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From reading up on this issue, all signs seem to point to this being a HUGE story that will whip the media into a frenzy in the coming weeks or months. The report prepared by George Mitchell probing into steroids use in baseball will see the light within 30 days and according to ESPN, “the report will name many players, including some big names and some names that have not surfaced to date.”
Something this juicy is exciting, I can’t wait to see who’s gonna feel the heat for taking performance enhancing drugs. I’m also interested to see if any of these “big names” will be scrutnized as much as Barry Bonds has. Especially if it’s someone like a Roger Clemens. You know who will be thanking her lucky stars? Marion Jones. She’ll be all but forgotten about once the media gets a new whipping boy to assault. It’s not like most people particularly care about Track & Field in the first place, after the olympics are over it sort of fades into oblivion.
This will GREATLY affect the Criminal Fantasy League standings, with all these players being accused and/or proven to be using steroids. Baseball will most likely take the lead in the standings.
As more athletes cave in to pressures of federal investigators about their use of steroids, a familiar alibi has popped up enough times for me to take notice. The first time I heard Bonds say he ‘unknowingly’ took performance enhancing drugs, like most people I dismissed it. When Shane Mosley said it, I dismissed it. Now that Marion Jones is saying it, I still don’t believe them… but I find myself giving the argument more merit than I used to. If I had to bet my hard earned money on what was most likely to be true, I’d bet that all three athletes are lying, but I believe it’s worth looking into.
Bonds and Jones specifically said they were told that they were receiving Flax Seed Oil, and after a session of Google sleuthing, I found this gem in an ESPN article:
Olympic sprinter Tim Montgomery testified that Victor Conte used flaxseed oil containers to send “the clear” to athletes.
The fact that the steroids were given to athletes in a package saying “Flax Seed Oil” isn’t a smoking gun to prove their innocence, besides it’s not like if you buy a dime bag on the street corner it’ll say “WEED” on the package. But I consider this a nugget of info that may or may not be useful later on.
Marion Jones said she lied when she was questioned in 2003 by federal agents investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative. Jones said she panicked when agents presented her with a sample of “the clear,” which she recognized as the substance Graham had given her. (supposed Flax Seed Oil)
Marion Jones has finally ended her longstanding denials of steroid usage. In a letter recovered by the Washington Post, Jones admitted to unknowingly using “The Clear” from 1999 to 2001.
“The Clear” was developed by BALCO, the facility linked to the current Federal investigation into performance enhancing drugs in professional sports. Much like Shane Mosley and Barry Bonds, Jones says she was not notified that the substance she was taking was illegal. Allegedly, her trainer Trevor Graham told her it was flaxeed oil, but told her not to tell anyone she was using it. Jones says when Federal agents approached her in 2003 questioning about the substances, she was untruthful out of fear.
In her letter, Jones said she lied when she was questioned in 2003 by federal agents investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative. Jones said she panicked when agents presented her with a sample of “the clear,” which she recognized as the substance Graham had given her.
In the letter, Jones said she didn’t realize she’d used a performance-enhancing drug until she stopped training with Graham at the end of 2002.
“I want to apologize for all of this,” the Post reported, quoting a person who received a copy of the letter and read it to the paper. “I am sorry for disappointing you all in so many ways.”
“Red flags should have been raised when he told me not to tell anyone,” the Post reported, quoting the letter.
Jones is facing two felony counts of lying to a Federal agent, which carry 100 points each. Using steroids also carry an additional 100 points which totals 300 points for Track & Field. This removes football from the top spot in the Sportaphile Criminal Fantasy League
“The Clear” was developed by BALCO, the facility linked to the current Federal investigation into performance enhancing drugs in professional sports. Much like Shane Mosley and Barry Bonds, Jones says she was not notified that the substance she was taking was illegal. Allegedly, her trainer Trevor Graham told her it was flaxeed oil, but told her not to tell anyone she was using it. Jones says when Federal agents approached her in 2003 questioning about the substances, she was untruthful out of fear.