From the fastest woman on Earth to jailhouse brawler. Marion Jones could win a medal for how fast she fell from public graces. #MarionJones #Olympics #Steroids Read Full Article: www.nickiswift.com/1048107/wh...
@@0007tad: She made a mistake that was actually not necessary and she paid for her mistake. But that does take away the fact her smile was something special.
So defrauding others of millions of $ by a cheque fraud scheme and, allowing for inflation, taking over a million $ of prize money from honest athletes is just fine ?
its not uncommon for suppliment companies to sprinkle steroids into their protein power b4 putting them on the market, its a safe way to use roids in metered doses, no wonder ppl in the gym these days getting so big n strong fast!
I'm baffled as to why she had a custodial sentence, let alone somewhere she was obviously with more dangerous criminals for an utterly non-violent crime. 😕
I live in Ft. Worth, that is a minimum security federal prison. Just because someone is convicted of a white collar crime doesn't mean they can't be violent too.
its not uncommon for suppliment companies to sprinkle steroids into their protein power b4 putting them on the market, its a safe way to use roids in metered doses, no wonder ppl in the gym these days getting so big n strong fast!
When you commit a multi-million $ cheque fraud in the US, you shouldn't be surprised if you serve 5 years in jail. Marion Jones got off with a very light punishment, 6 months, the judge wanted to give her more, she had a 2 year suspended sentence. She served her time in a low security building : she took the hint.
Marion Jones showed great remorse for her actions. She paid a heavy price. I am happy that she is doing well. She has a new career, a wonderful family, and a vision for her future to help others as a motivational speaker. She realized she made a mistake and she conducted herself with dignity and humility. Keep on fighting Marion. We are for you. God Bless You
Marion Jones has never shown the slightest remorse, she definitely has shown fear. The tears she showed when confessing were frustration : she was still high on PEDs. The prison term did her a power of good, she was forced to go clean.
She didn’t go to prison for steroids use. She went to prisons n for lying to federal investigators. She should have remained silent and got a good lawyer.
They are white. Also the days when the fastest people on earth only existed in the US and Eastern Europe and west Germany as a result of intense usage of performance enhancing drugs, no one went to jail. Some of them still hold world records. The IOC is a joke and a racist organization.
its not uncommon for suppliment companies to sprinkle steroids into their protein power b4 putting them on the market, its a safe way to use roids in metered doses, no wonder ppl in the gym these days getting so big n strong fast!
She was in jail, not just for drug use, but for lying to the FBI and for her involvement in a check fraud case. Or, maybe it was because she was black and systemic racism. Hard to know for sure.
her TALENT was taken away from her. Once the gear stopped, so did her performance. It takes talent to play a musical instrument. It don't take talent to move faster or higher.
@@BabaEsconoir Scarcely, she obtained IAAF prize money, worth well over a million $ today, allowing for inflation, which she never returned. The only sanction, she is not allowed to compete in IAAF events until she returns the money. So no, she definitely kept the stash she obtained by cheating.
Marion Jones, always a favorite sprinter of me, a very slow runner. Am more competitive in long distance. Please take care. Stay healthy. Sprinter favorite even now 27 June 2023.
@@JomoDaMusicMan Wrong, the evidence was all written. The cheques bouncing in the cheque fraud scheme, and the written records of her drug taking held by BALCO.
its not uncommon for suppliment companies to sprinkle steroids into their protein power b4 putting them on the market, its a safe way to use roids in metered doses, no wonder ppl in the gym these days getting so big n strong fast!
Marion Jones was fairly big in my early teen years. We use to watch and root for her. It's crazy how she is basically written out of the history books. Never any mention of her when it comes to the greats like Shelly Ann Frasier, Allyson Felix etc. For a great female or U.S female sprinter they always go back to Flo Jo. It's ashame Marion cheated and is now pretty much obsolete in the track and field world.
Somehow she is someone who should be remembered in books. she and others who today Have Testimonials to share and give,They found themselves in similar situations...They can help others beyond Sports.... in this way...by telling their story...The Good..bad and ugly of it all.. educating and talking to future athletes and others about stuff not to do...and what can happen later. She had to deal with the fallout that came afterwards..Her life was never quite the same after it all but she kept going...She lived/lives on.... She got herself together.. she moved on....She is doing well Today..Good for her with what she is doing now... hope she does well and succeed in the future.....God/Jesus is a way maker.. rebuilder and redeemer...
OMG she was on probation for 2 years after, and had to do 800 hours of community service, and the judge wanted to give her a harsher sentence while Barry Bonds never got punished, and still lies about the extent of his use to this day.
We've yet to see. Her consumption of the BALCO PED, nicknamed CLEAR by the founder CONTE, has unknown long term consequences. (The number of cases of athletes suddenly dropping dead of heart attacks after a long and successful athletic career suggests dropping drop dead is one of the potential long term consequences. )
its not uncommon for suppliment companies to sprinkle steroids into their protein power b4 putting them on the market, its a safe way to use roids in metered doses, no wonder ppl in the gym these days getting so big n strong fast!
She found him a drain on her advertising revenue so of course he had to go. Just to let him get the message she promptly had a baby with Montgomery. Needless to say Hunter felt aggrieved and not long after, once his career was effectively over, the BALCO scandal occurred.
I admire her for her courage to come and speak the truth. But there are athletes and even some with long lasting world records having already left this world who did not have the courage to do so. Those athletes lacked honesty.
@@jimmunro4649 Only white collar criminals : she was in a minimum security prison. Even there she proved so volatile she ended up in solitary to protect the general population.
Is a custodial sentence for everyone? Damn! AND to lose all those accolades. Seems extremely harsh and she didn’t deal drugs to anyone, nor kill anyone!
If you ignore (a) involvement in a multi-million $ cheque fraud scheme, worth 10 years in jail, and (b) cheating other athletes out of prize money which today, allowing for inflation, would be worth well over a million $, and (c) don't be too sure she didn't deal. (A number of athletes who Conte had no knowledge of, in the BALCO records, tested positive for the BALCO PED, he nicknamed CLEAR, Barry Bonds among them. The route taken is unknown. ) Don't forget by her actions she spread doping and should be considered with infamy.
It's so crazy how black people are only 13% of the population but 98% of the conversation in this country and how black people are so unjustly treated in the justice system while white people that commit the same or worse are treated completely different That why I NEVER understand how other black people are so quick to condemn other black people while you hardly ever heard other groups condemn each other .I will never understand that part.
I loved this woman It’s not the athletes that are the problem it’s the American track and athletics organisation This is the abuse and exploitation of young innocent athletes. The devil is a liar
She needed a calendar to keep the drug taking, cheating, straight in her head. The abuse of young innocent athletes occurred when MJ was not banned for life for drug taking as a teenager. It took Johnnie Cockran, OJ Simpson's Lawyer, to get her off with a temporary ban.
They didn’t provide the drugs and those organizations are the ones that pay for USADA to test the athletes. She cheated to be the best because she wasn’t the best without the PED’s.
@@leifnielsen837 Please read some of the other comments. You might realise MJ never told the truth about her offences until she was forced to. She showed genuine fear but no remorse.
I am from Greece. Marion Jones did the right to come out and tell the truth about using steroids. I wished our fellow sprinters Katerina Thanou and Kostas Kenteris would have done the same. They are lucky to keep their medals.
I assume you mean Marion Jones ? She never has confessed to wittingly doping. She is unable to pretend she never consumed dope, as tests have caught her out. MJ confessed to being dishonest. This was taken by the journalists present as being a confession of doping, since she was convicted of doping, she couldn't sue them. She confessed to cheque fraud. Katerina Thanou & Kostas Kenteris were affected by MJ in the Sydney 2000 Olympics. The actions of MJ forced KT to dope to compensate for the crushing imposed by the cheat MJ.
MJ confessed to being dishonest, meaning cheque fraud, NOT doping. She has never confessed to wittingly doping even after imprisonment. The reason you think MJ confessed to doping is because the legalistic use of language, especially after her long winded rigmarole about how her family were mad at her, naming each one, confused the listening reporters into thinking she had confessed to doping : she hadn't. She couldn't sue them because she had been convicted in court of lying about being a doper.
I remember her husband being accused, but I can't remeber her being accused, confessing and spending time in prison. She was a bright star, it's such a shame she was convinced that she needed steroids.
i can't figure out why she had a need to come forward and tell on herself, dumb as a rock, make them prove what her jealous husband told them, he was angry she found a new lover
I was her .biggest fan and I was truly disappointed and devastated was it came to light. And what really bothered me is that she was so much better than the others at that time that she could have easily won without drugs.
Man 6 year old me had the biggest girl crush on Marion Jones 😂😂 I randomly remembered her during the 2008 Olympics and after doing research, found out she was going to jail 😲 that still shocks me to this day
She was convicted of (a) A multi-million $ cheque fraud scheme, for which she should have served 10 years, she got 6 months. (b) lying to the FBI : she claimed she never doped and despite being convicted in open court of being a doper has never admitted to wittingly doped. I understand why : she had enormous publicity as a 5 times medal winner. At 6, it doesn't occur to you there was something suspect.
I am so relieved to finally hear something about her. Thank God this didn't destroy her. She is beautiful, brave, honest and courageous. May she continue to prosper in God and in life.
Hello! There’s a reason Marion Jones spent time in jail, so lying about not taking performance enhancing drugs is being honest, and Courageous, yeah right, but on a positive note, it’s good to her she’s turned her life around, maybe going to jail saved her life
She is not honest, she is a liar and a cheater. She is a disgrace for track and field. She screwed her competitor. And now we have to feel sorry for her that she spent some time in jail?
Does God befriend Cheats?? she lives in Texas correct? the Houston Astros must be her favorite baseball team. My favorite athletes are Tee Ballers, Pony baseball players, Tiny Mites, WHY?????? Because they are Pure/Unadulterated, nothing is more Beautiful.
@@jefholland999 Don't forget fraudster. She cheated others out of millions by cheque fraud. She should have served 10 years but fame, and national prestige, resulted in a 6 month sentence.
Jones is a wonderful person and athlete and should have denied everything. There are no doubt many others who are still considered drug free but who were not.
@@0007tad I was referring to the way the US prison system works if your rich and cut a deal with the help of a competent lawyer. Its a matter of knowing how to play the game.
Hope everything continues to work out for her she's only human. Life has its ups and downs and stands on our decisions .We all make bad decisions,all she's trying to do is get her life flowing back again.
This wasn't a matter of a bad decision but years of systematic cheating which required a calendar detailing everything to keep straight. A single act of impatience resulting in a bad outcome is one thing, and potentially forgivable, carefully planned cheating, contempt for all honest athletes, and outright denying and lying about her actions to this day, even after being jailed, is not.
I still don't understand why she's sentenced to jail for performance enhancing drugs (yes its stated the sentence was partly for that in addition to money fraud) but Lance Armstrong and Ben Johnson never got jail sentence .... ... especially Lance Armstrong was far worse doing it for many years in his offence as he was the ring leader for other athletes using it too .... ... can someone help explain the difference in punishments ?
@@88feji First the sentence was for a multi-million $ cheque fraud scheme, for which she should have received 10 years, not 6 months. Second, the cheque fraud triggered an FBI investigation : MJ lied to the FBI which is an offence for which she could be jailed. MJ should have recognised the FBI raid on BALCO meant her goose was well and truly cooked, and cut a deal with the help of her lawyer as fast as possible.
I was heartbroken but sadly not surprised when it was revealed that Marion had used performance enhancing substances. This was evident to me in her second Olympics. She didn't have the same power in her performance and I knew that something was up. I'm glad that she has moved on and is doing well in her life in spite of all that has happened.
@@cleowilson6532 Marion was never caught, and has never confessed to wittingly doping. The FBI raid on BALCO found the BALCO copies of her drug calendars, and all associated tax documentation.
She wasn't in jail for drug use, but for lying to the FBI and for her involvement in a check fraud case. Or, maybe it was because she was black and systemic racism. Hard to know for sure.
Her doping case saddens me to this day because she had a lot of potential that went to waste. A lot of athletes like Lance Armstrong and Maria Sharapova also faced the same fate.
Lance Armstrong was using methods, throughout his career, which he knew were illegal. Maria Sharapova declared her usage of a medicine which was accepted by PTA for a decade. She simply neglected to keep track of changes in regulations. For some unknown reason the regulations were changed making her prescription illegal. As she said, she should have been informed of the change but the position of the association was that it was on their lists and that was legally sufficient.
@@Ekene74 Not hypocrisy, $, her public image was the basis of advertising revenue. Her every action was driven by a desire for $. Why do you think she was interested in Hunter in the first place : a conduit for drugs. The objective was always become an Olympian, the bigger, the better, and enjoy lots of $. For example, her cheating gave her victories in the Diamond League, and $ prizes, which adjusted for inflation, would be worth well over 1 million $ today. Even today a million $ is not to be sniffed at. (She never returned the IAAF prize money obtained by cheating, which is why she is not allowed to compete.) She divorced Hunter the moment it became obvious he was a financial liability.
@michaeledwards2251 And that is who I should sympathise with? She is truly a lowlife! Coming out of jail to go all that Oh I am a changed person and all that crap. Self centred as they come.
We have yet to see : her ingesting CLEAR, THG, for a prolonged period of time has potentially adverse consequences. A number of athletes have dropped dead at the end of long and successful careers, and it cannot be ruled out she will be among them.
Most beautiful sprinter! we wish you the very best,,,,,,,,,,,many of us are misdirected at times but rise up and move on girl and show your talent and charm!
She was treated badly, Yes she took the drugs, but so did probably half of the pro baseball players, in a period that is now followed by an asterisk in the the major League baseball stats denoting " the steroid years"
I heard what she tested positive fir was no more than a prohormone, which was legal. Infact in the 2,000 prosteroids which were actual steroids,not prohormones were legally sold in stores.
Plenty were guilty. Same as in a lot of pro sports. Boxing, basketball. If you follow steroid insiders like Victor Conte who ran the company that administered ped's to many of these fa.ous athletes, you can spot ped use in plenty of other big name athletes across different sports.
If you take in account per post doping career in cross-fit, and her teen dominance, the question arises was she doping from age 12 ? (If it sounds unlikely a former US national champion was told by the Coach, who espoused natural methods, of his kid, it is now standard practice to dope from age 12. )
She was in jail, not just for drug use, but for lying to the FBI and for her involvement in a check fraud case. Or, maybe it was because she was black and systemic racism. Hard to know for sure.
So sad she slipped. But she’s far from alone. Many others have as well. Best soul healer is to confess regret to God, our maker. He forgives and Marion can proceed “washed” of her sins and begin refreshed.
Do your homework Dude. Marion was a high school prodigy, she set US high school records. Instead of becoming a track star she went to North Carolina on a basketball scholarship. As a point guard she led North Carolina to the National Championship her sophomore year. Marion left North Carolina early to become a track star. She lost a couple of major races to a East European woman who was clearly doing steroids. Marion switched coaches to a guy who had a history of doping his runners. Out of all the athletes who were using the designer steroid out of Oakland California she was the only person to go to jail; including the sellers.
@@davidfrayne9769 I thought CONTE, the founder of BALCO, got 4 months ? That's what he says in videos on the BALCO scandal. At 16, MJ met HUNTER, who was a known heavy user. She did basket ball in College because she had to serve out an IAAF ban. If not for Johnnie Cochran, of OJ Simpson fame, she would have been banned for life. Marion went to jail for involvement in a multi-million $ cheque fraud scheme.
@Theo Connor ------ ALL those co-called half of fame baseball players NEVER went to prison and they straight up lied in FEDERAL COURT about using steroids. NOTICE how not one single player that lied to the Feds in court didn't go to prison at all.
If you’re under investigation for anything at all and you as much as lie about chewing red bubble gum versus green and get caught. The feds can bust you. Super petty reason to send someone to prison.
She used her 1st husband for drugs, then when he was caught, she threw him under the bus. She then had a baby with the next man she used for drugs. Now she is a hero?
The sad thing about these athletes that cheat is that they have robbed the other competitors of those medals, glory and fame, money etc. No amount of "I'm sorry" is ever going to change that.
The REALLY sad thing is that EVERYONE who gets to the Olympic/World Championships level is using PEDs and sophisticated masking drugs to hide them. Just as it was with world-class cyclists back when Lance Armstrong was winning races, all athletes at the top must cheat. The hardest part of it is that athletes like me, friends of mine, and others who refused to use drugs, but could have been national or world class if we had, were forced to accept either risking our health and lives to compete with the drug users or being in a different category of athlete by choosing not to. I am seeing a lot of "big time" PED using jocks from my era dying at 50-59 years old, and I'm still alive and kicking. I'd say that the dopers screwed up. They can't take the medals and trophies with them
Part of the problem though is that ped's and corruption in sports that allows its use is likely so rampant than even more honest competitors get dragged into it because they won't have much chance to beat the cheaters if they don't cheat as well.
@@sabrinawhiteman3396 Seriously, you Marion Jones-loving fool. I was a U.S. Marine before college (as elite troops, we were all extremely well-trained to the level of PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES), was thereafter a college athlete, a postgrad competing amateur athlete who powerlifted, entered strongman contests, and threw the discus until was 40. In most of my 20's and 30's, I was as strong as any PED-free NFL or track athlete and was forced to compete against rotten, drug-using athletic cheats because that was the only venue then open to us. The other commentators and I who you attack are correct, and you have your head up your ass. Why comment or reply to anything we say from our hard-earned training, study and competitive experience when it's YOU who are an ignorant gasbagger with an obvious double-digit IQ. Although we (including yourself) realize that you're a moron who can't comprehend the realities of modern athletics, you could at least exhibit some humility and defer to those who you should realize have superior minds with expert backgrounds who know what you don't, and either ask us why we think as we do, or remain silent.
@@sabrinawhiteman3396 Lol, you know nothing about me, I may not have been a "star" athlete but I was an athlete in my younger years. So yes, I can judge. We didn't have cheats like this. Our sport was judged on our talent, not what drugs we used as we weren't go enough to beat our opponents. If you have to cheat to win, you are definitely NOT a winner.
@liberalculler5087 Kind of murky waters. I'm pretty sure Barry Bonds and McGwire lied under oath. Idk if was to prosecutors or what. But I don't think either did any time in prison. I could be wrong.
She went to prison for perjury not steroid usage. She lied under oath. Perjury can actually land you in prison for years so 6 months was a light sentence.
She has never confessed to wittingly using drugs. Watch her confession on the steps of the court, she confessed to being dishonest, meaning cheque fraud.
As a UNC Chapel Hill student in the mid 1990s, I witnessed Marion Jones, who led the women's basketball team, first and foremost as a basketball player. Moving alike a male basketball player, cutting and slashing, she is the most naturally skilled female basketball player that I have witnessed. It surprised me, seeming odd, when instead of joining the WNBA, which was forming as she graduated, she led the US women's Olympic sprint team, a role that soon usurped her persona. Yet I doubt that her unmatched basketball skill owed to performance-enhancing drugs.
You said it yourself : she moved like a male. It is known testosterone increases activity in brain areas related to spatial awareness and aggression. Jones was always motivated by $. She only played basketball in order to serve out a IAAF ban : she needed Johnnie Cochran of OJ Simpson fame, to get off a life time ban. Her motive for divorcing her 1st husband was advertising revenue.
