Making Sense of Hardy's Mess

One piece of news that I am very interested that has come out in the last couple of days is potential Olympic hopeful and former world record holder Jessica Hardy's positive test for a banned substance. One of the reasons being is because I'm a huge Cal fan (as I am a graduate of that fine university) and that Hardy swam for the Bears for two years before turning pro last year.

Of course, Hardy's agent and current club coach, Dave Salo, have come out in Hardy's defense. Salo says that Hardy's positive test may have come from "inadvertent consumption."

The OC Register has the great story of how Hardy is an endorser for AdvoCare, a sports supplement company and how a handful of other Olympians have been linked to the company.

After reading that story and reading a couple of other reports, Salo (who currently is the head coach of the USC swimming programs) may be right. There is no knowing what these athletes truly put in their bodies when they take these supplements. Sure, the product may contain substances that aren't banned by sport governing bodies, but they may be contaminated.

My take is why risk such a thing? Why would any athlete risk the chance of losing their opportunity to compete by taking these substances? Do these substances really give athletes that much of an edge?

Salo's statements also remind me of when Barry Bonds was first charged with taking banned performance enhancers. Remember when Bonds said that he didn't know what he was taking?

I feel somewhat sorry for Hardy if she does lose her Olympic roster spot. There's no doubt that she deserves it. But at the same time, athletes need to know what their putting in their bodies and they need to know for sure.

Inadvertent? Doesn't matter to me. She tested positive. I don't think Hardy can get out of this pickle. If she does, then a cloud may hang over her whenever she steps into the pool in Beijing.

And, as a larger point, do athletes really need to these performance enhancers to be jump higher, be swifter and be stronger?

It has also come out now that Hardy's positive test was for a drug that normally treats asthma. To come to her defense, the Bleacher Report has this story that states that: a) Hardy has asthma and b) many athletes take asthma medication and get a pass for it.

However, the asthma medication that Hardy tested positive for is a banned substance. So, not too much to put up as a defense there.

Bottom line: just don't put shit in your body.