One of the fundamental life lessons I’ve learned since entering college is accountability.

It’s a lesson that seemingly requires profound levels of maturity and self-awareness, which are two aspects that have been rejected by a few highly-successful professional athletes such as “Sugar” Shane Mosley, Marion Jones and Barry Bonds.

There is no doubt that all of their accolades and accomplishments suggest that each athlete is one of the greatest 8212; if not the greatest 8212; to ever participate in his or her respective sport. The doubt, instead, lies in how each achieved his or her recognition and reputation.

Mosley has won world titles in three different weight classes and is the only boxer thus far to defeat Oscar de la Hoya on two different occasions, but reportedly used illegal performance-enhancers before his second victory over de la Hoya in 2003.

Talk about putting the “sugar” in sugarcoating, as in sugarcoating the victory.

Jones scored five medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics, all of which were rescinded last year after she admitted to using illegal performance enhancers. All of her achievements since those Olympics have also been disqualified. For lying to federal authorities, Jones was sentenced to six months in jail and is now serving her two-year probation.

Jones can run, but she sure can’t hide.

Finally, there is Bonds, who broke the single-season home run record in 2001 with 73 dingers and now holds the career record with 762. Beginning in 1998, allegations that he used illegal performance-enhancers have continued to surface.

Over the past decade, Bonds’ ego has essentially doubled and so has his head’s size.

There are two common themes in each athlete’s road to wrongdoing: None have ever publicly tested positive for such substances, and all have declared he or she “unknowingly” used them.

“Unknowingly,” as in completely unaware and without any ounce of intention. As in using the given substance with the full understanding that there is not a single possibility of violating the rules of my respective sport. As in holding myself accountable for anything that I or someone with my consent consciously puts into my body.

They blamed their trainers and other substance distributors for misrepresenting the substances and thus misleading them.

After all, when you’re making millions of dollars playing a game and you have another million or two lined up in endorsements, it is certainly not outrageous to question putting any substance in your body 8212; especially if there is the slightest chance it may be illegal.

Instead, they were quick to point fingers and administer blame for their illegal actions and suddenly regretful decisions. They said it was these people who came to them with these substances instead of them making the pursuit.

With the money as big as it is, the records as sacred as ever and the competition as intense as can be, I’m sure gaining a competitive edge is the last thing on their minds.

All of these accusations were simply desperate attempts to salvage their severely tarnished accolades and accomplishments, let alone reputations.
Mosley, Jones and Bonds, if you haven’t already received the memo, I’m sorry to be the ball of bad news but…all of your achievements 8212; you know, the ones that you probably wouldn’t have ever come close to if you played by the rules 8212; have and will forever be tarnished.

And if that isn’t enough, you’ve also severely tarnished the integrity of your respective sports.

For that, and for being the poster children of accountability, I sincerely thank you.

8212; Joshua Hoffman is a journalism sophomore.

8212;This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec.