Her powerful stride, amazing speed, elegant physique & dazzling smile— a smile more brilliant than all her medals— combined to create a mental image we’ll never forget.Virtually overnight, track & field sensation Marion Jones became America’s sweetheart & the unrivaled darling of the 2000 Olympic Games. Without a doubt, she was poetry in motion, a rare combination of power & grace, and—for a time, seemingly—“the fastest woman in the world.” Shining brightly from the world stage at Sydney, this adorable young athlete truly stole all of our hearts. But now, sadly—after years of rumors—we find out that she actually stole far more than that.
Earlier this month, Marion Jones admitted to the illegal use of steroids dating back to
1999, a claim she had repeatedly & passionately denied, even under oath. Jones appeared in court & pled guilty to lying to federal agents in connection with her steroid use. She awaits sentencing sometime in early January & could serve up to six months in prison as part of her plea bargaining deal. Standing outside the U.S. District Court House in White Plains, New York, the disgraced Olympian tearfully apologized, saying, “It is with a great amount of shame that I say I have betrayed your trust. I have let my country down."As a result of her confession, Jones was slapped with a two-year suspension from track & field competition. (She had already decided, however, to go ahead & retire from the sport.) Furthermore, the U.S. Olympic Committee called for her to relinquish the 5 medals—3 gold & 2 bronze—that she
had captured at Sydney, which she promptly did. In addition, she is being required to return all other medals, awards & prizes earned during the period of her illegal activity. Plus, all of her now-tarnished accomplishments will be erased from the record books. Too bad Marion Jones can’t erase all the pain she has caused herself & others.
For years, Jones had vehemently denied all allegations regarding the use of performance-enhancing drugs, claiming that her athletic achievements were solely the product of her “God-given talents.” It seems now that she really didn’t believe that what God had given her was enough. So she sought to gain an edge through artificial means. Steroids gave her an unfair advantage that robbed her more honest competitors of victories they might have won. Ironically, Jones also robbed herself of ever knowing what she truly might have been able to accomplish on her own merit. But perhaps an ever greater tragedy is the effect Jones’s deception has had on her former teammates. Right now, the women who ran relay with Jones are facing the potential loss of their own medals because of Jones’s tainted performance.
Teammate Passion Richardson recently said, “I competed fairly, and I should not have to suffer the consequences for
someone else's bad decisions and choices.” True, but what about those other teams that—apart from Jones’s doping—might have surpassed the overall performance of U.S. relay team? Are they to be cheated out of their their rightful place in history? On the other hand, if the other members of Jones’s 2000 relay team are allowed to keep their medals, will those medals forever be looked upon as tainted? Sadly, there are no winners in this unfortunate situation.The poor judgment of Jones that got everyone in this whole mess reminds me of the old adage, “Sin always takes you further than you want to go, keeps you longer than you want to stay, and costs you more than you want to pay.” Indeed the price that Marion Jones is now paying is a high one. It’s been quite a fall from grace for a woman who not too long ago was one of the most celebrated athletes in the world.
Jones, of course, is not beyond redemption. (I’m speaking spiritually here, and not athletically.) For with God, forgiveness is always possible. And through His amazing grace, we all have the opportunity for a second chance. (Praise the Lord!) But, unfortunately, even when sin is forgiven, its consequences can linger indefinitely. You can’t magically put toothpaste back into its tube once you’ve squeezed it out. Likewise, you can’t very easily reverse or undo the things you put into motion when you make a bad choice. Sin always has a ripple effect. And many times in life, innocent people suffer as a result of the thoughtless actions of others…even the actions of those that we once considered a teammate or a friend.
That pretty young woman with the winning smile that dashed into our lives & stole our hearts back in 2000 has now broken them. Her smile is gone & so is ours. Recent revelations of her cheating & deception have disillusioned thousands of her young fans & scores of young female athletes that looked up to her as a hero & a role model. Let’s hope that as this younger generation grows up, none of them tries to “keep up with the Joneses”…especially not this particular Jones.Pastor Danny
