Hands up anyone who is surprised that Marion Jones was on the juice when competing? Anyone at all? I thought not. Jones is just the latest in a seemingly endless parade of 'elite' athletes to have been exposed as frauds, cheats and disgraces to their sports and their nation.

Jones was portrayed as America’s sweetheart. She was a female Carl Lewis, an all-round athlete who won five medals, including three golds, at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. She has now been exposed as a cheat on the greatest stage in world sport.

She pleaded guilty to two counts of lying to investigators during the infamous BALCO hearings. Still, the admission of drug use is not the cathartic experience that it could have been. Like many of her doping contemporaries, Jones has hidden behind the 'unknowingly' excuse that, frankly, is a pathetic cop-out.

'The tears are no more believable than her emotionally-wracked denials in 2004. It was bullsh*t then and it’s bullsh*t now – only this time it’s deeper, fresher and a lot more pungent'


It defies credulity to believe that, given her intimate association with exposed cheats CJ Hunter and Tim Montgomery, she didn’t question everything that was given to her by anyone. It is even more head-shakingly difficult to believe that she didn’t ask questions after being given a flaxseed oil 'supplement' by coach Trevor Graham, a key figure in the BALCO scandal, even after being told to keep it quiet.

The tearful admission of guilt and insincere apologies for 'misleading' her fans are enough to make you laugh - or vomit - depending on your constitution. Again, the use of weasel words written by publicists and lawyers detracts from the impact of the admission. Words like 'knowingly' and 'misleading' are intended to soften the impact, but in reality only add to the fraud.

A push-up bra is misleading; what Jones did was outright lie to anyone who would listen and there's a big difference. The tears this time are no more believable than her emotionally-wracked denials in 2004. It was bullsh*t then and it’s bullsh*t now – only this time it’s deeper, fresher and a lot more pungent.

Similarly, claims that she had made a 'mistake' are ridiculous. Had Jones used drugs on one occasion, that is a mistake. To do so throughout her entire career is a deliberate decision to take the risk and now she has to pay for losing the gamble.

Jones stands to lose her Olympic medals and even face possible jail time for taking THG, known as The Clear for its ability to evade detection, and subsequently lying about it. We can only hope that she faces the full consequences of her actions, not necessarily to punish her but more to act as a deterrent for others looking to cross the line.

The great disappointment in all this is that Jones was already a gifted athlete before she fell under the spell of Victor Conte and Co. It’s difficult to understand the thought processes that take someone with a natural gift over the edge into drug use. But Jones is not the first and history tells us that she won’t be the last

Drug use is not a shortcut. The simple use of steroids could not turn Danny De Vito into Arnold Schwarzenegger, even if it was given by the litre! It still takes many, many hours of hard work.

Jones had the talent and was prepared to do the work. She could have been a champion without using drugs, but we’ll never know.

How severely should Jones be punished? Post a comment below or submit an article to Sportingo.