Marion Jones' ex-husband accuses her of steroid use

The ex-husband of Olympic champion Marion Jones recently told federal investigators that she used several banned performance-enhancing drugs during the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney, Australia, two newspapers reported.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that C.J. Hunter, Jones' ex-husband, told Internal Revenue Service investigators pursuing the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) case that he personally injected his then-wife with banned substances and saw Jones inject herself with the drugs at their home in Australia. The San Jose Mercury News also reported Hunter's comments, citing anonymous sources.

Human growth hormone, the steroid THG, insulin and the endurance-boosting drug EPO were among the substances Hunter alleged Jones used.

Hunter, the 1999 world shot put champion, tested positive for steroids four times in 2000 while married to Jones (JET, Oct. 16, 2000). Her attorney Joseph Burton accused Hunter of lying out of bitterness over the breakup of the couple's marriage.

Jones, who has qualified only for the long jump at next month's Athens Olympics, remains under investigation for steroid use, although she has not been formally accused of any offense.

Last month she issued a plea for a public hearing in hopes of ensuring a fair process and clearing her name of steroid allegations (JET, July, 12). Denying any banned drug use, a frustrated Jones said, "I'm hoping to send a message to USADA that I want this done and I want my name cleared. I want to move on."

In a letter to the U.S. attorney in San Francisco, Burton said he and his client "expect" federal authorities to administer a lie-detector test to Hunter, then charge him with lying to authorities if he fails, "as he most certainly will."