When I was looking at the news today, I came across the headline that Marion Jones had finally come clean and said that she took steroids before the 2000 Olympics. The article said that she had taken the steroid known in the BALCO case as “the clear.” Well, I think that this is a little too late for Jones. I would consider this to be a huge PR Nightmare. This is not only a crisis for Jones, but for the sport of Track and Field. Jones made the following statement to the Washington Post about the situation:
“I want to apologize for all of this. I am sorry for disappointing you all in so many ways.”
Hmmmm.. interesting. I think that Jones should have thought about the impact that this would have before she starting taking the steroids. It was also interesting to see how USATF responded to Jones and this case. They had the following statement on their web site today:
“Anything that exposes the truth about drug use in sport is good for ensuring the integrity of sport. While USATF has no knowledge of any letter or pending plea agreement regarding Marion Jones, we continue our long-stated support for the efforts of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and the federal government in their investigations. Any use of performance-enhancing substances is a tragedy for the athlete, their teammates, friends, family and the sport. We await any further developments on this matter.”
I had written several posts on Jones and how her reputation has been impacted negatively due to the fact that she was linked to the BALCO case, and everyone had their doubts. Now, there is a chance that she could face jail time, lose her Olympic medals, and will be remembered as the sprinter that used steroids to win three gold medals in 2000. Is this what Jones wanted to be known for? I seriously doubt it.
It has taken Jones a long time to tell everyone the truth, but her actions has seriously impacted all athletes and everyone in track and field. It is amazing to see how the mighty have fallen. The Jones case will be an interesting sports PR case study for PR professionals to look at the different elements of crisis and reputation management in sports. Like the other athletes that have been linked to steroids, they need to be out of the sport and taken out of the spotlight. These athletes also have a lot of explaining to do to the millions of young children and athletes that viewed them as role models.
Anyway, these are just a few of my thoughts on the subject. I hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen 🙂
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