What do you think she is going through, trying to be a good partner in the midst of the confusion surrounding her husband while competing in the most important event of her life?

Ron Rapoport: I think she and C.J. have agreed to try to ignore what is going on around them and concentrate on the business at hand -- which is Marion performing at her best in an Olympics she has been dreaming about and working toward for 16 years.

SportsJones: The vice-president of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, said it was ''impossible'' for a supplement to cause such high readings for nandrolone in Hunter’s bloodstream and accused the shot-putter of using a "typical excuse" when he blamed nutritional supplements for his test results.

You know C.J. and Marion, and you said in our last segment that you find the charges hard to believe. What is it about C.J. and Marion personally, as well as their talents and training, that makes it hard for you to believe that they would break the rules?

Rapoport: It is clear to me that the IOC has its own agenda against the U.S. in this matter. C.J. is not competing in the Olympics, yet the IOC leaked the information during the Games and now seems to be exulting in the fallout. This is clearly payback for our own arrogance in accusing other countries’ athletes of cheating, and for the role we have played in exposing the corruption at the IOC when it comes to awarding the Games to cities bidding for them.

Rogge knows quite well that athletes like Merlene Ottey have been suspended after testing positive for nandrolone and then reinstated because of the confusion over what caused the readings. Chicago Bears quarterback Jim Miller, for instance, tested positive for nandrolone last year, which he got from a dietary supplement.

C.J.’s college coaches have recently been quoted as saying he was always clean and I believe them. I also know him to be a very intelligent man, far too smart to intentionally do something that could hurt Marion’s performance at the biggest meet of her life.

SportsJones: The IOC has suggested that USA Track and Field may be involved in a cover-up of American athletes’ test results for banned substances. Given the amount of time you have spent in and around national and international track meets in the last few years, do you think this is plausible? In your experience, is USA Track and Field capable of or prone toward such actions?

Rapoport: This is a question I’m afraid I just can’t answer. I simply don’t know. Track and field is such a cynical sport -- I know observers who think everyone is guilty of drug use -- and it’s easy to get caught up in such cynicism. But to think U.S. track authorities would be part of a cover-up that could come back to haunt them for years is just too much for me to imagine.

SportsJones: Some people say that we shouldn’t ban performance-enhancing drugs. Do you agree?

Rapoport: No. Look at the terrible physical ailments now being suffered by former East German athletes. No gold medal is worth that.

SportsJones: Do you think it is possible to test well enough to make the application of the rules fair, consistent, and meaningful?