Victor Conte: ‘I cannot believe Marion continues to lie’

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During the show that aired today, Oprah Winfrey showed Marion Jones a recording of part of the 2004 ABC ‘20/20’’ interview in which Victor Conte, the BALCO boss, said he watched Jones inject herself with performance-enhancing drugs.Then Oprah asked, ‘Was he lying?’’

Jones’ answer: ‘He was lying.’’

Oprah: ‘Why would he lie?’’

Jones: ‘There are lots of reasons why peoplie lie.... I don’t know specifically why he would lie.’’

Conte was flabbergasted by what Jones said. This is how he reacted in an e-mail Wednesday:

‘I cannot believe Marion Jones continues to lie. Enough is enough. She knowingly used performance enhancing drugs and has already been to prison for lying about it in the first place.

‘In April 2001, during the Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut, California. I sat down with Marion Jones in my hotel room at the Embassy Suites in West Covina. I showed her something I had brought with me called a Novopen. It was a cartridge injector pen that contained 45 units of Norditropin growth hormone. The injector contained enough liquid for 10 injections.

‘I instructed her how to inject herself with 4.5 units of growth hormone and told her to follow the same protocol three times per week. I taught her to change the needle, dial up the dosage, disperse any air in the chamber, and inject the drug. When she left my room, she took the Novopen with her so she could administer her own injections thereafter.’’

-- Philip Hersh