From the fastest woman on Earth to jailhouse brawler. Marion
Jones could win a medal for how fast she fell from public graces.
Marion Jones once had a promising career as a track star, to put it lightly. During the 2000
Olympics, Jones impressed the masses when she made history as the first female to score five
track and field medals at a single Olympics. However, news of her win was overshadowed by
the announcement that her husband C.J. Hunter — who was a world shot put champion — tested
positive for steroid use, according to The Washington Post. Hunter quickly denied the
allegations and appeared to be baffled at the results. During a 2000 press conference, he said:
"I don't know what has happened and I don't
know how it has happened. I promise everybody I'm going to find out."
Due to the backlash that ensued after Hunter was accused of taking steroids,
Jones found it difficult to steer away from the bad press and decided to file for divorce.
While Jones was beginning to remove herself from the stigma that followed her ex-husband, she found
herself back at the center of national headlines after she was accused of using steroids during the
2000 Olympics, per CNN. It all came to light after federal agents raided BALCO, the California-based
lab servicing these high-profile athletes, back in September 2003. Founder Victor Conte identified
Jones as one of his customers and admitted to selling her performance-enhancing drugs.
"In short, the Olympic Games are a fraud."
Victor Conte wasn't the only person who accused Marion Jones of using steroids. According to
the Los Angeles Times, C.J. Hunter — Jones' own ex-husband — told federal agents about the time he
administered the chemical to his then-partner, and he confessed to seeing Jones take it on her own as
well. The former track star denied the allegations and claimed that Hunter was disgruntled over their
divorce. However, even though Jones passed two drug tests, she was masking the truth.
In 2007, the athlete shocked the world after she
confessed to using steroids back in 2000 in preparation for the Olympics.
"And so it is with a great amount of shame
that I stand before you and tell you that I betrayed your trust."
Her admission of guilt not only upset her fans, but also landed her in jail
for lying to federal agents. Jones was sentenced to six months in prison,
800 hours of community service, and two years of supervised release, according to ABC News.
Although she appeared to be remorseful, Jones still needed
to pay for her crimes — and prison turned out to be the painful lesson of a lifetime.
Marion Jones spent six months at Carswell federal prison in Fort Worth,
Texas and experienced an incredibly tough time during her stint. In 2010,
she released her memoir "On the Right Track" as a tool to encourage others to
make better decisions. The former track star recounted a traumatizing encounter she had
with a fellow inmate after she was attacked over a laundry miscommunication. She wrote:
"I felt like my life was in danger. I hit her in the face
with my cooler and kicked her in the ribs."
As a result of their altercation, Jones spent 48 days in solitary confinement and described
the experience as "the next stop to hell." The former athlete told CNN she had a lot
of time to think about what she had done and couldn't believe this was her life.
"There were nights that were extremely hard missing my family and everything."
Jones recounted crying most nights and having to shift her perspective
after seeing so many women who were serving longer sentences.
Despite her grueling experience behind bars,
when Jones was released, there was another set of consequences she had to face.
The International Olympic Committee made the decision to remove Jones'
name from their record books, took away all five of her medals,
and indefinitely banned her from any future Olympics, per ESPN.
Although Jones had retired from track and field back in 2007, she attempted to make
a comeback as a professional basketball player for the WNBA. However, her dream was short-lived
after only spending a year with Tulsa Shock. According to KXAN, Jones lives in Austin,
Texas, where she is a business owner, personal trainer, and motivational speaker.