Revolution - Time To Claim Back What Is Ours

"We all want to change the world
  But when you talk about destruction
  Don't you know that you can count me out"

 The Beatles - Revolution

Time for Revolution Part 2!

The Revolution where clean athletes & coaches claim back what is rightfully ours....the spirit of clean competition! It is time for us to take our sports back and tell sponsors stop aiding the cheating athletes & coaches and reward those that compete like most of us......CLEAN!

Over the past two weeks while I have mulled over the current situation with the Alberto Salazar and the Nike Oregon Project (NOP), I have been reading a book by Reed Albergotti and Veronica O'Connell titled "Wheelmen - Lance Armstrong, The Tour de France & The Greatest Sports Conspiracy Ever". In the book, through research and investigation they showed that the fraud, as they call it, went well beyond Lance and that pretty much all sponsors were well aware of the doping. In fact, there are reports that Nike paid $500,000 to UCI to assist in covering up a positive test of Lance Armstrong in 1999.

Now in 2015, Nike once again finds itself in a similar predicament. If you have read Wheelmen and then read these articles, you would see how eerily similar both these situations are. 

Here are the articles to get you up to date on the situation with the NOP before I rant:

Guide to doping charges against Salazar & NOP 

Cook Not Surprised By Allegations 

Fleshman Speaks On Salazar

Farah Training Away From AS  

The Original Article 

Reading the Guide, you can see that as of now 17 former athletes, coaches and employees of NOP have come forward speaking of Salazar and his ways of trying to cheat the system. And just like with Lance, Nike continues to support Salazar and NOP despite the number of credible people speaking out. Nike, did you not learn anything from the Lance situation? Do you have the same PR idiots working for you? In fact you have been very quiet through the entire situation, releasing this weak statement shortly after the news broke:

Nike Statement on AS & NOP 

You don't condone use of performance enhancing drugs??? Seriously??? Then please explain to me why you signed Justin Gatlin to a contract. In his career, Justin has been suspended twice, yeah one suspension was overturned on a technicality but the other was severe enough to be a 4 year suspension (potentially a lifetime ban)! And oh yeah, you stood behind Lance for years!!!

Nike, you always claim to be cutting edge, here is your chance again....suspend all ties with Salazar & the NOP until further investigation! They are fine to compete and Salazar can coach them all he wants but cut funding for a bit. The evidence is pretty damning so far that cutting ties seems warranted.  Drop Justin Gatlin and any other former dopers! If up to me, 1 positive test would be a life-time but as the system stands, you do your time you deserve to come back but in my opinion you should not be rewarded with a lucrative sponsorship. Maybe you can start a policy that leads the way for other companies and not sign any doper ever to a contract. Show other companies that the message we need to send to our young athletes  is that there is no short cut to competing and doping is cheating!

What can we do as clean competing athletes??

Be more like Paul Willerton!!!

Who is Paul Willerton? Protestors Implore Nike To Drop Lance

We need to stand up to these companies and tell them to stop standing by these athletes and coaches. As clean competing athletes, we  are tired of the cheats. Like voting,  you might not think your one vote makes a difference but if enough of us speak up, these companies will have to respond! And trust me, I know Nike is not the only culprit here but it just seems they have a knack for being involved with the big ones. If you know of other companies signing dopers, call them out!! Let me know and I will join in!

While we are at it, we need to call out USADA! They have been awful quiet throughout this entire process. Tweet, Facebook or email them and say as a clean athlete, there seems to be enough evidence to investigate. Why are you so quiet USADA? If you are investigating just say so! Show us clean athletes that you are serious about what you do.

You can reach USADA on twitter @usanitidoping
You can reach Nike on twitter @Nike

Send your message that you are tired of Dopers!

For all those, like me, who are truly busting your ass, it is time to say enough is enough! There is no rooms for dopers in our sports, whether professional or amateur. As we all know, this plague is not limited to just the professionals. It is time to call out all these cheats and tell them, you are not welcome here! It is time to start the movement that training & competing clean is the only way!We will not the sports of all cheaters but can sure make them feel pretty uncomfortable!

As a competitive multi-sport athlete and collegiate XC/TF coach, I am tired of being skeptical of any great performance. I am tired of discussions with my athletes and fellow competitors about who is clean and who is not. I know I am not the first but I am gladly joining the movement and will do anything I can but we all need to join......claim back what is ours!

#CleanSports #CompeteClean #DopersSuck #DopingIsCheating

Now I just need a cool slogan for t-shirts!!!