Former Olympic champion Marion Jones is about to learn the hard way, cheaters never win. She has been sentenced to six months after admitting she lied to FBI officials investigating doping allegations.
The 31-year-old Jones also was given two years’ probation and supervised release, during which she will be required to perform 800 hours of community service.
This is Jones’ second phase of shame she has already had her Olympic medals from Sydney 2000 stripped from her by the International Olympic Committee after she admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs, despite early protests to the contrary.
Although her steroids confession conveniently coincided with her retirement from athletics, she has been banned from competing until October 2009.
This proud mother-of-two is also barred from attending the 2008 Beijing Olympics in.
In court today she appealed for the judge to be lenient and allow her to be put under house arrest.
“I ask you to be as merciful as a human being can be,” said Jones, who cried on her husband’s shoulder after she was sentenced.
Jones also was given two years probation and supervised release, during which she will be required to perform 800 hours of community service. Maybe she’ll volunteer at a local track?
“As everyone can imagine, I’m very disappointed today,” Jones told reporters outside court. “But as I stood in front of all of you for years in victory, I stand in front of you today. I stand for what is right.”
“We all make mistakes,” she added. “But I strongly believe that a person’s true character is revealed by their admission of those mistakes,” she said.
She also picked up bronze medals in the 4×100m relay and the long jump.
Jones told the judge that she’d lied to a federal investigator in November 2003 when she denied using performance-enhancing drugs. She said she took steroids “several times before the Sydney Olympics and continued using them after.”