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Report: Track Star Marion Jones Admits Steroid Use Before 2000 Olympics
Friday, October 05, 2007
After years of denials, Marion Jones is ready to admit she doped.
The three-time Olympic gold medalist is scheduled to appear in U.S. District
Court in White Plains, N.Y., on Friday to plead guilty to charges in
connection with steroid use, a federal law enforcement source told The
Associated Press.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is
ongoing, and would not provide details about the plea.
Jones sent family and friends a letter in which she said she used steroids
before the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, The Washington Post reported
Thursday. The Post was the first to report that Jones would come clean on
doping.
"I want to apologize for all of this," the Post reported Jones saying in her
letter, quoting a person who received a copy and read it to the paper. "I am
sorry for disappointing you all in so many ways."
Jones said in her letter that she faced up to six months in jail and would
be sentenced in three months, according to the newspaper.
The admission also could cost Jones the five medals she won in Sydney, where
she was the most celebrated female athlete of the games. She didn't win the
five golds she wanted, but came away with three and two bronzes, and her
smile and charm made her a star.
The International Olympic Committee made clear Friday it was prepared to
strip Jones of her Sydney medals if she confesses to doping.
"The IOC has learnt about Marion Jones' intention to plead guilty to lying
to federal agents about her use of performance-enhancing substances during
her career," the committee said in a statement from Lausanne, Switzerland.
"Since 2004 the IOC has had an open file on the BALCO case - it set up a
disciplinary commission with a view to investigating how the affair might
have affected Olympic Games competitions. Progress to date has been slow due
the difficulty of gathering findings. The information that Marion Jones
might provide later on today may prove to be key in moving this case
forward."
Under statute of limitations rules, the IOC and other sports bodies can go
back eight years to strip medals and nullify results. In Jones' case, that
would include the 2000 Olympics, where she won gold in the 100 meters, 200
meters and 4x400 relay and bronze in the long jump and 4x100 relay.
In addition to any jail term, Jones could face a long competition ban from
the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
The International Association of Athletics Federations said it was waiting
for official notification from USADA setting out the details of Jones'
reported admission.
If she admits to having been on drugs during a specific period, the IAAF
could strip Jones of all her medals and results from the world championships
and other events from that time. She won three gold medals, a silver and a
bronze at the 1999 and 2001 worlds.
"Our rules are clear if she confesses," IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said.
No one answered the door at her home in Austin, Texas, Thursday evening, and
a message left by the AP for a phone number registered to her husband,
Obadele Thompson, was not immediately returned.
The triple gold medalist in Sydney said she took a substance known as "the
clear" for two years, beginning in 1999, and that she got it from former
coach Trevor Graham, who told her it was flaxseed oil, the newspaper
reported.
"The clear" is a performance-enhancing drug linked to the Bay Area
Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO), the lab at the center of the steroids
scandal in professional sports. Baseball's home run king Barry Bonds of the
San Francisco Giants and baseball sluggers Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield
have been linked to BALCO and were among more than two dozen athletes who
testified before a federal grand jury in 2003.
Bonds denied ever knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs, saying he
believed the substance and cream given to him by his trainer were flaxseed
oil and an arthritis balm.
Until now, Jones denied doping, even suing BALCO founder Victor Conte in
2004 for $25 million (euro17.7 million) . Conte repeatedly accused Jones of
using performance-enhancing drugs and said he watched her inject herself.
"It cost me a lot of money to defend myself," Conte said Thursday. "But I
told the truth then, and I'm telling it now."
In her letter, Jones said she didn't realize she'd used
performance-enhancing drugs until she stopped training with Graham at the
end of 2002. She said she lied when federal agents questioned her in 2003,
panicking when they presented her with a sample of "the clear," which she
recognized as the substance Graham had given her.
"It's funky, because you wanted to believe she was clean," said Jon
Drummond, a gold medalist in the 400 relay in Sydney. "It's like that old
saying, 'Cheaters never win.' So no matter how glorious or glamorous things
look, you'll get caught and pay a price for it.
"It caught me by total surprise," he added. "It's a shock. I thought it was
a closed case. It doesn't help track and field at all, except maybe by
letting the world know, people always get to the bottom of things. We
shouldn't be afraid of the truth, but it's sad it came to this."
Jones' career has been tarnished for years by doping allegations against
her. In August 2006, a urine sample tested positive for EPO, but she was
cleared when a second sample tested negative.
She also was among the athletes who testified before a BALCO grand jury in
2003. Her former boyfriend, Tim Montgomery, also testified, and was given a
two-year ban for doping in late 2005. Michelle Collins and Justin Gatlin,
who also trained with Graham, were banned for doping violations, too.
Graham has a Nov. 26 trial date after being indicted in the BALCO case last
November on three counts of lying to federal agents. Graham, who has pleaded
not guilty, helped launch the government's steroid probe in 2003 when he
mailed a vial of "the clear" - previously undetectable - to the U.S.
Anti-Doping Agency.
A woman who answered the phone at Graham's home in Raleigh, North Carolina,
declined to identify herself, but said Graham was not home before refusing
to answer any other questions. There was no answer at the door of Graham's
north Raleigh home.
USA Track & Field was not aware of Jones' letter nor any pending legal
action, CEO Craig Masback said.
"Anything that exposes the truth about drug use in sport is good for
ensuring the integrity of sport," Masback said. "Any use of
performance-enhancing substances is a tragedy for the athlete, their
teammates, friends, family and the sport."
Darryl Seibel, spokesman for the U.S. Olympic Committee, declined comment on
whether Jones would lose her medals until legal proceedings are completed.
"If these reports are true," Seibel said, "it is an admission of
responsibility from an athlete who owed her sport and the Olympic movement
much better."
Seibel added that "our position on doping is unequivocal. Doping is
cheating, and under no circumstance will it be tolerated. If an athlete
cheats, they deserve to pay the price for their action."
The Washington Post also reported that, in her letter, Jones said she lied
about a $25,000 (euro17,719) check given to her by Montgomery, who pleaded
guilty in New York in April as part of a criminal scheme to cash millions of
dollars worth of stolen or forged checks. He has yet to be sentenced.
Wells, Jones' longtime agent, and Olympian Steve Riddick, another of Jones'
former coaches, also were convicted in the scam.
Bank records indicated Jones had received the check from one of the alleged
conspirators - Nathaniel Alexander who shared office space with Riddick and
also was convicted. The check never cleared, according to records, and Jones
was never charged.
"Once again, I panicked," the Post reported, quoting Jones' letter. "I did
not want my name associated with this mess. I wanted to stay as far away as
possible."
Report: Track Star Marion Jones Admits Steroid Use Before 2000 Olympics
Friday, October 05, 2007
After years of denials, Marion Jones is ready to admit she doped.
The three-time Olympic gold medalist is scheduled to appear in U.S. District
Court in White Plains, N.Y., on Friday to plead guilty to charges in
connection with steroid use, a federal law enforcement source told The
Associated Press.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is
ongoing, and would not provide details about the plea.
Jones sent family and friends a letter in which she said she used steroids
before the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, The Washington Post reported
Thursday. The Post was the first to report that Jones would come clean on
doping.
"I want to apologize for all of this," the Post reported Jones saying in her
letter, quoting a person who received a copy and read it to the paper. "I am
sorry for disappointing you all in so many ways."
Jones said in her letter that she faced up to six months in jail and would
be sentenced in three months, according to the newspaper.
The admission also could cost Jones the five medals she won in Sydney, where
she was the most celebrated female athlete of the games. She didn't win the
five golds she wanted, but came away with three and two bronzes, and her
smile and charm made her a star.
The International Olympic Committee made clear Friday it was prepared to
strip Jones of her Sydney medals if she confesses to doping.
"The IOC has learnt about Marion Jones' intention to plead guilty to lying
to federal agents about her use of performance-enhancing substances during
her career," the committee said in a statement from Lausanne, Switzerland.
"Since 2004 the IOC has had an open file on the BALCO case - it set up a
disciplinary commission with a view to investigating how the affair might
have affected Olympic Games competitions. Progress to date has been slow due
the difficulty of gathering findings. The information that Marion Jones
might provide later on today may prove to be key in moving this case
forward."
Under statute of limitations rules, the IOC and other sports bodies can go
back eight years to strip medals and nullify results. In Jones' case, that
would include the 2000 Olympics, where she won gold in the 100 meters, 200
meters and 4x400 relay and bronze in the long jump and 4x100 relay.
In addition to any jail term, Jones could face a long competition ban from
the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
The International Association of Athletics Federations said it was waiting
for official notification from USADA setting out the details of Jones'
reported admission.
If she admits to having been on drugs during a specific period, the IAAF
could strip Jones of all her medals and results from the world championships
and other events from that time. She won three gold medals, a silver and a
bronze at the 1999 and 2001 worlds.
"Our rules are clear if she confesses," IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said.
No one answered the door at her home in Austin, Texas, Thursday evening, and
a message left by the AP for a phone number registered to her husband,
Obadele Thompson, was not immediately returned.
The triple gold medalist in Sydney said she took a substance known as "the
clear" for two years, beginning in 1999, and that she got it from former
coach Trevor Graham, who told her it was flaxseed oil, the newspaper
reported.
"The clear" is a performance-enhancing drug linked to the Bay Area
Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO), the lab at the center of the steroids
scandal in professional sports. Baseball's home run king Barry Bonds of the
San Francisco Giants and baseball sluggers Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield
have been linked to BALCO and were among more than two dozen athletes who
testified before a federal grand jury in 2003.
Bonds denied ever knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs, saying he
believed the substance and cream given to him by his trainer were flaxseed
oil and an arthritis balm.
Until now, Jones denied doping, even suing BALCO founder Victor Conte in
2004 for $25 million (euro17.7 million) . Conte repeatedly accused Jones of
using performance-enhancing drugs and said he watched her inject herself.
"It cost me a lot of money to defend myself," Conte said Thursday. "But I
told the truth then, and I'm telling it now."
In her letter, Jones said she didn't realize she'd used
performance-enhancing drugs until she stopped training with Graham at the
end of 2002. She said she lied when federal agents questioned her in 2003,
panicking when they presented her with a sample of "the clear," which she
recognized as the substance Graham had given her.
"It's funky, because you wanted to believe she was clean," said Jon
Drummond, a gold medalist in the 400 relay in Sydney. "It's like that old
saying, 'Cheaters never win.' So no matter how glorious or glamorous things
look, you'll get caught and pay a price for it.
"It caught me by total surprise," he added. "It's a shock. I thought it was
a closed case. It doesn't help track and field at all, except maybe by
letting the world know, people always get to the bottom of things. We
shouldn't be afraid of the truth, but it's sad it came to this."
Jones' career has been tarnished for years by doping allegations against
her. In August 2006, a urine sample tested positive for EPO, but she was
cleared when a second sample tested negative.
She also was among the athletes who testified before a BALCO grand jury in
2003. Her former boyfriend, Tim Montgomery, also testified, and was given a
two-year ban for doping in late 2005. Michelle Collins and Justin Gatlin,
who also trained with Graham, were banned for doping violations, too.
Graham has a Nov. 26 trial date after being indicted in the BALCO case last
November on three counts of lying to federal agents. Graham, who has pleaded
not guilty, helped launch the government's steroid probe in 2003 when he
mailed a vial of "the clear" - previously undetectable - to the U.S.
Anti-Doping Agency.
A woman who answered the phone at Graham's home in Raleigh, North Carolina,
declined to identify herself, but said Graham was not home before refusing
to answer any other questions. There was no answer at the door of Graham's
north Raleigh home.
USA Track & Field was not aware of Jones' letter nor any pending legal
action, CEO Craig Masback said.
"Anything that exposes the truth about drug use in sport is good for
ensuring the integrity of sport," Masback said. "Any use of
performance-enhancing substances is a tragedy for the athlete, their
teammates, friends, family and the sport."
Darryl Seibel, spokesman for the U.S. Olympic Committee, declined comment on
whether Jones would lose her medals until legal proceedings are completed.
"If these reports are true," Seibel said, "it is an admission of
responsibility from an athlete who owed her sport and the Olympic movement
much better."
Seibel added that "our position on doping is unequivocal. Doping is
cheating, and under no circumstance will it be tolerated. If an athlete
cheats, they deserve to pay the price for their action."
The Washington Post also reported that, in her letter, Jones said she lied
about a $25,000 (euro17,719) check given to her by Montgomery, who pleaded
guilty in New York in April as part of a criminal scheme to cash millions of
dollars worth of stolen or forged checks. He has yet to be sentenced.
Wells, Jones' longtime agent, and Olympian Steve Riddick, another of Jones'
former coaches, also were convicted in the scam.
Bank records indicated Jones had received the check from one of the alleged
conspirators - Nathaniel Alexander who shared office space with Riddick and
also was convicted. The check never cleared, according to records, and Jones
was never charged.
"Once again, I panicked," the Post reported, quoting Jones' letter. "I did
not want my name associated with this mess. I wanted to stay as far away as
possible."
