A RUSSIAN SWIMMER WAS ASKED
A QUESTION THAT STRUCK A NERVE.
IF YOU GUYS CAN REMEMBER SHE HAD
TO FACE A 16 MONTH SUSPENSION AFTER SHE TESTED POSITIVE FOR
PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUGS.
THAT SUSPENSION IS NOW OVER.
DURING A TUMULTUOUS PRESS CONFERENCE SHE WAS ASKED ABOUT
WHETHER OR NOT SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN BANNED FOR LIFE BECAUSE OF
HER DRUG USE.
SO, SHE WAS
BASICALLY TALKING ABOUT MICHAEL
PHELPS AND HIS PICTURE OF TAKING A BONG RIP THAT WENT VIRAL.
HE
ALSO GOT A DUI, WHICH DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE OBVIOUSLY.
SO
SHE IS LIKE HOW COME HE IS NOT
FACING CRITICISM, AND I AM?
OF COURSE YOU CAN MAKE THE CASE
THAT ON ONE HAND YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO WAS TAKING
PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUGS, AND ON THE OTHER HAND YOU HAVE
SOMEONE WHO IS NOT TAKING PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUGS.
BUT
NONETHELESS IT IS AN INTERESTING COMPARISON.
WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?
>> I THINK SHE IS WRONG ON EVERY LEVEL.
I SAY IT WITH A DEGREE OF
I DON'T GET THIS MICHAEL PHELPS
THING.
I MEAN, I GET IT HE IS GREAT.
>>HE WON 22 METALS.
>> WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT SWIMMING- BUT MOSTLY WHEN THEY
TALK ABOUT THE TEAM.
IT IS NOT A TEAM MAN, YOU'RE JUST SWIMMING.
THERE IS NOBODY ELSE ON THE
TEAM, IT'S JUST YOU.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TAKING WEED
OR DRUNK DRIVING, HAS NOTHING TO
DO WITH COMPETITION.
THE PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUGS
AFFECT THE COMPETITION.
HERE'S HOW YOU DEAL WITH QUESTIONS
ABOUT A LIFETIME BAN.
YOU SAY I GOT PUNISHED AND NOW I AM BACK,
THAT IS IT.
SHE GETS TO COME BACK.
>> I'M PROBABLY GOING TO MAKE A LOT OF PEOPLE MAD, BUT I'M FROM
SCOTLAND AND I DON'T CARE.
SO I'M GOING TO STEP OFF THIS
PEDESTAL FOR A MOMENT.
I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE NEED TO FOR A
SECOND.
HER RESPONSE IS ASININE.
WEED AND ALCOHOL IS NOT GOING TO
ENHANCE YOUR PERFORMANCE.
THE SUBSTANCES THAT SHE HAS BEEN
FOUND GUILTY FOR, I'M GOING TO TAKE YOU THROUGH HER HISTORY.
>>YES, TELL ME.
>> THE FIRST SITUATION ñ SHE WAS IN LOS ANGELES FOR A WHILE AND
THAT IS WHY SHE IS TRAINING.
SHE WENT TO GNC AND PICKED UP A
SUBSTANCE SHE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW.
THAT CANNOT JUST BE AN
EXCUSE, I DON'T KNOW THE ACTUAL FACTS, BUT THIS IS WHAT HER
TRAINER SAID.
THAT SHE WAS FOUND
GUILTY FOR HAVING A TRACE OF PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUGS AND
SHE WAS BAND.
INGESTING A SUBSTANCE THAT YOU DON'T EXPECT
TO BE A PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING
DRUG IS VERY SIMILAR TO JESSICA HARDING, A US SWIMMER WHO IN 08
WAS BAND.
THEN SHE WENT BACK, MEDALED TWICE IN THE OLYMPICS,
NO
ONE WAS BOOING HER, NO ONE WAS TREATING HER AS A CONVICT.
THE
WAY THAT THIS SWIMMER HAS BEEN TWEETED IS UNSPORTSMANLIKE.
PEOPLE ñ THERE ARE OVER 200 OTHER ATHLETES THAT WERE ALLOWED
TO PARTICIPATE IN THE OLYMPICS
BECAUSE THE DRUG SHE HAD TAKEN FOR THE SECOND TIME, WHICH SHE
HAD TAKEN AND HAS THE ABILITY TO ENHANCE YOUR ENDURANCE.
THE
SECOND TIME IS MEL TONY HIM, THAT IS ONE THAT SHARAPOVA IS
BANNED AS WELL FOR.
BECAUSE IT WAS ONLY IMPLIED IN JANUARY OF
THIS YEAR, THERE IS CLOUDINESS ON HOW LONG IT TAKES TO GET OUT
OF YOUR SYSTEM.
THEY DIDN'T KNOW IF THE DRUG WAS IN THEIR SYSTEM
BEFORE OR AFTER.
SO, THERE IS ALL SOME CLOUDINESS.
I'M NOT MAKING AN EXCUSE FOR HER RESPONSE, BUT HER RESPONSE IS
RIDICULOUS.
SHE SHOULD NOT BE BRINGING MICHAEL PHELPS INTO THE
CONVERSATION.
BUT HER TREATMENT OUTSIDE OF THAT I THINK HAS A LOT MORE TO
DO WITH WHERE SHE IS FROM.
>> YOU THINK THIS IS TRUMP'S FAULT.
ABSOLUTELY BECAUSE HE
RIDES WITH VLADIMIR PUTIN AND THAT IS HIS BITCH.
>>GREAT REFERENCE TO A STORY WE DIDN'T GET TO DO TODAY.
>> I KNOW IT'S GOING TO GET A LOT OF HATE.
>> THAT STAR-SPANGLED PEDESTAL, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU SAID
BECAUSE AMERICAN ATHLETES IN THE OLYMPICS ARE REVERED TO A DEGREE
THAT IS ENVIABLE FOR ALL OTHER
ATHLETES.
SHE NEEDS TO GET A BETTER PR PERSON.
THE WHOLE
EXCUSE ABOUT IF YOU DRIVE A CAR, IF YOU HAD SOMEBODY YOU CAN GO
TO JAIL, IT'S NOT THAT CUT AND DRY.
IF YOU GO TO GNC AND YOU
TAKE SOMETHING, YOU'RE AN
OLYMPIAN, YOU HAVE TO BE VERY PARTICULAR AND SPECIFIC ABOUT
WHAT YOU PUT IN YOUR BODY?
>> I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW YOU COULD GET PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING
DRUGS AT GNC.
>> EVERY PERSON WHO HAS BEEN TESTED POSITIVE IN THE HISTORY
OF THE WORLD BOUGHT IT ACCIDENTALLY AT GNC.
>> I'M NOT MAKING EXCUSES FOR HER, THAT'S THE THING.
WHAT I'M
SAYING IS JESSICA HARDING IN THE 2012 OLYMPICS SAID THAT SHE
INGESTED IT WITHOUT KNOWING.
IT IS THE SAME EXCUSE, IT IS JUST
WRITTEN ON PAPER.
BUT BECAUSE SHE PARTICIPATED IN 2012 AND HAD TIME TO CLEAR HER
NAME, NO ONE TREATED HER ANY DIFFERENT?
>> CAN WE JUST ACCEPT THE FACT THAT EVERYONE USES
PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUGS.
I
REMEMBER HASAN MADE THAT COMMENT ON THE SHOW AND I
THOUGHT THAT IT WAS
CRAZY.
I'M TIRED OF HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHO WAS
DOPING, SHOULD THEY DOPE, WHEN TO
DOPE.
HOW ABOUT THEY ALL DOPE AND LET'S JUST MOVE ON WITH
OUR LIVES.
>> THAT'S TRUE THAT MANY PEOPLE THINK THAT EXCEPT THEY DON'T ALL
DOPE.
>> I WAS MARRIED TO A PROFESSOR WHO PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE AS
WELL, MANY OF THEM DO.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF DOPING.
I
WANT TO KNOW WHO IS SPLASHING
THE WATER IN HER FACE.
>> IT WAS JUST KIND OF THIS VINDICATED ñ.
>> THE KING THOUGHT SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN BANNED FOR
LIFE.
THERE ARE VILLAINS AND HEROES.
SOMETIMES IT IS ALL
MYTHOLOGY AND SOMETIMES IT IS
ALL EARNED.
THE EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, THERE IS A RICH
HISTORY OF CHEATING, WHICH ESPECIALLY BEFORE THE FALL OF
THE WALL.
THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT THE EASTERN EUROPEANS WERE
CHEATING FOR YEARS, SO THE LEVEL OF SKEPTICISM FOR RUSSIAN
ATHLETES IS PROBABLY HIGHER.
I JUST WANT TO READ WHAT SHE SAID,
BECAUSE I LOVE IT.
I WANT TO END WHERE MAYBE WE THINK SHE IS
HUMAN.
" I LEARNED TO CONTROL MYSELF, AND WHEN I WAS A KID I
WOULD JUST BURST INTO TEARS.
NOW
I JUST STAY CALM.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?"
THAT MAKES ME THINK YOU ARE ONE OF THE THREE PEOPLE THAT DID
BUY IT AT GNC.