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The question is: Does it even matter anymore? What if the world's greatest female sprinter isn't a cheat? What if she isn't the second coming of Ben Johnson, Kelli White or even her ex-husband, C.J. Hunter? What if Marion Jones is innocent? Where
does she go from here? Where there is supposed to be a presumption of innocence. There was a time we all cared about such things. Evidently, not anymore. We've all heard the latest murmurs emanating from this Balco investigation: Some training calendar, used by those involved in this already devastating scandal, contains possible codes for drug use. There is one with the initials "MJ" on it. As far as the USADA knows, it doesn't stand for Michael Jordan. Certainly not Michael Jackson, Michael Johnson or Magic Johnson. So in all probability, it stands for Marion Jones. No charges have been filed, although the five-time Olympic medalist was among a handful of athletes to testify before a grand jury. No indictment has been handed down against Jones, either. Jones has never tested positive for drug use and she hasn't been banned from participating in this summer's Olympics. In fact, Jones is scheduled to compete in the Olympic track and field trials (July 9-18) in Sacramento, Calif., which makes it even more egregious. No wonder Jones' own lawyers have resorted to the court of public opinion to plead their case. "I don't think the documents come anywhere close to constituting sufficient evidence that she committed a doping violation," attorney Jim Coleman, who has prosecuted and defended high-profile drug cases, told USA Today. "But I think her reputation has probably been destroyed. "She doesn't have to be banned from track and field to be damaged. If Nike or some other company decides these documents suggest she may be dirty, they can sever their relationship with her. They don't need proof she did anything wrong." Let's not be stupid here: Hunter, Jones' ex-husband, tested positive for the steroid nandrolone months before the Sydney Games in 2000. Her boyfriend, Tim Montgomery, the father of her child, is currently being investigated as well. Jones was once coached by Trevor Graham
and had a short affiliation with disgraced coach Charlie Francis,
who was connected to steroid use by Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson,
who was stripped of a gold medal in the 100 meters in 1988. Both
Graham and Francis are intimately connected with Balco. But mistakes happen all the time. In corporate America. In our criminal justice system. And certainly, in sports, the land of jealousy and envy. While surmising that Jones is guilty of drug use is plausible, we have not seen any concrete evidence. Otherwise, she would not be competing right now. So why were the names of Jones, Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi or anyone else released in the first place? Is someone going to tell me the federal government could not have elected to handle all this under the radar? Please! I'll say it before and I'll say it again: Where was all this talk when Mark McGwire was chasing Roger Maris' home-run record? If having the steroid androstenedione sitting in your locker doesn't qualify as probable cause to dig deeper, why has one athlete after another been placed at the public guillotine - with little more than initials, innuendo and a State of the Union address to go on? Jones may be guilty of all these accusations in the end. So may Bonds, Giambi, Gary Sheffield or a host of other athletes. If they are, they'll have to pay the price. And they won't receive any sympathy this way. But until then, I prefer to look at the process. This presumption of guilt that precedes all else. It stinks. But only after Maris' record
was captured, not before. 
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