Another Fallen Sports Hero: Marion Jones Pleads Guilty to Steroid Use

by Libby Pelham | More from this Blogger

06 Oct 2007 08:58 AM

I grew up during a great time in sports. I remember Bruce Jenner running across the finish line as he won the decathlon at the 1976 Olympic Games. I was watching television as tiny Nadia Comaneci scored perfect 10s - inspiring almost all girls my age to take up gymnastics. I was glued to the set when the men's hockey team defeated the Soviet Union at Lake Placid in 1980. That was just an incredible moment, even if I was only watching it on the small screen and not in person.

I guess what I am trying to say is that sports legends have almost always been heroes for me. So it hurts me when I see how human some can be. Although I was never a big Pete Rose fan, I am still upset by his whole situation. I cringe when someone mentions Barry Bond's name because I am convinced he tainted the home run record with steroid use.

So I was saddened to see that another sports hero has admitted to using performance enhancing steroids to win at her sport. In case you haven't read the news already, gold medal winner Marion Jones has pleaded guilty to lying about using steroids to help her win. She admitted she took something called "the clear" before the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, at which she won gold for the 100 meter, 200 meter, and 4x400 meter relay. She also won bronze medals for the 4x100 meter relay and the long jump.

Jones said her coach, Trevor Graham, first gave her to drugs in 1999, telling told her they were flaxseed oil. She may face jail time for this, but will not know until her sentencing on January 11, 2008. No only may she lose all her medals, but because one of them was for a relay, the rest of the team could lose their gold medals as well. Jones also announced her immediate retirement from track and field, calling it "a sport which I deeply love."

I don't know, I suppose even cases like this teach the kids something - that cheating doesn't pay.

More Sports Star Blogs:

Giants Say "Thanks...See Ya" to Barry Bonds

O.J. Simpson's in Hot Water Again

Mike Tyson Pleads Guilty to Drug Charge

Learn more about Libby Pelham

Libby Pelham is a work-at-home mom located in Jacksonville, NC. She has a beautiful little boy, Will, born in July of 2004.

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