Stephen Tillotson is an undeclared sophomore. He can be contacted at [email protected].Marion Jones garnered attention as a track star after winning three gold medals in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Friday she apologized profusely for lying to federal investigators about using steroids during that time.
According to a CNN report, Jones told a U. S. District Court that she was first given steroids in 1999 by her former coach Trevor Graham.
From 1999 to 2001, she used the steroid THG, otherwise known as “the clear.” Of course, that means she was using the steroids at the time of the 2000 Olympics.
This knowledge may very well cost her the gold and bronze Olympic medals she won in Sydney.
Also affected by her recent admission are her teammates in the 4×400 relay, whose victory earned each a gold medal.
This may come as a shock only because Jones has so adamantly denied steroid use in the past.
In relation to other athletes that have been the focus of doping allegations, this story is a dime a dozen. We all know about cyclist Floyd Landis and baseball great Barry Bonds, not to mention Olympic athletes other than Marion Jones.
Whether or not those athletes used steroids is not important. The point is that these people brought negative attention to their respective sports. Marion Jones should be commended for admitting her wrongdoing and for accepting full responsibility for her actions.
Her admission of steroid use is an example for athletes to follow. She did bring shame to the sport of track and field, but she obviously cares enough about the sport’s future to try to clean up the mess she helped create.
Personal accountability is what seems to be missing, not only from the world of athletics.
Something as silly and pointless as the never-ending Britney Spears drama is a great example of lack of personal accountability. As a mother and as an entertainer, she has a responsibility to clean up her act and to set an example for others that look to her as a role model.
Marion Jones has done just that. Though she will be punished, and deserves to be, she has taken the first step in being redeemed by her fans and by the track athletes who have not used steroids.
After Jones’ emotional apology Friday, she went on to say she is “retiring from the sport of track and field, a sport which I deeply love.”
It is definitely sad to see such an incredible athlete retire because of the mistakes she made, but I think she felt it was the right thing to do.
It is rare to see someone who has done wrong be so forthright, especially in the recent sports scene.
Her Olympic legacy may be tainted now, but I bet she’ll sleep a lot better at night knowing she set the record straight.
There are lots of other athletes that will be learning from Marion Jones. That’s for sure.