It was reported that Me’Lisa Barber and Shawn Crawford, who have been coached by Trevor Graham, are leaving his sprint program and will no longer be coached by him. As I mentioned earlier, Graham has to go back to court based on what he said the the grand jury regarding the BALCO scandal. Crawford is the 2004 Olympic 200 meter Champion and Barber has won the 2005 100 meters at the U.S. Championships. Both sprinters had success when they were coached by Graham.
Shawn Crawford (2004) and Me’Lisa Barber (USATF Bio)
So– why are these two athletes all of a sudden leaving Graham. Hmm, let me think– could it be possible that they know how this is going to affect their athletic careers? Of course! It is all about image, and if they are linked to Graham– people may think that they are just successful because they might be getting “some help”. Well, it’s almost a little too late for both these sprinters in my opinion. Crawford was Justin Gatlin’s training partner– who tested positive for testostrone this past summer– and people might find him guilty by association.
Here’s the key thing to remember– the public and others can make a lot of judgements about you without meeting you based on the people that you associate with. In other words– be aware of how their image and reputation among the public eye, because you might have to answer some questions about it.
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