WHEREABOUTISM

There may be a lot happening right now but no…

No I have not forgotten about you, Christian Coleman.

I was just addressing other issues first…but I have a bit of breathing room now and as much as it pains me to say this…

Especially to a fellow Tennessee Volunteer, during an already tumultuous time for everyone but especially people of color…

You have pissed me off.

For real. 

Because you were given a scare before, and an opportunity to learn from that and do better. And you didn’t.

We are in a unique position to be able to utilize our physical gifts in a way that allows us to get paid, allows us to have a platform, allows us to run ourselves into the lives we want to have.

Especially you, making a reported seven figures from the same sponsor I have.

I go out of my way to protect my little figures.

I do this to send a message to my shoe sponsor and anyone that cares that I’m worthy of the investment. That I won’t be reckless with their belief or their support.

That means, I train my ass off.

I compete to the best of my abilities.

I don’t act a damn fool publicly or on social media.

I don’t embarrass myself, my sponsor, or my family when I speak or write.

I eat well.

I sleep well.

I take no supplements.

And I comply with my whereabouts.

Contrary to what Miss Salwa Eid Nasser says, missing three drug tests in a year is NOT normal. 

Because it’s NOT ALLOWED TO BE.

I concede that missing drug tests do happen. USADA, WADA, and the AIU know this as well which is why an appeal process is in place. 

You don’t often win the appeals, but you do have the opportunity to explain yourself. 

I missed a drug test in February just before the shutdown.

I had forgotten to update my whereabouts because I was rushing to get to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs on Super Bowl Sunday after my TUE for a Blood Transfusion was approved by World Athletics. I literally was not thinking about updating, I was thinking about living.

I got the notice that I missed the test not long after I arrived in Colorado. 

I dropped my usual F bomb, and I began to gather my thoughts for my appeal.

Not because I wasn’t in the wrong. Because I was- I forgot. But because I had so much documentation that I felt an argument could be made that I deserved a pass. You see, I had been tested at the hospital for EVERYTHING before my transfusion.

I offered to turn over ALL of my Medical records to the anti-doping agency to prove that I am, always have been, and always will be a clean athlete. I turned over my flight itineraries, my urine test results, my blood test results, I even had selfies of me and my parents all masked in the hospital while I was connected to the IV ready to go, geotagged and timestamped if they requested it.

My appeal started this way:

I failed to update my whereabouts, and for that reason a missed test is an appropriate charge however, I am clean, and can prove it- if you allow me to. If it is more important to punish me for lack of compliance I understand, but if it’s about making sure I’m clean I can prove it…

What it did not say was:

Why didn’t you call me?

As annoying as things like this are, it is a mild inconvenience compared to what one stands to lose by NOT doing it.

We have a 60 minute window: set yourself up for success by making the window 6am-7am. You will almost ALWAYS be home. You will almost ALWAYS have to pee as soon as you scribble your signature on the iPad.

Copy and paste that window to every day of the quarter. Do the same for your training time and location. Make sure your home address is your overnight location. 

Sometimes the night gets interesting and you’re not sleeping in your own bed, and it might be weird to ask “such and such” for their exact address while they watch you text it to some mysterious entity…in which case you log on to the portal, select quick update: tell the damn truth, add a phone number, change your 60 minute window, and get home in time for that.

Oh, and spring for the ring (doorbell).

You have to care about this part.

Because sports overall are so dogged by doping that almost any amazing performance comes with a sizable number of spectators convinced it was PED fueled.

So why not aim to be above reproach?

Nasser ran one of the most amazing 400 meter races I’ve ever seen with my own eyes. Why the hell would she NOT defend that performance by making sure EVERYTHING else she did was in line, in compliance, and above board.

And sure, we all know that taking and passing drug tests doesn’t even actually mean you’re clean. We know that…

But the fact that some of us, aren’t even making the effort to not miss the test at all is INFURIATING.

To whom much is given much is required.

This is what is required.

And this is track and field, where most of the time- nothing is handed to you out of charity- you have to earn it. And once you earn it you’ve got to hold on to it with a tight fist because everyone is ready to take it back.

Christian, you earned that World Record in the 60 meter dash, and I celebrated for you when it was ratified. 

When our 2012 4x100 meter relay team broke the World Record at the London Olympics and we were waiting to get drug tested I knew that from that day forward I would NEVER do anything, be it missing too many tests or taking a supplement that could jeopardize that record, not just for myself, but for my team, and my country. 

The weight of the responsibility, the loyalty to my teammates, the hope of my sponsors, the pride of my friends and family keep me on point.

And perhaps that’s too esoteric a view for some…so let’s try this:

It’s your job.

That’s it. Just do it.

We get to run track for a living. And sure, there are no sports really happening right now, but most of us haven’t missed a check in a time when so many people have.

It’s about professionalism.

And responsibility.

And although it may feel like I’m picking on you, it’s bigger than you. You’re not the only one. Hell, you’re not the only American, you’re not even the only recent world medalist in this position right now. But you are the biggest fish in this pond. 

The recklessness with which some of us approach this sport that is already on life support due to mishandling by upper management (to put it nicely), doping scandals, and dwindling competitive opportunities proves that we aren’t taking its integrity too seriously either? Are we?

We teach people how to treat us.

And this amateurism, this entitled approach to rule bending, isn’t how we get Lord Coe and his cronies to stop treating us like “daddy knows best.”

To be clear, I don’t think you’re a cheat. 

But we’ve all been cheated. 

Potentially cheated out of the opportunity to see you run another world record, contribute your efforts to an Olympic relay, see how you develop, to rally behind something good coming out of America (which would be a welcome break believe me).

Cheated.

Because it was apparently too damn much to ask, for you to be where you said you would be, when you said you would be there.

Athletes, your body of work needs to mean more to you than your shopping list. Target or not. (see what I did there?)

And I’m not trying to play this “what about” game.

I don’t care. None of that whataboutism is within my control, but you know what is?

My damn whereabouts.