I am tired of hearing about the things that Marion Jones did. Is she the only one in this country that has done anything wrong. I still consider her to be a great athelete. I think no less of her because of the problems and prison time she did. She did no more than anyone else. The only difference in what we all do is that she happens to be in the public eye. I am sick and tired of reading about how bad Marion Jones is, how she lied and cheated and to be honest I have not read any of it, do not read the news about her or what happened. I really don't care. I think of her before all this happened. Which one of us has never made a mistake or told a white lie. Lets let Marion move past all this. She is only human. My gosh, do we make her suffer for this forever. I'm sure she has learned from her mistakes. We all make them. I'm sure she is a good mother and this does not make her less of a mom than anyone else. So lets forget about the mistakes that Marion Jones made and let her rebuild her life and move forward. God forgives her and I don't think what anyone else feels is important. Don't judge unless you are perfect. I don't really care what she did wrong. Marion you're still a #1 in my book.

'my GOD given ability' those were her exact words - wow!
Her behavior then and now will always be questionable...I guess we understand why are children turn into liars, cheaters, etc. They're only mimicking us...a Great lesson for the world...

Marion jones was a good runner but she made a bad decision to take steroids. I think God forgave her, if she really meant it. Now she has to move on and seek God for guidance in her life. A good example for her to follow is king David. When he made a bad decision he cried out to God and he was forgiven. Also David was after Gods own Heart.

anger nor was I embarrassed for Jeff to question my arrogance. Having known Marion personally, I am and continue to be personally / professionally affected by her behavior.

To counter Lisa's defense, Marion Jones IS a bad human being -- at least in this instance -- not only for the shame she brought upon herself, her country and her sport, but for the impact her cheating had on all the honest competitors (well, most of them anyway) around her. They'll NEVER get a chance again to win a gold medal. Their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was stolen and sabotaged by an epic cheater who then had the audacity to deny -- vehemently for years -- any and all accusations.
Like Mike said, she's apologizing for getting painted into a corner. Even with her speed, Marion Jones could no longer run away from the truth. Taking steroids is selfish, done for personal gain and glory, but the damage goes far beyond the user. Even if she apologizes to each and every one of her competitors, it will never restore what she took away from them...

I took a quick break from work to watch the video of Jones' apology, and it seemed a little bit on the dramatic side. But I believe she's dealing with this the best way she knows how, and I'm sure she's paying for her actions. She showed remorse. She said she's going to do what she can to ensure that her lessons learned are passed on to others. Remember that she has to live with this for the rest of her life. She doesn't need us to judge her. She's a person with feelings and flaws just like the rest of us. I am inclined to cut her some slack and wait to see what good comes from this situation.

And now, back to white paper writing...

For Jeff !

Artless implications...emptional contempt...naked truth...emprical evidence...ignorant rhetoric...comical attempts...! Jeff, why so angry. It was a question...Who will think critically ? If you are sick and tired now of the behavior of others, and in particular - "Athlete Behavior...." Take a deep breath Jeff -for it's going to take awhile...review the history. There is a calming affect to all this. Keep thinking, keep writing, keep perspective...I agree more than you know. Anger like arrogance never wins the day. And as profound as you may be at waxing a metaphor - "The facts in this case couldn't be more clear!" To wit..."That which gathers at the surface may not always expose a mantle of substance!"

For Elissa;

It is not an offense to confront one's (Jeffs') anger nor was I embarrassed for Jeff to question my arrogance. Having known Marion personally, I am and continue to be personally / professionally affected by her behavior.

For Michael;

Just perhaps...Just perhaps Marion Jones, aside from being indicted, prosecuted, and convicted...Perhaps that same little girl who walked up to me many years ago after just winning her fifth and final event at the National Junior Track and Field Championships...to embarrassed to smile, obviously humbled by the attention - and when, after being complimented for her performances replied: "Thank You Sir... I sure would like to make the Olympics some day..." To which I replied: "Oh! young lady, I think there's a darn good chance of that!" She ran away smiling! Just perhaps there is genuine remorse...and just perhaps she herself could not live with such a behavior any longer.

Marion Jones seemed truly remorseful, which makes her very different from Barry Bonds. But that doesn't mean she shouldn't be both punished and admonished.

She should be punished because she broke the rules of her sport, and she broke the law by taking steroids and then again by lying about it. She should be admonished because she perpetrated a fraud upon the public and eagerly accepted the accolades and money that she reaped from that fraud.

The idea that no one can say she did the wrong thing is just wrong-headed. Time will tell if she can behave with the same class she attributes to the rest of her family. As for now, one tearful statement does not clear the slate -- not by a long shot.

I wish her luck as she tries to move forward.

Cut the psycho-babble Elissa. There are millions who, like me, are sick and tired of the excuses made for the behavior of people like Jones.

Enough is enough. When we stop hearing and reading about how they 'just made a mistake' that was carried on for seven years, we'll stop too.

Actions have consequences, and we are all judged by what we do, far more than what we say. The facts in this case couldn't be more clear.

Again though, this is what people do when they don't have a viable argument - they attack the other side through questions with false premises, i.e. why're you angry?

Make the case for Jones - which you can't - don't come after me for laying out the facts as they are - according to Jones herself.

A thief who says they're sorry on tape is no less a thief when they're done talking.

Jeff

Why are you so angry at Marion Jones and why do you feel so invested in this situation that you feel compelled to write such lengthy posts about her on several blogs? I don't mean to offend or anything but it seems like your anger is way out of proportion to the situation unless you know her personally or were personally affected by her drug use.

She lied. She made mistakes. And now she is being punished. End of story.

Elissa

Lisa - With all due respect, we can make a judgment, while not acting as her judge.

You're absolutely right when you separate the behavior from the person. Calling what she's done for seven years - lying through her teeth while smiling into whatever camera was there - was not a 'mistake' it was a choice. A 'mistake' implies she was in fact unaware the flaxseed oil was in reality steroids.

What she's consistently done, is lie to the country with full knowledge of what she was doing, while she was doing it. That's not a 'mistake', that's a freely made choice - a choice she would have continued to make had she not been busted with too much evidence to fight.

What her defenders either cannot or will not see, is that Jones would still be professing her absolute innocence if not for the criminal charges brought against her. Those who will not believe what their 'lying eyes' are showing them, will always be shocked at behavior like this.

Her behavior doesn't necessarily make her a bad person. The fact she kept the falsehood going through her consistent bald faced lying, might lead some to believe that's how she lives. Her entire adult life (at least for several years) was based on 'stealing' those medals. She planned it, executed her plan, then covered her crimes up.

The next several years will show the country exactly what kind of person Jones really is. I for one, hope this turns out to be a positive pivot point for her.

Lisa;

You have valid points.

My issue is that she has not come clean on her drug use in her apology, rather she asked for forgiveness for lies.

I would love for her to step up and fight for clean sports and be a role model for future kids.

Perhaps that will happen. Perhaps not.

Mike

To all of you, no one (save Marion Jones) knows if she has been taking steroids consistently since 2000. What was said is that she took them FOR the 2000 Sydney Olympics. No where does it say that she continued use, nor that she used it constantly.

Just because she used steroids, and just because she lied does not make her a bad person, it just means that she made a bad mistake. Just because the act was wrong, doesn't make her a bad person. We are all humans, whether we compete in the Olympics or we work in a cubicle, we all make mistakes, we all pay for them, and hopefully we all learn from them and never make the same mistake twice.

I believe she is sorry about the chain of events resulting from her steroid intake back in 2000.

I'm pretty sure all of you have made mistakes before and you will continue to make mistakes. Because of this, NONE of you have the right to place judgment on Marion Jones.

Michael - I think there is plenty of conviction out there. Let's give it some more time. I am glad to hear that Google may not recognize "Apostleptic" as a word - I recall untill just recently Google was still an unknown verb, or noun, or adjective - confusing ! So I propose that somewhere out there exisits the possibility / a meaning ...sans a true definition...minus a reference. Maybe a new Marion Jones has been reborn within the confines of a "new word..."Whether or not it exisits - I do not know either...but for some strange reason it came into my mind. For all we know and especially for all we don't know -maybe it's fitting for this occasion...Heaven knows the Sport World needs something positive to come from all this.

Notice how she was hugged by someone in sympathy and support of her confession. Why? Did she do something so terrific? What? Because I missed that part.
Admitting fault or telling the truth is not all it takes to take responsibility for an action or to be accountable to your actions. It is a big step in the right direction, but not the end. In my opinion, she is probably expecting sympathy from her speech and probably because she sympathizes with herself. That's not responsibility then, is it? She put a lot of effort into sounding and looking intelligent, thoughtful, and professional, and to me that is just an effort to fool people. We don't need to hear how she has asked her God Almighty for forgiveness. That's a sympathy plea if I ever heard one. She is right we have a right to be angry at her. Accepting our right to be angry at her and leaving it at that would have been taking responsibility. Allowing herself to be hugged after her speech told us exactly how she felt. Sorry for herself.

What Dr. Gym says is arrogant pap, meant to demean those who have judged Jones to be of bad if not amoral character. The awards stand?

"For those of you who can read...." You give yourself away as an arrogant man with nothing to back his play.

When you reach the awards stand by way of evil means you demean the very award you so falsely accept. She's a cheater and a liar, and by her own words has been just that since before 2000.

Attempt to understand? What kind of Kumbaya situational ethics is that? Just as Barry Bonds and Mark McGuire have made a mockery of his records and to a smaller extent, baseball, so has Jones with her behavior and her sport. She's done this for nearly a decade - knowingly.

My contempt for Jones has nothing to do with your comical attempt to head off those for whom character has meaning. You embarrass yourself and render your arguments without merit when you avoid the facts and resort to emotion, and 'you haven't been there' rhetoric.

Everyone knows a liar and a cheat when they see one Mr. Gym. And we also know, as a very intelligent woman, (which I'm sure you'll agree) it's preposterous on its face she believe flaxseed oil was generating all the changes in her body. To offer that as an excuse is less than a fig leaf used to cover the facts.

She's sorry because, after seven long years of smiling into the camera calling all those who knew the truth, liars, she has been busted - caught red handed.

We have contempt for her because her so called contrition is a direct result of the criminal justice system's truckloads of empirical evidence against her.

Are you seriously asking us to believe she would've asked our forgiveness - admitting guilt - without the U.S. Attorney's actions? Give me a break.

Nobody believes Barry Bonds - or OJ - or Jones.

We can read Mr. Gym - and our wrath isn't emotional, it's based on naked truth, backed by empirical evidence - which is the only reason that video could've been made in the first place.

Implying folks are illiterate or just plain stupid because they can easily discern a football in a basket of baseballs isn't the way to make your case.

Arrogance never wins the day - facts do - and so does behavior.

She knew what it was far in advance of competition. She knew for all these years. We'll forgive her when her behavior shows she doesn't think we are all idiots, as you so artlessly imply.

Dr. Gym;

Call me stupid, but what does “Apostleptic" mean?

I can read and never heard of this term (neither has Google).

No one is convicting here. Marion has taken responsibility for her crimes and will be convicted by the courts.

I'm not sure her awards are now considered valid by the sports world.

Mike

I first met Marion Jones at the age of eleven...then again at her Sacramento High School...she was as engaging then as she is today. As so many before her, and as so many yet to come... the inculturation into the world of sport has again added another page to it's bibliography of shame. But this time it is different - for in the phenomena it appears not as an apparition but much more "Apostleptic."

For all of you who can read... who will think critically...? Let it be known that you can, and will thus remain insatiable in your contempt. Seeking to convict versus attempting to understand is an obvious emotional excuse for never having reached the awards stand in your own life .... do not think you know - for you know nothing. It is time for us all to learn, learn, learn from this event.

Marion Jones is a very compelling liar.

Any doubts about this can be laid to rest when comparing this video with previous footage of her vehement denials about ever having used performance enhancing drugs.

Marion Jones is still lying.

Hey Jeff;

One thing I noticed...

She said she was sorry for the lies but not a word about her drug use...

Mike

I wasn't persuaded by anything she said. I'll let time show me how contrite she really is. Frankly, she's the female Barry Bonds as far as I'm concerned.

She knew what was going on, regardless of her contentions to the contrary. She was doing this BEFRORE 2000, which means for over seven years she was cheating, lying, etc. For here to say, as a very calculating and intelligent person, she actually thought the steroids were flaxseed oil?

Anyone who believes that, believes OJ is looking for the real killers.

No, I don't believe her.