Proceeds of crime act - athletes

[Boogy]

Just been reading about Marion Jones (female US sprinter who recently admitted to using performance enhancing drugs knowingly and is now handing back various medals...)

My question is: This woman (and others who have been found out) has made a very lucrative career from athletics, and will probably live very comfortably for the rest of her life. Do you think that a portion (or all) of the money she made from advertising (Nike?), personal appearances, performance fees, win money etc. should be RECLAIMED and put to good use?

[SG7nil]

I'd bankrupt her!

She's lucky that she doesn't get some sort of custodial sentence!

[wee 162]

Originally Posted by Boogy
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Just been reading about Marion Jones (female US sprinter who recently admitted to using performance enhancing drugs knowingly and is now handing back various medals...)

My question is: This woman (and others who have been found out) has made a very lucrative career from athletics, and will probably live very comfortably for the rest of her life. Do you think that a portion (or all) of the money she made from advertising (Nike?), personal appearances, performance fees, win money etc. should be RECLAIMED and put to good use?

If people wanted an end to athletes taking steroids and other performance enhancing drugs then the companies who sponsored athletes would have it written into their contracts that if they were found to have taken anything they would be due every single penny back.

But that is never going to happen, and the reason why not is that companies don't mind athletes taking stuff because it makes them better. What they do mind is them getting caught.

BTW the only high profile international US athlete I can think of in recent times who hasn't been implicated in drug use was Michael Johnson. I honestly cannot think of any others who were succesful who have not had at a minimum serious question marks against them.

[SG7nil]

All the big name athletes from then US semed to be in the Santa Monica Track Club a few years ago....

Most of them seem to have been found out as drug cheats since (and Flo Jo has died - think it was from an over-enlarged heart which is symptomatic of steroid abuse).

Can't remember Carl Lewis being caught though (although I can't see how he can have beaten all the other cheats out there if he'd really been clean).

Bottom line is that cheating is rife and the cheats are always one step ahead of the testers... maybe all of the samples should be cryogenically frozen then thawed out and tested a few years later once the testing technology is better?

[Colr]

Originally Posted by wee 162
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If people wanted an end to athletes taking steroids and other performance enhancing drugs then the companies who sponsored athletes would have it written into their contracts that if they were found to have taken anything they would be due every single penny back.

But that is never going to happen, and the reason why not is that companies don't mind athletes taking stuff because it makes them better. What they do mind is them getting caught.

BTW the only high profile international US athlete I can think of in recent times who hasn't been implicated in drug use was Michael Johnson. I honestly cannot think of any others who were succesful who have not had at a minimum serious question marks against them.

Damned corporations seem to be behind every wrong in the world.

[wee 162]

Originally Posted by Colr
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Damned corporations seem to be behind every wrong in the world.

Aye, that's exactly what I was saying...

Get a grip. Athletes have been doing themselves damage to themselves to become better atletes for fecking decades if not centuries. What I'm saying is that there are many many ways in which the culture of taking performance enhancing drugs could be attacked but absolutely no-one has the will to do so. And it is down to a vested interest in athletes doing everything possible to make themselves the best at that time, and hopefully the best ever.

FWIW I would be absolutely 100% willing to bet that if there were two seperate Olympics; one with no restrictions on what people can take, and the other completely clean then not only would the performances in the doped one be better, more folk would watch it. World Records are sexy. Beating a lot of other clean athletes in a time which would have last been a world record 30 years ago isn't.

[Boogy]

I'm not denying it - cheating sucks and should be punished.

However - I then think that the above discussed should be made to make an 'honest' living, like anyone else. If Marion Jones has all her earnings taken off her, is made to sell her house(s), has to empty her bank accounts and THEN has to contemplate working in an office/McDonalds/labouring for a brickie etc. to make ends meet then so be it.
The way I see it - she's made a mint out of conning people, has retired and THEN decided to say 'oh, by the way, I cheated, but now I've retired - so here's your medals back, I'm away to Malibu for a long weekend...'. If there was a picture with her cleaning out buckets with the Headline 'Drug Cheat Reduced to cleaning buckets' I reckon it would have more impact on up & coming athletes who are tempted into chemical performance enhancement. Just my opinion likesay.

[Colr]

Originally Posted by Boogy
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I'm not denying it - cheating sucks and should be punished.

However - I then think that the above discussed should be made to make an 'honest' living, like anyone else. If Marion Jones has all her earnings taken off her, is made to sell her house(s), has to empty her bank accounts and THEN has to contemplate working in an office/McDonalds/labouring for a brickie etc. to make ends meet then so be it.
The way I see it - she's made a mint out of conning people, has retired and THEN decided to say 'oh, by the way, I cheated, but now I've retired - so here's your medals back, I'm away to Malibu for a long weekend...'. If there was a picture with her cleaning out buckets with the Headline 'Drug Cheat Reduced to cleaning buckets' I reckon it would have more impact on up & coming athletes who are tempted into chemical performance enhancement. Just my opinion likesay.

They won't be the first to have secured more in procedes than the court takes back Lizzie Bradshaw comes to mind, and that heidie that was syphoning off all the school funds. there was another bloke who got a few months in the jug for screwing £100,000 in benefits. Who says crime doesn't pay?

[KABULHIBBY]

Originally Posted by Boogy
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Just been reading about Marion Jones (female US sprinter who recently admitted to using performance enhancing drugs knowingly and is now handing back various medals...)

My question is: This woman (and others who have been found out) has made a very lucrative career from athletics, and will probably live very comfortably for the rest of her life. Do you think that a portion (or all) of the money she made from advertising (Nike?), personal appearances, performance fees, win money etc. should be RECLAIMED and put to good use?

Not sure if that particular act is covered under US legislation, however under US civil law I'm pretty sure that any sponsorship bonuses paid for things like winning Olympic Medals will go to court where it is likely that she will have to pay back every cent earned that way and unless she has it written into the contract that she is not to take performance enhancing drugs her basic earnings would remain untouched(PCA is not intended for this type of case and is targeted more at the dealers/distributors). HOWEVER in the US punative damages can be astronomical
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[Burbank Lilywhite]

She's already in the deep weeds. Pleaded guilty to a felony crime that has serious repurcussions. Try getting a loan with that for example. Not to mention the Revenue Service is investigating her for money laundering as well. When all this is said and done she'll not a penny to her name. And that is the only reason for the tearful remorse on her part.

Once the 'G' has you in their sights they don't miss.