Pensacola's Justin Gatlin is racing to clear his name from shame, By: Reginald T. Dogan

August 3, 2006

After years of reporting on and writing about the rise and fall of all kinds of people and places great and small, I'd become desensitized to things that shocked and awed others.

But I was taken aback this week when I heard that Pensacola's Justin Gatlin, one of track and field's brightest stars, could be banned from the sport for life if positive drug tests turn out to be true.

Anguish swept over me, much like I imagine it did when baseball fans found out about the Black Sox scandal involving Joseph Jefferson "Shoeless Joe" Jackson.

Shoeless Joe was a phenomenal baseball player for the Chicago White Sox. But he was caught up in scandal when he and a few teammates conspired to throw the 1919 World Series.

A young boy, seeing Shoeless Joe emerge from the courthouse, uttered the immortal line, "Say it ain't so, Joe!"

As a cloud of suspicion swirls around Gatlin and allegations fly like errant javelins at a track meet, I'm begging, too: "Say it ain't that, Gat!"

Until proven without a shadow of doubt that Gatlin's positive drug tests for elevated levels of testosterone are accurate, he's an innocent and good man trying to clear his name and save his fame and fortune.

Crowned the world's fastest sprinter in May, Gatlin stole the hearts of millions of Americans and thousands of Pensacolians when the Woodham High School graduate won the 100 meters at the 2004 Olympics.

Like millions of others, I had become accustomed and indifferent to track and field and professional baseball steroid-use scandals.

For me, it was merely a footnote in the annals of steroid scandals when American cyclist Floyd Landis tested positive after his victory at the Tour de France just a few days before Gatlin's announcement for a similar testosterone imbalance.

But that footnote becomes a headline when the news of failed drug tests surrounds the local hero who has been in the forefront of advising youngsters that using drugs is not the right way to reach athletic prowess and success.

It is troubling for Gatlin that his coach, Trevor Graham, coached other athletes who have tested positive for steroids, including the disgraced former world record holder, Tim Montgomery, the whistle-blower who launched the BALCO steroid investigation in California.

Graham made matters worse when he publicly charged that Gatlin's drug test was sabotaged by a disgruntled former worker who deliberately rubbed testosterone cream into the sprinter's legs.

In his defense, Gatlin's reputation at home and abroad has been above board and beyond reproach. He has conscientious and concerned parents who love and support his career and achievements.

To his credit, Gatlin has taken the high road. He pledged cooperation with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and wants to clear his name and get on with his life and career.

I remember after the Olympics pulling for Gatlin to help improve the image of track and field, which had been tarnished by arrogant athletes and the parade of cheaters who used performance-enhancing drugs to help them run faster and jump higher.

Now, I hope and pray for him to do it for himself.