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June 06, 2009
Mayfield v. NASCAR heats up
By DAVID GREEN
Did he, or didn't he? Or, as some cynics have suggested, does it matter?
Is Jeremy Mayfield a drug user, as NASCAR claims urinalysis results indicate, or not? Does the truth matter?
The pursuit of truth is the mission of the journalist, and quite often it is an elusive, if not impossible, quest.
Prominent among examples of this is the assassination 46 years ago of President John F. Kennedy, the details of which have never been proven to the satisfaction of a good many Americans.
It's a baffling case. One would think NASCAR would never have taken such dramatic action against Mayfield if the sanctioning body did not believe it had an airtight case. At the same time, it's hard to believe Mayfield would be so vehement in his denial of the charges if he did not truly believe himself to be innocent of them.
The obvious extrapolation of that logic is that one side is obviously and completely wrong, regardless of how the litigation turns out.
Just as obviously, whichever side loses stands to lose a great deal.
If NASCAR loses, Mayfield is not likely to let the organization off lightly. His personal and professional reputation has been severely, perhaps irreparably, damaged. That's bad enough for any individual, but especially costly for someone with the public-figure nature of a professional athlete or other celebrity. If I were Mayfield, and I were to win this case, I wouldn't be satisfied until I owned a good chunk of the France family fortune.
If Mayfield loses, he loses what credibility he had left -- and, it seems to me, he leaves himself open to criminal prosecution for any violations of law that might have been involved in acquiring or using whatever substance it is that he's supposed to have used.
That last phrase sums up the rock in my shoe about this whole matter. We still don't even know just what it is that Mayfield is accused of using.
When all is said and done, we still may not know the truth of what happened. But we will know what the legal system has determined to be the truth. And we will know what that has cost the loser.
June 6, 2009 | Permalink
Comments
David
Great post
Reminds me of the Tim Richmond fiasco
And shows us what NASCAR wants us to know, and only what they want us to know.
At first I thought he was guilty, but now I am not sure
According to the latest, he tested positive to 3 drugs and we have been told of 2, but no idea about the third
NASCAR claims he could have injured drivers at the 2 races he run while using drugs
And he won money that others could have won
Like you David, I am keeping an eye on this
Ron
Posted by: Trucker | Jun 7, 2009 8:07:00 AM
for all y'all who can't wait to support a druggie with a good story...
oj got off doing worse, so you have some hope afterall.
as far as richmond, he was very straight with nascar wasn't he.
sure he was.
of course he didn't want anyone to know he had AIDS.
if he got injured, you think it's ok to put anyone who came in contact with his blood in a life threatening situation.
Posted by: exile | Jun 7, 2009 8:10:08 PM
Jeremy's reputation was already tarnished before this happened. It doesn't really matter if he is guilty or not. He has been labeled and people will not look at him the same way.
Posted by: 68 camaro ss | Jun 9, 2009 5:16:33 PM
The really troubling aspect of it would be this: Mayfield did test positive for something NASCAR bans, but has a totally innocent explanation for how the stuff got there without his knowing about it - some weird combination of over-the counter stuff and some medication or something. If that's the case, then his medical condition is fine and he's no danger, but he still violated NASCAR policy. It would be a lot easier if he tested positive from some evil recreational drug, wouldn't it?
Posted by: Doug in CA | Jun 9, 2009 5:18:05 PM
this just in...
Suspended for failing a drug test, driver Jeremy Mayfield said he "inhaled fumes from a fiery wreck in the Talledega race," according to more court papers filed in the battle between Mayfield and NASCAR.
this really just in...
The magazine learned from sources that the unidentified drug was methamphetamine. Neither NASCAR nor Mayfield is allowed to comment because of the gag order.
so, maybe he was taking a perscription drug with meth in it and didn't report it cause ya know he forgot.
meanwhile a large number of overly skinny and fidgity race fans have recently been rushing up to wrecked race cars and inhaling deeply.
Posted by: exile | Jun 9, 2009 6:50:57 PM
it seems that the doctor from the world anti-doping agency feels that nascar's drug testing policy amounts to a joke. he didn't use those exact words but what he did say is he has been openly critical of some of the test policies in other sports in america and compared to them nascar's is woefully lacking. nascar can't seem to implement their technical rules in a fair and consistent mannor, so is anyone realy surprised that they are being challenged on this. nascar has been used to making their own rules, then making them up again as they go along. just look at poor carl long. no matter what happens nascar will say it is their show and they can do what they want.
Posted by: buzzrightrear | Jun 9, 2009 10:41:32 PM
I have not seen any comments by a WADA official, but David Newton at espn has a recent article quoting the head of a Charolotte drug testing lab favorably about NASCAR's program and showing how NASCAR's program compares favorably with that of the NFL.
Posted by: Richard in N.C. | Jun 9, 2009 11:36:39 PM
On the Tim Richmond deal, people seem to ignore that NASCAR was right there - they wanted to see his medical records, he sued, but the judge ruled NASCAR was correct to see them, so Richmond settled out of court. I'm hearing a lot of "it could have been a false positive" except if we've learned anything from the steroids scandal it is that there's no such thing as a false positive.
Mayfield should never have been taking what he took that he got caught with - it's as if people don't want to understand this.
Posted by: Mike Daly | Jun 10, 2009 10:37:29 AM
Mike, I tend to agree with you, but what has made this situation so incredibly awkward for all concerned is that NASCAR hasn't confirmed what it was he tested positive for, while Mayfeld seems to offer various explanations for why he tested positive for whatever it was he tested for! There just aren't enough facts out there for us to do anything but speculate.
Posted by: Doug in CA | Jun 10, 2009 10:58:03 AM
Look at interviews from years past and Jeremy has a clinched jaw. Another driver who has had his share of problems lately also displays the same symtom.
Just look.
Posted by: Larry | Jun 10, 2009 9:04:12 PM
Jeremy should have reported to NASCAR if he
was taking prescription drugs for allergies
or any over the counter non prescription
products. I'm not saying he's guilty or
innocent just yet. Knowing NASCAR is in the
process of doing random drug testing, why
would Jeremy take a chance after he just
started as a new driver/team owner and ruin
his career. Guess we will just have to wait
and see what the verdict is.
Posted by: Dottie | Jun 11, 2009 8:24:42 PM
the side effects of aderall aren't good for a race car driver.
Posted by: exile | Jun 12, 2009 12:36:45 AM
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