The title of this statement has been the way I have felt regarding the way athletes are treated in this country. My prime example came after reading this blog, written by one of my favorite ESPN analyzers, Buster Olney. The whole situation with steroids in sports has left me with mixed feelings and will more than likely result in a longer rant in the future. The problem I have with the whole Roger Clemens situation is that many are saying that when he comes up on the ballot for the Hall of Fame in a few years, that he will never get voted in because of his suspicion in using steroids and HGH. Now, while his former trainer and one other man have come forward, saying they have sold and injected steroids for Clemens, nobody has yet to PROVE any of this. There have been no positive tests, the syringes that McNamee (his former trainer) provided have yet to be tested positive with Clemens DNA and any of the stories fabricated against Clemens have yet to be proven true. Now, there is a problem I have when people begin to sentence you before you have been proven guilty. Since growing up, I have been taught that in this country, you are innocent until proven guilty, which is no longer the case. Clemens has never tested positive, much like Barry Bonds, but both are being placed in the public jailhouse because people "suspect" they did it. Listen people, don't pass judgement until something clear cut has been presented. Clemens had perhaps the most dominating career of any pitcher in the history of baseball, a sure lock for Cooperstown. But because the voters and pundits everywhere assume he did it, Clemens has to fight for his innocence, despite never being found guilty. Like I said, i have major problems with this and it will come up again in future blogs...soon to come, comparing the witchhunt for Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds to the sainthood for Lance Armstrong, accused of doing the same thing, with much different results and acceptance from the American public.
Anymore, you are guilty until proven innocent and there is nothing anyone can say to make me believe elsewise.
I strongly agree with what you are saying here. I guess I feel that the public has completely overlooked his whole career on one single accusation that as you have stated has never been proven. A simple reason for this could be that basically, the public wants the dirt. The public doesn't care anymore how good he was and how much he achieved, they are only interested in the conflict he is in. I completely agree with you and do think that in any situation a person is definately guilty whether proven innocent or not?
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