She was the world's fastest woman and a Belizean hero but faster than the records she broke, track phenom Marion Jones has been strung up by America's legal system. She pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators last year and last week a judge sentenced her to six months in jail. That six month sentence begins on March 11th. But before jail, she broke her silence. It was to Oprah Winfrey in a 15 minute interview that aired this afternoon. Jones told Oprah point blank that she lied and she knew it when she was did it.
Marion Jones,
"I made a mistake, made the choice, to at that time protect myself to protect my family and I paid the consequences dearly."
Oprah Winfrey: When did you decide you were going to come clean?
Marion Jones,
"Its been a long journey and the weights and the baggage of many years of knowing that I've been blessed with the super amount of talent but I cannot go on anymore with his baggage, lying to the world, lying to God, and I realized that people might not forgive me but God forgives and he can forgive me and I can forgive myself that I'll be okay. And when I made that realization, then I knew that the time was now to do it."
Oprah Winfrey: Do you think what's happened to you is justified or do you think you're being made an example of? So that's two questions and also what do you think should happen to you?
Marion Jones,
"I think I absolutely have to accept responsible for breaking the law. I and my family and my attorney hoped for probation. We hoped to use my talents and my blessings in the community. The court, the judge, the law decided otherwise and I am not going to sit here and say I am happy with the decision and its all well and fine. Of course I'm disappointed but Oprah I put myself ion a position of somebody else to determine my immediate future. I made that decision. I have to live with it."
And again Jones begins her sentence on March 11th. She will reappear on Oprah for a full interview after serving the sentence. We should note that the price Jones has paid for lying to federal investigators is not only 6 months in jail. She will also be on probation after her sentence.
