30 FOR 30: MARION JONES: PRESS PAUSE (TV)
Summary
One in this series of sports documentaries presented by ESPN about important figures and events in athletic history. This program explores the story of Olympic track-and-field star Marion Jones. In a 2010 public service announcement, Jones discusses serving prison time and losing her Olympic medals for lying about using performance-enhancing drugs, and in 2007 she gives a memorable press conference in which she tearfully admits her actions and states that she has pleaded guilty, apologizing for betraying her country and her supporters. Jones won five medals at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and immediately became the media's favorite "golden girl" of the Games, thanks to her exceptional performances and likable personality. She repeatedly denied using steroids, though when the BALCO laboratories in San Francisco were raided by the FBI, files were found implicating Jones and other athletes. Jones' attorney Rich Nichols strongly advised her not to lie when subpoenaed, but Jones recalls making an on-the-spot and ultimately life-changing decision to deny all knowledge and use of the drugs, a claim which Nichols believed at the time.
Jones continued denying rumors of drug use, but was eventually caught and forced to admit her guilt in 2007, at which point she also retired from track and field. She explains that prison seemed a very "remote" possibility, and was therefore shocked in January 2008 to receive a six-month sentence. Former teammate Melissa Johnson notes the "hypocrisy" in professional sports regarding drug use and winning at all costs, though sportswriter Ron Rapoport dismisses the idea that Jones was forced into acting against her will. Edwin Moses, who won gold medals at the 1974 and 1984 Games, wonders how well Jones would have performed without the help of the drugs, and Jones' husband Obadele Thompson recalls sending their two young sons to his native Barbados to escape the media scrutiny and then driving Jones to surrender herself at the Federal Medical Center, Carswell prison in Texas. Jones returns to the prison and explains that she was placed in solitary confinement for fifty days after getting into a fight with another inmate, adding that she attempted to continue exercising even in the small cell. Former coach Sylvia Hatchell recalls her sense of helplessness at hearing of her friend's situation, and Jones states that she could not bring herself to watch the 2008 Games in Beijing, though missing her sons' birthdays was the most difficult challenge of all.
Jones was released from prison in September 2008 and eventually gave birth to her third child, a daughter, in June 2009. She recalls running in her first race as a youth and being dissatisfied with a third-place prize, and by high school she was competing against national champions. She played basketball for the University of North Carolina and memorably helped them to a national championship by making a shot with 7/10 seconds left on the clock, after which she turned her attention to track and field. Later, Jones speaks out at high schools about her Olympic career and the consequences of her poor decisions, explaining that she wants to "give back" by imparting the lessons learned from her mistakes. Deciding that she is not "done" with athletics, Jones begins training hard and in 2010 joins the Tulsa Shock WNBA team, where she quickly ascends from a rookie to a professional player. Johnson praises her determination, and Jones states that she hopes her young fans will take a positive message from her refusal to quit after setbacks. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: ESPN
- DATE: November 2, 2010 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:53:43
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 114726
- GENRE: Sports
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Sports; Biography
- SERIES RUN: ESPN - TV series, 2009-
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Bank of America
- TV - Commercials - Cadillac automobiles
- TV - Promos - "30 For 30" home videos
CREDITS
- Bill Simmons … Executive Producer
- John Skipper … Executive Producer
- John Walsh … Executive Producer
- Keith Clinkscales … Executive Producer
- John Dahl … Executive Producer
- Joan Lynch … Executive Producer
- Connor Schell … Executive Producer
- Paul Hall … Producer
- Arunima Dhar … Producer
- John Hopgood … Co-Producer
- Melissa Johnson … Co-Producer
- Kristin McDowell … Associate Producer
- Jacqueline Vleck … Associate Producer, Writer
- Mike Tollin … Consulting Producer
- Sonhara Dawkins … Segment Producer
- John Singleton … Director
- Aaron Zigman … Music by
- Marion Jones … Interviewee
- Rich Nichols … Interviewee
- Edwin Moses … Interviewee
- Melissa Johnson … Interviewee
- Ron Rapoport … Interviewee
- Obadele Thompson … Interviewee
- Sylvia Hatchell … Interviewee