SAN FRANCISCO, 17 June 2004 — Sprint star Marion Jones, saying she’s tired of rumor-mongering and innuendo, yesterday declared her innocence and called on US anti-doping authorities to make any further investigation of her public. “I want this done yesterday,” Jones said at a press conference here. “I have a great deal of God-given ability and hard work. I want my name cleared and to move on. What are we waiting for?” Jones said that if necessary she would request a public hearing before the US Senate. “I wanted the world to hear from me,” Jones said. “Not from lawyers, not from unnamed sources. I have been patient. I have been cooperative. I believe in drug-free sports and drug-free Olympics.”
But Jones said she believes the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has gone too far in its pursuit of non-analytical positives — the use of documentary and other evidence to deem an athlete guilty of doping in the absence of a positive drug test.
