Patrick Arnold of Ergopharm tells me that he is angered by the conviction of cyclist Tammy Thomas today. She was convicted of three counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. In his email, Pat tells MESO-Rx:
I feel saddened and disgusted by Tammy’s conviction. Its been almost FIVE YEARS since Balco. Why are we still going after athletes? How can a wound ever heal if we keep sticking our fingers in it? They say its for the kids. Well how does keeping steroids in the news over and over again do anything except arouse their curiousity? This is not about the kids. Its about the careers and egos of federal politicians, prosecutors, and law enforcement agents.
When the jury read the conviction in court today, Tammy Thomas addressed the prosecution and jury that convicted her (“Cyclist Tammy Thomas convicted in steroids case,” April 4).
“I already had one career taken away from me,” she yelled. “Look me in the eye. You can’t do it.”
Thomas then turned to a prosecutor and shouted, “Look me in the eye …. You like to destroy people’s lives.”
Tammy made considerable sacrifices to be one of the top sprint cyclist in the world. She received a lifetime ban several years ago as a result of doping. Now the government has shamed her in court and destroyed a second career as an attorney that she pursued diligently at the University of Oklahoma law school.
Tammy Thomas never harmed anyone by riding a bicycle; she never should have been subpoenaed before a grand jury. But the government is intent on making an example of athletes who use steroids, especially female athletes whose anabolic steroid use is further demonized in our society.
About the author
Millard writes about anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs and their use and impact in sport and society. He discusses the medical and non-medical uses of anabolic-androgenic steroids while advocating a harm reduction approach to steroid education.
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