Aug 17, 2004 Flea Bitten By Laurel Park :: Views- 1155

When I was a kid it seemed as though my father had a pithy, wisdom-laden adage for every occasion. One in particular comes to mind every time I read another fervent denial by Marion Jones regarding her use of performance enhancing drugs: If you lie down with dogs, you're going to get fleas.

I sincerely hope that Marion is telling the truth and that she has in fact been clean throughout the celebrated athletic career. I remember watching her as a teenager compete against some of the top athletes in the country. Even then her talent and her poise were unmistakable. You just knew that barring some unforeseen twist of fate, this was a superstar in the making. Her return to track and field after college seemed to fulfill the destiny that so many had predicted years before. Her ascension to the top echelon of the sport proceeded according to script. And in a sport rife with self-absorbed egomaniacs and tarnished by the dark cloud of cheating, Marion's talent and grace were a welcome breath of fresh air. Who better to represent American track and field than this delightful young woman.

When it was learned that Marion's then-husband C.J. Hunter had failed several drug tests in the late 1990s, public sentiment appeared to be that Marion had been duped just like the rest of us. Even her appearances before the media in support of her husband seemed subdued and not entirely convincing. Their subsequent swift divorce could be seen as evidence that Marion would not risk her own reputation and career by associating with a proven drug cheat. While some people questioned whether Marion could really be ignorant of her husband's actions, most people seemed willing to believe it.

In the ensuing years, however, Marion's choices seemed both bewildering and damning. Her brief association with Charlie Francis, the former coach of disgraced Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, ended in a storm of controversy. Her relationship with Tim Montgomery , who is facing a potential lifetime ban from track and field, and her affiliation with BALCO Laboratories, the focus of the current doping scandal, hardly bolster her case. One or two bad choices can be dismissed. But a continuous string raising troubling questions. And when you add them all up, it casts doubt on a person's judgment and integrity. The very fact that Marion has chosen to associate with a number of people who have been involved in drug cheating is as good as condoning the behavior - and it seriously undermines her claims of innocence. I'm not a lawyer and I certainly don't have any inside knowledge of the USADA's case against Montgomery, but I have to think that if the agency is seeking a lifetime ban against one of top track athletes in the world, they've got to have some pretty solid evidence.

In a recent interview with USA Today, Marion stated that crux of the issue was not Olympic medals or even endorsement earning - it was her reputation. Preserving her reputation, she stated, was far more important that medals or money. Well, I know what would constitute a major step in that direction for me. Break up with Montgomery. Declare that you have far too much integrity and respect for the sport to be associated with anyone who is even suspected of cheating. State that you have never tolerated drug use and that you never will. Disassociate yourself from anyone who is even tangentially involved with the BALCO fiasco.

Until that happens, I suggest that Marion's agent start working on a sponsorship deal with the Hartz company, because it looks as though she's going to need a lot of flea collars in the coming weeks.