Athletic Misconduct

Were boxer Antonio Margarito's fists of steel actually aided by concrete? Did Ultimate Fighting Champion Georges St-Pierre defend his title bout with enough Vaseline so that he was as slippery as a greased pig? Fighting lore is sprinkled with colorful tales of questionable gamesmanship, yet even in this age of high-definition cameras and intense state testing, athletes are still swayed to sometimes bend the rules.

Weeks have dragged into months, and months into years, since USC was rocked by allegations that star football player Reggie Bush broke rules by accepting cash, a car and free housing from two businessmen who hoped to profit from him after he turned professional. Now, the still-unresolved case has become a clinic in the limits to self-policing in college sports.

First things first: I am not in favor of athletes doping with steroids. I am also not in favor of junk science, junkier legal procedure or, junkiest of all, emotion and hysteria driving intelligent thought out of the debate over performance enhancement in sports. Yet these are the central components of our national anti-doping policy. All of them are featured in the latest doping "scandal," the case of New York Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez.

Not that anyone in the sport of football was particularly happy about LeGarrette Blount throwing the sucker punch seen 'round YouTube. But from the high school ranks to the NFL, coaches could take one comforting thought: At least it wasn't one of my players. And in the days since Blount clocked an opponent and was suspended for the season, his mistake has been transformed into a teachable moment, an example to scare other athletes straight. "It was a gift for all of us to see the bad end of things," said USC Coach Pete Carroll, who addressed his team about keeping its cool.

Sprinter Justin Gatlin got his doping ban reduced, but not by enough to make him eligible to defend his Olympic 100-meter title this year. The 25-year-old sprinter had a potential eight-year ban reduced to four years, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Tuesday. With the ban set to expire May 24, 2010, it means Gatlin will be on the sidelines for the Beijing Olympics in August. He needed the ban reduced to two years to be eligible for the Olympic trials in June.

Martina Hingis' attempt to cast doubt on the drug-testing process was rejected Friday by the International Tennis Federation, which suspended her for two years for testing positive for cocaine. Hingis, the former No. 1 who won five Grand Slam singles titles, retired a second time in November -- immediately after revealing that she had failed a test during Wimbledon last summer.

Roger Clemens dismissed claims that his former strength coach repeatedly injected him with steroids and human growth hormone as "hogwash" and said such a series of injections would have left him so strong that "I should have a third ear coming out of my forehead and I should be pulling tractors with my teeth."

In an upcoming book, a would-be San Diego sports marketer provides new details regarding allegations that he gave Reggie Bush tens of thousands in cash while Bush was still at USC. "Tarnished Heisman" shifts much of the focus from Bush's parents -- who also allegedly received benefits -- to the star running back. However, while the book hints that USC coaches may have known about some of the arrangements, it does not provide evidence that any school official was aware of alleged improper gifts.

If you look for pictures of Marion Jones, you will find one in track garb from the cover of Time magazine, another in a slinky gown from the cover of Vogue and another with the milk mustache A-list celebrities wear in the "Got milk" advertising campaign. Among those in the milk ads have been magician David Copperfield, action film hero Jackie Chan, "Sex and the City" star Kim Cattrall, talk show host Conan O'Brien, singer Beyonce, supermodel Tyra Banks and baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken.

A would-be San Diego sports marketer said Monday he laments dragging USC into alleged business dealings between him and former Trojans tailback Reggie Bush, a failed venture that has prompted a civil lawsuit and an NCAA investigation. In a lengthy telephone interview, Lloyd Lake offered no evidence that USC officials were aware of the cash and gifts he allegedly showered on Bush. But when asked if he believed they knew, Lake replied: "I would have to say yeah."