Disgraced track star Jones joins Women’s NBA
Disgraced US athletics star Marion Jones, stripped of five medals
from the 2000 Sydney Olympics, returned to sport on Wednesday, being
named the newest player of the Women’s NBA Tulsa Shock.
After years of angry denials, Jones admitted in 2007 that she was a
dope cheat, taking the once-undetectable designer steroid THG, using it
to help her win three gold medals and two bronze medals she was later
forced to return.
|
Marion Jones with medals she won from the 2000 Sydney
Olympics |
Jones was released from a federal prison 18 months ago after serving
a six-month sentence for lying about taking performance-enhancing drugs
as well as her role in a 2003 check fraud plot.
“The past few years have been very tough. I’m about looking forward
now,” Jones said. “Life is much bigger than just sport. It’s about
sharing my story of second chances and how that might help some other
people in their lives.”
Joining the WNBA at age 34 is not a bid for redemption, Jones said at
a news conference.
“The word redemption is not in my vocabulary,” she said. “I’m a
competitor. I want to play against the best in the world and I know that
I will be doing that.”
Jones said she is done with apologizing for her past as she tries to
build a better future.
“I’m past that,” Jones said. “I said a number of times I made
mistakes in the past. I’ve paid for that. Now I’m on to something new.
“I knew I’d be a public figure the rest of my life based on my
history. I’m certainly not going to go away and hide in a cave and
disappear. I’m passionate about what I’m doing and that it’s the right
thing.”
Jones hopes to launch a new sports career as a rookie free agent,
hoping to provide Shock value for a team that moved from Detroit after
last season.
“I’m extremely excited. I may not be your typical rookie in this
league, but I’ll still bring that rookie energy,” Jones said.
Jones began working toward this goal 10 months ago, realizing that
she needed to prepare for a game that has evolved since her collegiate
years.
“I know how much the game has grown from the time that I played and
that became even more of a challenge for me,” Jones said. TULSA,
Oklahoma, AFP
|
