Yesterday, the San Francisco Chronicle printed an article detailing claims from Marion Jones’ ex-husband CJ Hunter that she used several illegal performance-enhancing drugs during the 2000 Olympics. The claims came from a transcript of a testimony from Hunter to a federal investigator in the BALCO case. The testimony, just like previous testimony from Tim Montgomery, was leaked to the Chronicle.
It’s a pretty damning article, but it fails to provide any conclusive proof. While CJ Hunter certainly had access to Marion Jones’ secrets, he is her ex-husband. He may harbor some ill will toward Marion over the dissolution of their marriage, which she has blamed on his lying to her about his own steroid use. Another point that damages his credibility is his claim that he never took any steroids until after he retired from competition. Hunter claims that his four failed drug tests before the 2000 Olympics were the result of tainted vitamins. Riiiiiight.
That said, his testimony can’t be discounted. It is very detailed in some cases and seems to corroborate much of what Tim Montgomery also testified to.

Like Hunter, Montgomery also said Conte used the name “Vince Reed” when using Federal Express to ship banned substances. He also claimed that Graham had a Mexican connection for banned substances via a man in Texas. During his testimony, Montgomery was not asked whether Jones used drugs.

Another side plot to all of this is the role of Jones and Montgomery’s former coach Trevor Graham. Graham still coaches here in Raleigh and placed four sprinters on the US Olympic team. Evidently, it was Graham who provided the USADA with the syringe full of THG that started this whole investigation. Graham introduced both Tim Montgomery and Marion Jones to Victor Conte and BALCO, although he eventually fell out with all of them. Five of Graham’s sprinters, not including Jones and Montgomery, have failed drug tests.
The Chronicle has another article that discusses where Graham got the syringe that he turned in.
In the end, there is still no concrete evidence that Marion Jones has taken steroids, but the circumstantial evidence is mounting:

• Marion’s husband (at the time), CJ Hunter, failed four drug tests and was kicked off the Olympic team just before the 2000 Olympics
• Marion’s former coach, Trevor Graham, is widely rumored to push steroids on his runners. Five of his runners have tested positive. Graham was for a time using BALCO to help his athletes. Graham was Jones and Montgomery’s coach during the best stretches of their careers.
• After Marion left Graham, she briefly hired Charlie Francis as her coach. Francis, the former coach of Ben Johnson, has openly admitted to believing that athletes should take steroids.
• Marion’s current boyfriend, and the father of her child, admitted in federal testimony to taking illegal performance-enhancers, including human growth hormone and THG. At the same time, when not under oath, Montgomery has repeatedly claimed that he is clean.
• Federal investigators found certain documents at BALCO implying that they had provided Jones with drugs. The USADA has continued to say they are investigating her, but have not come forward to say they have hard evidence.

On top of all that, Marion Jones’ performance and behavior at the recent US Olympic Trials did nothing to help her image. After dominating the world for years, she failed to even make the team in the 100 meters, finishing fifth. She did qualify in the long jump, but then withdrew from the 200 meters, citing fatigue. Fatigue? How can you be too tired to run a 200 meter race? The reality is that it looked like she wouldn’t have made the team even if she had run.
So how did she go from arguably the best sprinter of all time to not even making her country’s Olympic team at an age where she should be in her prime?
The obvious explanation is that she had a child just over a year ago and hasn’t recovered. That’s a reasonable excuse, and the one she used in her press conference, but then several other top sprinters have come back after childbirth. Many have said they are actually better after, because they developed better muscles in their thighs and butts during pregnancy. Also, it seems that a year after childbirth would be enough for a professional athlete to get back in shape.
The whispered explanation is that her problem is she got off of the drugs that helped her in the past. When clean, maybe she’s just not good enough. It may have affected her training as well as her mental preparation. Curiously, her boyfriend Montgomery, the world record holder, also failed to qualify in the 100 meters.
So where does this leave us? Marion did make the Olympic team in the long jump and she might run some relays as well, so this story isn’t going anywhere. The USADA continues to investigate, so it’s possible that she might still be kicked off the team before the Olympics. One thing for certain is that her public image will never be the same. She’s no longer America’s smiling darling. Many people (me included) now see her as a frowning, evasive cheat.