be reworded. There is an art to communication.

A good editor would ask if the story needs to be run at all. The part about MT being caught w/ EPO and retiring was fine. Honestly running the questions and the back and forth with the attorney didn't add any understanding of the story at all.

You didn't read my questions. I did ask that one. That was like #1 on my list.

In thinking of alternatives, I've thought of a few scenarios where it's not as sinister as you/I initially though.

He could be thinking about doping but then asking a friend, significant other or spiritual advisor if they thought it was right/wrong for him to take it to get back to his old form.

I asked the question because I too initially thought, "Wait a minute. WHo is leading him to doping? but it could be the other way around I guess."

Great post.

The whole time I just kept saying to myself, "This makes no sense. They are coming to us - not the other way around. They obviously are looking for sympathy but then putting out a statement that isn't going to generate any."

thank you for clearing that up. my understanding was that this was an initial line of questioning based on the article. if these were questions after a sustained relationship without answers being given I can understand an escalation of the severity of questioning. Is that kind if what you are describing Wejo?

So well put. Those questions about high school and Arizona were idiotic to put in a pre-interview screener, and half of the other questions were just rhetorical questions saying "you know we don't believe you, right?"

HORRIBLE journalism.

Rojo seems less interested in getting "the truth" than saying "nyah-nyah, we kneeeeew it."

Damn the pissing/moaning about the line of questions...Read below. Let's pin this down more and maybe expose some other suspected cheaters that USADA can intercept in airports and toll bridges. Network a la Kip Litton and let's nab some more!Where did he train?Who was he associated with? What are the patterns of Mo, Hesch, Fagan that match other current elites?

Location? wrote:

Where abouts in the US is Trafeh usually based?

I have read that he s[ends time training in Morocco, but where is his US base?

Does he have any connection to Christian Hesch?

Or Martin "I got caught the first time I took it" Fagan?

i.e. has he trained with or been based in the same place as these guys?

Just interested to see if there was any connection?

I disagree. If he had evidence on that scale he should come clean about it to help clean up the sport.

great question by rojo imho.

I had forgotten that one! It is as if they hijacked the timing system for that one.

suburbanxcore wrote:

I think what was shadier about Mo than anything (in recent memory) was when he went to Morocco for that 5000 to get a qualifying standard on the day the window closed. Miraculously, he hit the standard by about a tenth of a second to make the OT.

GaryB wrote:

PED use is done by people with very little moral character. Money has less to do with it than taking short cuts in all aspects in life and not thinking they are wrong. Just look at the statements made by those who have been caught, they talk about how good they were, and almost always take the victim role. I bet they cheat in their business deals, relationships, education, life.

Therefore, ban big pharma, hospitals and doctor quacks.

Meanwhile, let's focus on RUNNING, not drugs.

Brojos: contact Harry and have him generate any journalism-related content in the future. Absolutely spot on.

Harry Carey wrote:

For a long time now, I have sat on the sidelines watching the BroJos throw cringe-worthy, supposedly "tough" questions at athletes, and this time I really have to weigh in.

(perfect analysis)

........We end up learning nothing that we don't already know.

txRUNNERgirl wrote:

A good editor doesn't just proofread for typos. The questions themselves need to be edited. The questions are valid, but need to be reworded. There is an art to communication.

A good book to read about editing your writing is Stephen King's "On Writing." Even though King's book is about writing fiction, the basic ideas about writing apply to any writing. A good interview should tell an interesting story.

Here is an interesting quote from King's book:

"In the spring of my senior year at Lisbon High—1966, this would have been—I got a scribbled comment that changed the way I rewrote my fiction once and forever. Jotted below the machine-generated signature of the editor was this mot: 'Not bad, but PUFFY. You need to revise for length. Formula: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft – 10%. Good luck.'

"I wish I could remember who wrote that note—Algis Budrys, perhaps. Whoever it was did me a hell of a favor. I copied the formula out on a piece of shirt-cardboard and taped it to the wall beside my typewriter. Good things started to happen for me shortly thereafter."

20 Writing Rules by King:

Great point. I completely agree rojo.

Some people on this thread ask why some of us are harping on your questioning vs. the actual story. I won't speak for others. For me, honestly I don't post often on these boards but I am very passionate about doping, like you. I see this as an opportunity to learn a lot more about doping in the sport so I hope you all will do what you can to get info out of mo.

thanks

rm

Sports and More wrote:

Drugs should unequivocally be in the dialogue because if they are not, we risk a playing field of runners who are not competing against times, but against which country and scientist can provide the best PED to arrive at the optimum time.

This is EXACTLY what the brojos and big pharma are doing, promoting the idea that drugs are NECESSARY to run your best, even to run AT ALL, in this modern world.

Which is a bunch of hogwash.

Drugs are not necessary to run one's best, never have been and never will be.

This piece of shit wasn't very talented anyways and he never won any real distances with a competitive field except for the Half thon. Anyways, he does need to get real. He probably did take the EPO, and based on that coach saying "he was on drugs in high school" and all the accusations I wouldn't have a hard time believing that he had doped previously. And I definitely think mo trafeh saying the whole bullf-ck about being able to win the case if he had the financial support just proves he's a son of a bitch. He in fact should have been required to answer those questions because they weren't insulting, the questions were down to f.ucking earth. Screw your sorry ass mo trafeh. You are a load of emuf'uck! You have let everyone down and increased this sport's bad rap about doping. I hate you

renewed marathoner wrote:

I disagree. If he had evidence on that scale he should come clean about it to help clean up the sport.

great question by rojo imho.

Of course he should come clean, that's not the debate. It's the manner in which it was asked. Great job by Rojo for trying, but not a great job in execution.

agree wholeheartedly

You have outlined the Brojos perspective quite well. With this in mind, they didn't need to ask any questions at all, but simply to publish the story, and then post their interpretation of the story.