Marion Jones, class of 1997, returned to her alma mater last week, determined to ensure sure that young athletes do not make the same mistakes she did.
Even though Jones cheated and lied, she repaid her debt to society and will always be a member of our University community.
Jones helped bring UNC its first and only NCAA women’s basketball championship in 1994. After graduation, she won five medals at the 2000 Olympic games, 3 of them gold.
But Jones has since returned every single one of her medals. Her enormous heart and disarming smile weren’t enough to stop a judge from convicting her of lying to federal officials about using performance-enhancing drugs.
Jones violated the values and ideals that lie at the very heart of what this University stands for. Not only did she receive unauthorized aid in a race in which she was representing the United States, but she also lied about her involvement with steroids.
It was as if she signed a blue book, aced an exam with an unfair advantage, then lied about it to the honor court.
So when Jones returned to Chapel Hill last week as part of her book tour, she discussed the importance of making good decisions and surrounding one’s self with the right people.
And now that she has repaid her debt to society, the UNC community should learn from her mistakes and welcome her back.
Too seldom in our culture do we see true admissions of guilt and no-nonsense apologies like the ones Jones has delivered over the past few years.
