Trevor Graham has been charged with making false statements to the government regarding the BALCO scandal three years ago. Graham, who was the person that sent in the sample of THG, is now being summoned to court and could face up to 15 years in prision and $750,000. Ouch!
Trevor Graham (Photo by Kirby Lee / Wire Image from NY Times)
I’m not too surprised that Graham has to go back to court, but here’s the thing– Graham is only one coach, and there are plenty of other coaches out there who are doing the exact same thing that Graham did. Other coaches probably have more sophisticated drugs than THG, and then there is always gene doping. What is the difference between these coaches and Graham? Well– Graham got caught and a lot of his athletes seem to be linked the the BALCO scandal or have tested positive for performance enhancing drugs or steroids– but what will USATF and other athletic organizations do in the meantime with these other coaches? The problem with steroids and drugs will not go away by having Graham go to court and not allowed to coach– this is a key issues that the athletic community needs to address immediately to save its reputation and image.
It’s sad to see that the only coverage that track and field gets today is another person has been accused of taking steroids, the BALCO scandal, and every four years– we have the Olympics. The image and reputation of track and field will take a hit with the BALCO scandal, but at least Graham won’t likely be back to coaching again. One down, many more coaches to look at.
0 Comments