DON’T DROP THE SOAP

By AARON KEEL

They belong in prison.

There- I said it and I’m not taking it back. Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams committed a crime and now they must pay for those crimes.

Apparently I’m not the only one who thinks so.

“Nobody is above the law,” U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White said on Thursday when both men were sentenced to 18 months in prison for not revealing the source or sources that illegally provided them with sealed federal grand jury testimony.

Unfortunately some of my fellow writers just don’t get it and continue to call for the dismissal of these men’s crimes.

Wright Thompson is one Fainaru/Williams supporter and voiced his displeasure in an article on ESPN.com Thursday after the sentencing.

When explaining the difference between the two writers and Barry Bonds’ trainer Greg Anderson, who is in prison at this very moment on contempt charges for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury, Thompson offered this gem.

“There is one. There is a difference between a steroids dealer who is covering for his friend and two hard-working journalists.”

That’s where Thompson is sadly mistaken. In the eyes of the American justice system, there is no difference between the two parties and that’s what makes the American justice system so great. Everyone is treated equally regardless of how much a sleaze-ball or saint we think we are.

Thompson even goes so far as to say that Williams and Fainaru-Wada’s motives were “pure”.

Come on Wright, get a glove and get in the game man! After reading that doozy I was beginning to think that Mark and Lance had possibly paid Thompson to write the article for them. Wright, buddy, pal, what the hell are you smoking? Did you forget the book Mark and Lance published that I’m sure they got paid a handsome sum for? What about the countless television interviews they did to promote the book? Were these just figments of my imagination Wright?

And please, please, please stop this nonsense about how Williams and Fainaru-Wada “exposed” the steroids scandal. The public has known about steroids in baseball for sometime now, Bonds has been suspected of using steroids for at least the past 5 years- if not more. Jose Canseco openly admitted to using steroids as well as former NL MVP Ken Caminitti before his passing. All Mark and Lance accomplished was to confirm the public’s suspicions for them.

But on top of all that Thompson is missing the biggest picture of all. Do you really think Jason Giambi would’ve admitted his usage of steroids if he had known his supposed sealed testimony would later be leaked to the press? Would Barry Bonds have even copped to the “clear” and the “cream”? If we are ever to get to the bottom of this steroid problem then we need people to testify, including players that are currently playing in the big leagues. If players believe that whatever they say behind closed doors will be leaked to the press and ultimately the public, they will never testify and we will never really get to the bottom of the problem.

Here’s another huge problem, one with the bigger ramifications. If the leak turns out to be someone who is involved with the federal court on any kind of consistent basis, how do we know he or she hasn’t sold sealed testimony before and how do we know this same person will not leak sealed testimony in a case that involves something more serious than steroids, something like national security perhaps.

In the end this really boils down to the most important point of all. Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams knew what they were getting into the moment their source offered the sealed testimony. They’re not stupid and I refuse to believe they had no way of knowing that this storm was coming their way. As professional journalists they knew that their source was breaking a federal law and also that the government would very possibly come after them to uncover the leak. I cannot feel sorry for two men who willingly broke the law, possibly in order to further their careers and line their own pockets.

A famous person said it best. “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time”.

This and all future articles is dedicated to Clark K. We know you are with the angels in Heaven and we Love You always.

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