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June 30, 2004
She Said, He Said
There's an interesting back and forth taking place on the pages of the Washington Post Sports section between two of their most prominent columnists. One the one hand you have Sally Jenkins, the paper's New York-based columnist taking up the cause of American sprinter Marion Jones in her fight against anti-doping authorities. As she wrote two days ago: I'll say it straight out: I believe Marion Jones when she says she's innocent, based on what is a persuasive piece of evidence in her favor. In the last four years, Jones has not gotten faster. She's gotten slower. Whatever Jones may be taking, it isn't performance enhancing. Jenkins neglects to inform her reader that Jones had a little complication called pregnancy in the middle of that four-year stretch. As for her conclusion that Jones couldn't be taking anything because she was slowing down, there is always the possibility that taking a banned substance might have slowed the erosion of her speed caused by the pregnancy. Which is where old Post hand Tony Kornheiser steps in: [I] hope Marion Jones is innocent. I hope she never as much as looked at a performance-enhancing drug, let alone took one. But there is enough smoke around this woman to choke a horse, and you have to wonder if somewhere there's any fire. Here is a woman whose former husband, an Olympic shot putter, was popped for testing positive for steroids, and whose current paramour (and father of her child), an Olympic sprinter, is accused of taking steroids -- and has reportedly testified to a grand jury that he did so. Plus, Jones is one of many elite athletes who have been affiliated with BALCO, which is being investigated for producing and distributing steroids. How could it be illegitimate to look at Marion Jones? How could anyone not think that Marion Jones is what we have come to call "a person of interest"? I wonder if Jenkins will have a response. Stay tuned.
Eric
07:03 AM
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