SHOCKING DEVELOPMENT!!! - Shelby Houlihan is running in the Olympic Trials! (Yes, Really)

Could USATF look any worse?

Update wrote:

She's out again, USATF has changed their minds:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2021/06/17/shelby-houlihan-banned-trials-after-us-officials-reverse-course/7739717002/

AIU spanked them, what a clown show

This is just farcical from start to finish. USATF have basically proven themselves to be poorly managed dimwits. They should never have let her enter in the first place due to the doping ban. The rules are clear, and this means they either (1) didn't know the rules or (2) knew them but decided to ignore them. Either of those 2 situations is terrible.

HEY BROJOS - how about doing some real journalism? Can you investigate the role Nike played in coercing USATF in to letting her back in?

At what point do we get sick of Nike and the fact that they basically own USATF?

crete wrote:

This is just farcical from start to finish. USATF have basically proven themselves to be poorly managed dimwits. They should never have let her enter in the first place due to the doping ban. The rules are clear, and this means they either (1) didn't know the rules or (2) knew them but decided to ignore them. Either of those 2 situations is terrible.

HEY BROJOS - how about doing some real journalism? Can you investigate the role Nike played in coercing USATF in to letting her back in?

At what point do we get sick of Nike and the fact that they basically own USATF?

Relevant:

Should have mentioned article is from 2014

Glad this got resolved before the prediction contest deadline

SDSU Aztec wrote:

Barry Badrinath wrote:

IAAF is probably going to come out with a statement today. If this is really a game of chicken, IAAF will state that they will ban all runners who compete against Shelby at the trials.

Maybe the would with a sh*thole country, but no one is going to mess with the MF U.S.

San Diego runner, your three hour post did not age well. People bigger than Shelby Houlihan and bigger than her head in the sand coaching staff made a reasonable decision: No to U.S. PED user Shelby Houlihan.

crete wrote:

HEY BROJOS - how about doing some real journalism? Can you investigate the role Nike played in coercing USATF in to letting her back in?

I agree. Letting Shelby Houlihan run was clearly 100% against the World Athletics/IOC rules, and everyone at USATF knew that. But they went ahead and did it anyway.

Somebody pulled some strings. Organizations like the USATF don't just give the middle finger to the International Olympic Committee without something happening behind the scenes to pressure them into doing that.

BROJOS and GAULT - ShelbyGate just happened. Dig into it! Find out what really happened!

Lord Lindsay should step in and offer his spot to her in the trials.

cruncher wrote:

Could USATF look any worse?

Sure. They could have left her in.

HRE wrote:

cruncher wrote:

Could USATF look any worse?

Sure. They could have left her in.

Yes. Or put her in again. Now that would be hilarious!

nearest hippie wrote:

blue man wrote:

It has me and everyone I know excited. It has made mainstream news.

Yep. Say it with me: There's no such thing as bad publicity.

Other sports understand this, and don't do as much hand wringing over (comparatively much larger) scandals. I'd say the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, etc., is still doing okay.

Outside of actual criminal scandals, of which the big 3 have plenty of, in my opinion this is about the second biggest infraction someone can commit, behind actually fixing games. Doping in running is wildly different than in football or baseball — those sports are skill oriented, and while doping might enhance those skills, the basis of your talent is skill.

In running, fitness/strength/power is everything — it’s closer to the equivalent of Lebron throwing games. The NBA would definitely not welcome that publicity.

On top of that, no matter how much you might hate roger goodell, rob manfred or Gary bettman, those guys are absolute geniuses compared to what’s going on in USATF. The sport is run by the most incompetent, dim witted and uninformed group of people on the planet, and they all should be fired for this. What a f*cking embarrassment.

crete wrote:

This is just farcical from start to finish. USATF have basically proven themselves to be poorly managed dimwits. They should never have let her enter in the first place due to the doping ban. The rules are clear, and this means they either (1) didn't know the rules or (2) knew them but decided to ignore them. Either of those 2 situations is terrible.

HEY BROJOS - how about doing some real journalism? Can you investigate the role Nike played in coercing USATF in to letting her back in?

At what point do we get sick of Nike and the fact that they basically own USATF?

+1

There is NO doubt Nike is behind this mess. SH and BTC and USATF would never have dared try this stunt without Nike’s blessing. Do we really thing we are done? Is WADA, IAAF and the IOC really more powerful than Nike? I’m not so sure. The question is whether or not Nike would bother in this instance. If Michael Jordan was being banned, then Nike would pull the plug. Goodbye Olympics.

cruncher wrote:

Could USATF look any worse?

Yes if they had let her run.

Texted Mex wrote:

cruncher wrote:

Could USATF look any worse?

Yes if they had let her run.

Late to the game.

Ghost1 wrote:

Guilty or not, she should be given her day in court just like anyone who faces allegations.

She was and she lost

I agree. I've seen USATF do a number of dumb things over the years, but giving the middle finger to the International Olympic Committee and the CAS was just completely nuts.

USATF has two masters: CAS/IOC and Nike.

Nike no doubt went to USATF and told them what was going to happen" Shelby would run.

Then the IOC/CAS weighed in, saying roughly 'yeah sure you can let her run but that would jeopardize USA track athletes from participating in the Olympics. Your call.'

So USATF had to backtrack and give her and her Nike lawyers the boot.