"I think that Wardy is going to be a factor [for the win] as long as his stomach’s fine and everything’s going according to plan. So I haven’t given Galen the golden ticket..."
"Galen, it’s hard for me to believe that he’s going to be running better than he has ever run before. But I’m not looking so much at his weaknesses as I think Jared Ward is a different marathoner than when he was the 6th-best in the world on that given day in 2016 in Rio. And he didn’t have the magic shoes in 2016 and Galen did."
Eyestone also has some real interesting things to say about Rupp's new coach Mike Smith and even Albert Salazar.
" I don’t think anything really nefarious was going on on Galen’s side. He was with a coach that he’d had ever since he was in high school who he had great respect for, who he looked up to as, if not a father figure, then at least a great mentor to him. And I think he was just following his directives on all things.
"And I’m of the camp, in terms of Alberto, that yeah, he pushed the envelope. But he pushed it in regard to at least what he felt was within at least in the gray area that was still a legal area. And I don’t want to get into specifics of that because I don’t know everything.
"And so I think for Mike to turn his back on somebody who was wanting to continue and do the best he could, I would have been surprised by it. I don’t think it’s a black mark on Mike Smith’s character at all. I think, actually, it’s an opportunity for him to maybe even rehab what perception people have [of Galen]. Not that [Galen] even necessarily needs to have that done, but I think that by working with a coach that is above reproach, that that’s a good way to do it. That’s the first thing you do if you’re a public figure and there’s been some besmirch to your reputation, is you find somebody who is above reproach."