They are travelling the world together, working out together, and he’s secretly popping pills without her knowledge and he’s completely oblivious that carrying around PEDs while he’s in her company could have an impact on her career? Perfectly reasonable isn’t how I’d describe it. Perfectly stupid, maybe. But not perfectly reasonable. At best case, it’s grasping at straws to cover your butt.
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It seems like the appropriate metaphor RE: “innocent until proven guilty” would be: she has been charged with the crime of doping, and is being held in race-jail without bond pending court proceedings, where she may either plead guilty or proceed with a trial.
Does the ITA still need to prove the analytical finding if she’s basically published an admission via Instagram?
Yes, they do.
I’ve listened to Jack’s show. He became aware of the adverse finding through whoever in her camp was leaking it. He felt it was accurate. He certainly could have simply reported it. I disagree that industry reporters should wait until the ITA announces it if they have verified the story as factual. He reached out to Imogen and gave her time to craft her announcement and to make it as he broke the story. That seems very fair and reasonable.
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While I agree with you, I think where the PTN guys are getting ruffled is how much the dialogue must of freaked out Imo behind the scenes, even if it was cordial between Jack and her.
She’s seeing her life crashing down around her and now some timeline with bad press is being foisted on her. There’s no way that’s going to be comfortable and she’s obviously going to vent that frustration to her own set of friends.
I’ve heard scuttle butt from low level pros that, “Everyone knows such and such is doping” and it that’s the kind of running the mouth that there’s no point to passing it on. The positive test results that are being reported on behind the scenes is much more significant.
But where I do have some reservation about the reporting, is if this kind of thing actually happens more regularly than we suspect (as Messick, former IM CEO alleged before departing). There’s often periods where big name pros sit out an event or two or more and have random injuries, and I do wonder if everyone in the known is thinking the same thing, as maybe they’ve all experienced that merry go round of positive test, and then some back and forth deniabilities behind the scenes leads to nothing concrete being done.
If that imaginary story I just told happens somewhat frequently, and we only hear about it because the Laidlows and Imo’s of the world say something and the Collins and the Rodriguezes get railroaded…, then it’s both a real shame and at least a good sign that the testing is able to catch people and the real issue is just with the “court” system.
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Sure, but these people are supposed to be “Professionals”. This comes with the territory. We seem to treat some with kid gloves. In regards to other stories people may rumor about, if a person who holds themselves up as a journalist knew about these and could 100% verify them and then just buried it, that’s not being “professional” in their job. And Jack was very magnanimous towards the PTN guys. He could have just told them to fuck off. And PTN didn’t run the story not because their perceived integrity, they were protecting her.
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And also, Imogen has a long term boyfriend. What’s with all the pearl clutching mentioning they sleep with each other? It’s not like she was contaminated with some random hook up. I just posted this so @RandMart can post another funny picture.
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Yes, you’re right, agreed.
But the rules are different.
If you test positive you test positive. It’s then conjecture to discuss how long, the might haves etc
Positive is positive.
Otherwise what’s the point in the doping rules?
If you’re pulled over for speeding an excuse of “oh I didn’t realize” doesn’t make it less dangerous.
Speeding is speeding.
It sucks for her (maybe literally) but either the rules apply or just get rid of them imho.
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Yep. People like medics, masseurs, coaches are ‘entourage’ and need to be ASP nominated’. Partners, husbands, fathers, sons, daughters are not (well they have no WADA type responsibility (which is tied back to the athlete)) unless they have been nominated by the athlete as an Athlete Support Personnel (ASP), which @rrheisler has suggested partner was not (see his authoritative post earlier today).
On the hair sampling, the analysis can show the concentrations of x, y and/or z reaching back 90+ days. In this case Simmonds has said that her hair sample shows no trace (because the pico amounts detected on 8 December were too small to show, and no trace before or after. Boyfriend’s hair sample is ‘glowing’ for a period, the length of which is not known, save that that period includes the first half of December. This demonstrates he could have been the source.
Someone else has raised an eyebrow over “reasonable to suggest Simmonds did not know he was popping pills”. On the balance of probability (which is the judgement the ITA hearing will use) I suggest that a man who feels the need to resort to pills to build himself up (or whatever) is unlikely to share that with girlfriend. Try to empathise with his position. Stupid: absolutely. Likely (not telling her): entirely plausible.
Sure: they should be reported. But this was uncorroborated reliability not known source: he then hassles in. The B sample had been tested and the ITA were about to provisionally suspend Simmonds (so no chance of “burying the story”). Kelly just wanted the scoop “why no answer? shall I assume that’s a yes to the is there an AAF?” P
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This seems like a gaping huge hole in the process. They have to regularly update their LOCATION and be ready for surprise tests, but who they sleep with is private, and conveniently, also an acceptable excuse for a positive test.
It should be pretty simple to state that anyone in an ongoing sexual relationship needs to be part of the program if sexual fluid transmission is going to be an acceptable excuse.
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This gets into the murky area of journalism ethics on whether someone is going on the record, on background, entirely off the record, in confidence, etc. with you.
For example: we had this one on pretty good authority from multiple sources, but not enough to fully confirm until Imogen’s IG post.
In Jack’s case: I can’t say where that person drew the line on record keeping. But let’s say they said that you could use this on background. He could have quoted directly from that individual, calling it “sources close to Imogen.” Generally, you would then want some additional first-party sources – I don’t think you print this off of a single source. Hence, you need to go to Imogen for a comment. I would not, however, ever be comfortable with a “your silence sure seems like an admission” type of thing. That’s just a “she declined to comment for this story.” But then you’re having to still chase it down.
The lesson, as always, is that there ain’t no drama like triathlon drama.
According to him he reached out to her with what he had been told and she confirmed it. Seems reasonable. That’s the job. Why are we treating these “professionals” like fragile babies?
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I’m not treating anybody like anything – just explaining how I would approach something like this.
Not you, just this notion that for some reason triathlon professionals are a protected class from the same sort of scrutiny all other professionals sports receive.
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Just listened to Jack’s pod and sounds like he went over and above, messaged her, didn’t mention her name to anyone, called and spoke to her and then spoke to her and her team. As he mentioned it was only a matter of time before it came out with her not fronting the T100 and let her make the announcement.
PTN on the other hand… what a joke.
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I’m a huge fan of PTN, I just think they have this wrong.
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Yep, let their personal relationship with Imo influence and cloud their response. Thier attack on Jack was clearly personal.
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The HABs club needs to end as a podcast, or can people just stop listening to them?
In athlete discipline, the burden is ALWAYS on the athlete. You are guilty, now tell me how you weren’t cheating?
Ryan. Tennis drama is to triathlon drama what Trump 2.0 is to Trump 1.0 
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