Olympic Champion Marion Jones Acknowledges Use of Steroids

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: New York Times

By DUFF WILSON and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT
Published: October 5, 2007

The former track star Marion Jones, one of the most accomplished female athletes in the world, is expected to plead guilty today to lying to federal agents about her use of performance-enhancing drugs, two lawyers connected with the case said yesterday. The admission would end years of denial and would likely lead to her being stripped of the record five medals she won in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Ms. Jones, 31, who won three gold and two bronze medals in 2000, would become the first athlete convicted in the cases arising out of the four-year Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative investigation that has fueled a continuing series of steroid scandals in sports. Five men who manufactured, marketed or supplied the drugs to athletes have pleaded guilty, and three of them have served time in prison.

Ms. Jones is expected to plead guilty to one count of making false statements to federal agents about her use of performance-enhancing drugs and one count of making false statements to federal agents in connection with a separate check fraud case, the lawyers said.

“It’s the destruction of a heroine of the day,” said Dick Pound, the chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency and a member of the International Olympic Committee. “It’s sad at one level, but it’s still tawdry cheating at another level.” Mr. Pound, who said that the I.O.C. had opened a file on Ms. Jones in 2001, said that her Olympic medals would be revoked....

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/sports/othersports/05balco.html?hp

[jeff30997]

1. What a surprise.

[BB1]

2. east germany all over again.

Balco isn't any better then the Stasi. They only make drugs harder to detect.
Give back your medals, Jones. And Carl Lewis, and Lance Armstrong, and Floyd Landis, and all the other guys who have taken doping to a new level.

To imagine sportsbrands have been investing in htese people for all those years... Millions poured into bottomless pits of dishonesty.
Aren't there any brain-enhancing drugs??? And could they please take those???

[Exultant Democracy]

4. Maybe you should read the dissenting opinion on the Landis case.

As for Carl Lewis, do you know how hard it is to win one of those appeals?

This issue isn't as black and white as people assume.

[brentspeak]

6. Do you have any evidence that Lance Armstrong has doped?

What about Lewis?

What's that you say? You don't?

[BB1]

8. I don't.

Neither do I have any evidence that Iran is close to finishing an A-bomb. Still, they get accused. Is it only right to falsely accuse people if they're not American?

[brentspeak]

9. So, let me get this straight...

You're comparing Iran with...Lance Armstrong?

[BB1]

10. No, I'm comparing criticism of Iran with criticism of

Lance Armstrong.

Lance is a great cyclist, I just don't believe he's clean.

The president of Iran might be a great father, a great statesman, a great scientist for all we know (and we don't, we keep focussing on his holocaust-denials). He might be in favor of peace in the region - he certainly treated the captured British soldiers with respect and dignity and they returned home safe and sound. Besides that, the man has significantly less influence at home then abroad.

So where is accusing Iran good, and accusing Lance bad? (for all I know, Lance is an arrogant prick who turned European Cycling into a three week event with commercialbreaks. It's now back to all-season again, and we think of Armstrong as little as possible).

[daleo]

3. It makes you wonder how prevalent this really is

She passed hundreds of drug tests, yet was using. I wonder if it is even possible for a clean athlete to compete at the elite levels anymore.

[flvegan]

5. Tetrahydrogestrinone

BALCO made a fortune off of it, and they became a household word in the athletic industry. From that, now SNAC (Conte's "new" supplement company) is making a mint.

[Evergreen Emerald]

7. Jones was such a hero and role model

for American children. It is a shame, really.