From People.com:
Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones made a stunning admission Friday – that she used steroids – and pleaded guilty in federal court to obstruction of justice.
“It is with a great amount of shame that I stand before you and tell you that I betrayed your trust,” a tearful Jones said later at a news conference. “I have let (my family) down, I have let my country down and I have let myself down.”
She announced she was retiring from track and field, “a sport I deeply love.”
The plea came after years of angry denials by Jones, 31, who in 2000 won five medals in Sydney – three gold and two bronze track and field medals – and was the most celebrated female athlete of the games.
Betrayed trust, indeed. I always wanted to believe that Jones was telling the truth, that the people making those accusations had an ax to grind and were jealous of her stunning success as a female athlete. This is incredibly disappointing news. Not only was she dishonest during the games, but she lied about it for so long.
Honestly, I’m so sick of this athlete-on-drugs fad. Is it ever worth it? To me, actually earning victory is the essence of winning a competition. Do people seriously get personal satisfaction with the knowledge that they aren’t truly deserving of their victory? That’s messed up.
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She may have admitted to doping, but I don’t think they should strip her of her medals. After all, she still had to put in phenomenal amounts of effort to achieve that medal…
snupped.com/marion-jones/
So did everyone who lost because she cheated.
Doreen - I believe she put in phenomenal amounts of effort throughout her life to get where she was. I honestly believe she could have won those medals without steroids. But the fact is, she didn’t. Like Kevin said, there are also other people who could have won if she hadn’t had that extra boost from illegal drugs. That’s the sad part - we’ll never know. And either way, she sure as heck doesn’t deserve to keep the medals after being a liar and a cheater and a terrible example.
Great post, Tieki.
As a former track runner, I am always disappointed to hear of these things. There are people who lost, or feel as if they should have won, because she used steroids. It makes the largest difference in track, where there is very little technique involved and most of it is strength and endurance.
Hey Tieki,
I, too, was sickened when I read about this here. I remember when the accusations first began. I liked her so much and it angered me that people would try and destroy her just because they were jealous of her accomplishments. Or, so I thought. She was a cheat and indeed a liar. I cannot help but still feel sorry for her. She made stupid choices. I wonder if she confessed because she was backed into a corner or if she just came clean so to speak? She will undoubtedly have all her medals stripped from her, and deservedly so.
Silly question: Does this mean the silver medalists in the events where Marion won gold will now be gold medalists? And those placing 4th will now get bronze medals? Does everyone just move up?
Oh, turns out it’s Bush’s fault. At least according to one commenter over at HuffPo:
ROTFLMAO!!!! Ya know, I made a joke, about a week after Katrina, that the loony Leftists would blame it on Bush. Lo and behold, they did. Cripes, how are we supposed to saterise these people? “Oh yeah, I bet, next, they’ll blame Marion Jones’s steroid use on Bush! Ha ha ha!”
Here’s the best part for those brain-diminished bozos (again, I can never figure out why they use neural complexity as a reason for abortion - we would be able to kill them now): Marion Jones competed in September of 2000: the Clinton administration. So if she cheated during the Clinton administration (kind of like how Clinton cheated on Hillary with Monica and Kathleen and half the women in his reach) and came clean during the Bush administration, doesn’t that indicate that Bush is the good President?*
*Of course, we would have to accept the loony proposition that the actions of a President directly cause similar actions in their constituencies.
Tammi, my head is going to explode. I need chocolate before even contemplating that again.
So Bridget,
You are saying that Bush is such a good President, that Jones finally confessed?
Personal responsibility: a thing of the past.
Tammi,
It’s a collective responsibility. There is no individual.
Well, if you examine the relevant timelines, here goes:
7 years, 8 months after Clinton takes office and two years after Lewinsky depositions: Jones takes steroids and lies.
Six years, 7 months after Bush takes office: Jones admits that she lied.
Now, if I had to take my pick of which President caused her moral downfall and which persuaded her to come clean, it wouldn’t be Bush for the first.
As I said, all of this demands that one accept the ridiculous notion that Presidential actions influence the truthfulness of ordinary Americans.
Lol! Maybe you should go comment at Huffpo and set them straight.
While I’m at it, I can go dumpster-diving, dress in drag, sell myself on the street corner, and vote Democrat. While it’s not a bad idea, I just don’t feel like defiling myself today.
Somehow I knew G.W. was behind all this.