or you could... wrote:
Restoring the thread is nice, but we'd prefer if you'd just answer the question.
I am not familiar with the Gouchers' story and can't speak for them. I'm speaking generally.
I think it's fair to say that no one who has come forward so far has evidence of a flat out blatant example of steroid use/EPO use.
I think what many of you are asking and what's hard for some people to understand is, "How could someone so close to the group like the Gouchers or Magness feel the need to go to USADA with their concerns if they didn't a) dope themelves or b) see others doing it?"
It's a fair question and I imagine their answer would be something like. Their were walls of separation. Galen is THE A team. Everyone else is B team at best. Salazar is a guy that was willing to push the grey line incredibly far with me, so far that I felt uncomfortable. I imagine he crossed it with others. I know he tested testosterone on his sons, I know he gave me pills I didn't have a prescription for, I know he coached people on how to get a TUE. I can only imagine what he did when no one else was looking. Teh culture wasn't good.
Or an athlete could be tihnking something like this, "He told me what we were doing is legal. I thought it was true but now looking back,I realize some of the stuff I was given wasn't legal or may not have been legal,particulry when taken together."
Maybe it's an analogy of fouling out in the NBA. One foul isn't a big deal. But when you get to six you are thrown out of the game. Here, one shady thing may not be that big of a deal. Well he gave me pills without a prescription but I had a prescription for them before and we were out of the country so it's ok. But then you keep repeating instances of that over and over and over and it becomes an ethical dilemma.
Here's a non sports analogy. You work at a restaurant. A lady comes in and says she doesn't have her wallet after eating. You let her go. You aren't contributing to theft. You are just being nice. She comes in and tells you the same story 3 weeks in a row. You let her off each time. YOu are guilty of theft agains the company as you know the story isn't real.
The third option is they were all doping as some of suggest. 4th is none of them are doping.
It's clearly not a Tour de France type situation where everyone is on the same program. I think the argument someone who was clean but thinks Rupp is dirty is, "Hey we were doing tons of shady stuff that I barely felt comfortable with. Now that I'm away from it, I'm not sure if it was right. I can only imagine what the insiders were doing."
But I've never spoken to the Gouchers about this.
When I spoke to Magness in 2012, I did say, "Steve, your teh assistant coach, how do you not have proof?"
Now back then, he didn't share with me the photo he had of the lab report. He was scared to death of being blackballed.
