Sprinter Marion Jones Seeks Pardon; US Track Program Head Objects
A disgraced Olympic champion sprinter who lost her five gold medals due to her eventually admitted use of performance-enhancing steroids is seeking a pardon or a commutation of her six-month federal conviction for obstruction of justice from President George W. Bush.
However, the head of USA Track & Field has asked the president not to grant Marion Jones’ request, reports Reuters.
“To reduce Ms Jones’ sentence or pardon her would send a horrible message to young people who idolized her, reinforcing the notion that you can cheat and be entitled to get away with it,” says Douglas Logan of in a letter to Bush that was released today.
Although Jones, who participated in the Sydney Olympics, eventually admitted her use of steroids, she did not do so until cornered by investigators, according to Logan’s letter.
Meanwhile, “with her cheating and lying, Marion Jones did everything she could to violate the principles of track and field and Olympic competition. When she came under scrutiny for doping, she taunted any who doubted her purity, talent and work ethic. Just as she had succeeded in duping us with her performances, she duped many people into giving her the benefit of the doubt.”
When Jones was sentenced in the obstruction case in the Southern District of New York early this year, CNN reported at the time, her lawyers emphasized her generally law-abiding life and said that she had already been punished severely by losing her career and livelihood and being publicly disgraced.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Marion Jones Gets 6 Months; Disgraced Olympian Lied About Steroids Use”
