Marion Jones's Confession

Marion Jones finally came out with the truth. She admitted to using “the clear” a form of steroids during the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. In 2003, Jones angrily denied using any form of steroids to enhance her performance in a testimony before a grand jury. Although, she lied to the public and federal agents four years ago, what is important is that she finally came clean. This shows me that her guilty conscious got the best of her and that she knew what had to be done. Jones knew the right thing to do was to confess. This still doesn’t take away the fact that she lied and cheated, but I think it helps her case as far as trying to gain peoples’ respect back. When I first heard on ESPN that Marion Jones had admitted to using steroids to help improve her abilities, I was in awe and lost all respect for her as an athlete. However, after watching her apology on television, I somewhat sympathized with her and gained more respect for her as a human being. It took a lot of courage and guts for her to admit in front of a national audience that she did in fact cheat at the 2000 Olympics, and that she wrong for doing so. She not only put her reputation on the line but her future as well just to make things right and fair in a competition that took place seven years ago. I know that she is the cause of her own problems, but her finally coming out with the truth shows what kind of person she really is.

According to Christopher Clarey of the International Herald Tribune, Jones handed back her five gold medals that she had won from the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games voluntarily. Ina telephone interview Inger Miller, who was Jones’s formal rival stated, “I’m happy that (Marion) has turned the medals over, and there was no fight for it or anything like that. At least she’s woman enough to stand up and say the truth and do what’s right.” Jones made her apology to the public on Friday outside a New York State Courthouse. She apologized to the public, her family, friends, and her nation along with her lawyers. (http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/10/09/sports/ARENA.php) I watched part of Jones’s apology on television and I viewed it as a very meaningful, sincere, and a straight from the heart apology. She was crying during the apology which expressed her emotions of feeling humiliated, embarrassed, and relived to get the truth off her chest. I admired her for being honest for the first time about using steroids, along with apologizing for her actions in front of the nation. I thought she showed nothing but class by handing back the medals without putting up any kind of fight or struggle. I wish more athletes who have cheated in the past by using some form of steroids like Marion Jones would just come clean and be honest. If Michael Vick’s apology was anywhere as close or sincere as what Jones’s apology was, then he might be back playing in the N.F.L. sooner than he will be. I hope the honesty in this case used by Marion Jones provokes more professional athletes such as Barry Bonds to come clean and admit to using either performance enhancers or steroids.