Conte claimed that two positive tests among major US track athletes at the 1988 Olympics were covered up. Which I believe entirely. The logical inference is Flo Jo and Jackie Joyner Kersee. Flo Jo retired almost immediately thereafter. I also believe they were covering for Jones, who was set to be the golden girl of the 2000 Olympics, especially after her husband tested positive. Jones was only found out due to the Balco scandal.
The landscape is that doping is universally ignored and tacitly encouraged. In sprinting you are dealing with Jamaica, the UK, and the rest. in that environment, once you establish that the playing field is not level, the logical response by USTAF is to turn a blind eye to US doping. I cannot really say that as an immoral response. If doping is so rampant that you have to cheat to compete, it is hard to see it as truly cheating. But is is fakery nonetheless.
We have seen the most glamorous, high profile sprinters dope. Even assuming no official corruption, the risks of getting caught are negligible, especially if you are affiliated with old hands at the game.
For Sydney an Olympic gold is worth millions. People can suspect all they want; as long as she avoids the unlikely scarlet letter of a positive test, she is a marketing bonanza. It is an incentive that is almost impossible to ignore. And track is not unique. The highest profile athletes in all sports will dope. In baseball the biggest names in the sport were willing to dope to get on the HR train. These were multimillionaires who could still see the prestige and the dollar signs associated with PEDS.
Fair or not, if you are breaking WRs set by talented dopers and are associating with coaches of a shady past, it invites cynicism. That said, good luck to her and the entire US team. True players know how to play the game.