11/05/24
January 11, 2008
Marion Jones Receives 6 Month Sentence: Marion Jones was sentenced Friday to six months in prison for lying about using steroids and a check-fraud scam.
If I was Bonds, it'd be brown trouser time right about now.
posted by Drood at 02:52 PM on January 11, 2008
Heard this on the news and it felt a little harsh, but I guess I've always felt bad for her and that may be chauvinistic on my part. If this were Ben Johnson, I wouldn't care. Applicable great advice from my father: "Son, if you're ever going to commit a crime, don't cross state lines to do it."
posted by yerfatma at 03:40 PM on January 11, 2008
Now THAT'S a fall from grace. Can't help but feel some pity for her. Between USATF protecting cheats and the millions at stake, at the pressure to perform, an athlete can get enough mixed messages to not know up from down. Especially with a team of coaches, lawyers, trainers, doctors, friends and hangers on circling like barracuda at the faint whiff of talent. I bet it's not hard to be convinced to take that route.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 03:48 PM on January 11, 2008
The sentence wasn't 'for using steroids'. The sentence was for perjury.
posted by budman13 at 04:58 PM on January 11, 2008
I think it was bad for MJ to commit perjury, and got what she deserved. But with that said she seems to be a quality person, and after the first lie I think she stepped up and admitted the lie. She made no excuses and said she was wrong, and showed allot of heart felt remorse to her fans and the public in general. I agree with Weedy McSmokey that the presure from outside influnences for these young athletes to do things out of character when millions of dollars are involved must be overwhelming. If I put myself in their shoes I don't know if I wouldn't make the same mistakes.
posted by sportnut at 05:42 PM on January 11, 2008
While there's no excuse for lying, especially to proper authorities. She has my sympathy, and my feeling the judge could have given her more probation or additional community service. Hoping after serving time, she can make a contribution to the track and field sport. Especially from a ethics standpoint, to younger athletes coming into the sport.
posted by Nakeman at 06:29 PM on January 11, 2008
So a chucklehead like Paris Hilton gets 12 days (served) for driving on a suspended license (from a DUI arrest that luckily did not involve a fatality) and Marion Jones gets 6 months for initially lying and then fully cooperating with authorities? Don't get that at all. There are crimes and then there are CRIMES. Being stripped of her medals, outed as a cheat and banned from her sport really ought to have been enough.
posted by Hockeymom at 07:20 PM on January 11, 2008
If I was Bonds, it'd be brown trouser time right about now. Why? He hasn't committed any cheque fraud.
posted by grum@work at 09:01 PM on January 11, 2008
So a chucklehead like Paris Hilton gets 12 days (served) for driving on a suspended license (from a DUI arrest that luckily did not involve a fatality) and Marion Jones gets 6 months for initially lying and then fully cooperating with authorities? Don't get that at all. It is all about money. Paris has plenty of it and has a constant source of it (family businesses). Marion Jones allowed leeches and hangerons to take the money that she earned. Marion Jones was one of the purest, greatest talents to come into track and field before she hooked up with the wrong people and started the path toward disgrace. The sad thing is that she was such a natural talent that hard work without PEDs would have been all that she needed to dominate for well past a decade. Track and Field officials and the USOC should not toss her aside, I think that they can hire her and have her talk to young athelete about why they must keep themselves clean, who better to perform such and important than a person that wasted God given talent and appears to feel genuine remorse about allowing that to happen.
posted by Cave_Man at 11:43 PM on January 11, 2008
When you committ perjury you are interfering with prosecutors going after other (and probably bigger) suspects. I don't believe prosecutors will let that slide.
posted by Newbie Walker at 01:09 AM on January 12, 2008
When you committ perjury you are interfering with prosecutors going after other (and probably bigger) suspects. I don't believe prosecutors will let that slide. If this is the case, then why are they pursuing a perjury charge for Barry Bonds? They already charged all the "bigger" suspects (BALCO), and didn't need his "testimony" to do it. There isn't anyone else to go after.
posted by grum@work at 01:28 AM on January 12, 2008
Cave_Man, as an aside, did you happen to read Hilton's grandfather is leaving 97% of his wealth to charity? Good on him, Paris probably is still sobbing though she will never be poor.
posted by gfinsf at 02:42 AM on January 12, 2008
Cave_Man, as an aside, did you happen to read Hilton's grandfather is leaving 97% of his wealth to charity? Good on him, Paris probably is still sobbing though she will never be poor. No, I did not hear that, but your information appears to be more complete than mine. But the remaining 3% is a lot, someone has estimated that Paris stands to inherit somewhere between 300 and 500 million dollars. Paris does seem to have calmed down since her runin with the law that ended up with her facing jail time, even if that time was small. Her sister, Nicky, seem to have it right, from what I know, she is a fashion designer who largely stays out of the limelight. Back to Marion Jones. I hope that higherups in amateur sports use her as a tool to work against your athletes getting involved with PEDs. Marion seemed to have shown true remorse for her actions, using her as a face and mouthpiece to talk to young sportsmen and sportswomen will have much more impact that having stuffed suits issuing a bunch of regulations and warnings.
posted by Cave_Man at 05:26 PM on January 12, 2008
Marion cheated, she admited it, and is going to serve jail; but she can say that she went down with her chin up! Bonds and Clemons have and example to follow...
posted by BoriQa at 10:47 AM on January 13, 2008
It doesn't look good for Barry Bonds but I was a little surprised that she got two months for using steroids. It is kind of a sad ending for her. Broke, shamed, and now an owner of a criminal record.