Lauren Fleshman Blasts USATF Selecting ConvictedDoper Dennis Mitchell as World Relays Coach

Good essay from Lauren. She's right on the credibility side- unfair and stupid to stain all our runners with Mitchel's disgrace. Wish him well, but don't give him honors and don't force clean athletes to associate with him.

Same for Merritt's Jesse Owens award.

Lauren has impeccable credentials but why does that matter? By that argument, Siegel shouldn't be in position to make selections.

Excellent essay.

The real questions isn't about her or what she said. It's why did it even have to be said in the first place? Isn't what she said a no-brainer? Does the USATF really need to be schooled on right and wrong by anyone? Cant they figure these things out on their own? Shouldn't the current USATF leadership be shown the door?

The 800 pound gorilla here is race- black people do not like white people telling them to change their behavior. No one wants to talk about race relations in track, but the fact is...there are two different worlds - black sprinting and usatf leadership...and white distance running. That is affecting this discussion.

I don't disagree that Mitchell shouldn't have been chosen. But I am completely sick of Fleshman, who I actually rooted for when she competed. If she thinks she can sit there and politicize each t&f headline, pontificate on it publicly and make a career out of that, she's mistaken. Social media may make stars out of some (Gary vaynerchuk, guy kawasaki) but those individuals bring skills and persona off the boards as well. Sadly she feels this is her best option to... something.

NJ Possible wrote:

I don't disagree that Mitchell shouldn't have been chosen. But I am completely sick of Fleshman, who I actually rooted for when she competed. If she thinks she can sit there and politicize each t&f headline, pontificate on it publicly and make a career out of that, she's mistaken. Social media may make stars out of some (Gary vaynerchuk, guy kawasaki) but those individuals bring skills and persona off the boards as well. Sadly she feels this is her best option to... something.

Well some of us feel she has the skills and persona to make a difference.

Being assigned as a relay coach at some contrived meet is the highest honor in our sport?

"So Here is what blogging about Mitchell as a head coach does to Me. It sends a global message that I am still relevant and gives me the highest honor in our sport in being the QOD on lets run.com. It shows that Lets Run is no longer following their NO annoying has-been policy. It shows that I can steal the limelight from younger faster better runners who deserve it more. It shows I can inject myself into any conversation about running in an effort to sell some marginal energy bars. Even if I haven’t done anything in years except tweet, my post shows there IS an large place for ME in pro running. "

Her extent of involvement in track and field these days seems to be bashing Nike athletes, while supporting Oiselle and hopping on the Brooks pity train and NOT RACING. Maybe if she put the phone and laptop down and enjoyed life with the hubby and kid and worked on training her legs not her mouth, she'd be better off. [quote]Oh no she de int wrote:

Lauren ain't squat. Go away!

Agip wrote:

Well some of us feel she has the skills and persona to make a difference.

Ummmm, no she doesn't have the skills to make a any difference. She is creating articles to get attention, and make money for her publisher, and to draw attention to herself. That is all.

pigA wrote:

Agip wrote:

Well some of us feel she has the skills and persona to make a difference.

Ummmm, no she doesn't have the skills to make a any difference. She is creating articles to get attention, and make money for her publisher, and to draw attention to herself. That is all.

what is your damage? What freaking evidence do you have that leads you to believing that LF is just trying to get publicity and doesn't believe anything she writes?

I'm serious - how did you come to convince yourself that she doesn't mean what she says? What is it about her (or really, you) that gets you to that conclusion?

I'm genuinely curious about how you think.

UR so gullible. Everything your read must be a statement of truth, at least what it is that you want to be true.

Ha ha this is great. A runner scribbles down her thoughts on her private blog and the dope supporters go ballistic.

pigA wrote:

UR so gullible. Everything your read must be a statement of truth, at least what it is that you want to be true.

english, please. What?

look, you can choose to believe the worst in people with absolutely no reason, sure. Go ahead - have fun with it. Believe the worst. But without any reasoning behind your condemnation of the world, you are a sad, flopping fish on deck, wondering why the world is so harsh. Go ahead, little dying fish - enjoy your time on the planet.

It looks like Mitchell was given a second chance by the people who are empowered to make such a decision. Ms. Fleshman has no say in the matter.

Dennis Doper wrote:

Ha ha this is great. A runner scribbles down her thoughts on her private blog and the dope supporters go ballistic.

Actually, the purists are the ones who went ballistic.

UNconvicted wrote:

Actually, the purists are the ones who went ballistic.

+1

UNconvicted wrote:

It looks like Mitchell was given a second chance by the people who are empowered to make such a decision. Ms. Fleshman has no say in the matter.

actually a third chance, embarrassingly enough.

He got caught for testosterone

and

he admitted being injected with HGH

Only two athletes on the witness list were specifically named as users of the drugs: Pettigrew and another sprinter, Dennis Mitchell, 42, who will testify that Graham injected him with human growth hormone, according to Friday’s filing.

Mitchell, who won three medals at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, including gold in the 4x100 relay in 1992, was barred for two years in 1998 after testing positive for high levels of testosterone.