Jones mess creates struggle with mixed feelings

This Marion Jones mess has left me struggling a bit.

I definitely know how I feel about what she did, and how she handled the situation. But I'm not completely sure how to feel about her.

Part of me is disgusted with her. Part of me feels sorry for her.

By now, you know that she's taken the mother of all tumbles.

She went from a celebrated track phenom making millions to a shamed, admitted (performance-enhancing) drug user who is now on the brink of jail time after a judge handed down a six-month sentence last week.

The fact that she lied about using steroids -- and on top of everything else was also involved in some sort of check-fraud scheme -- makes her sordid story all the more despicable.

I'm right there with all of that.

I also strongly believe that illegal drugs of any kind have no place in sports, particularly the ones that supposedly give users a competitive advantage over non-users.

But … and you knew there was a but, like I said, I still find myself feeling sorry for Jones. Her life is a wreck, and her future could be, too.

Now, hold on. Before you go shooting off a nasty e-mail, please understand that I'm not some sort of bleeding heart. I don't absolve Jones of anything.

I understand that she brought all of this upon herself.

She is an adult, she made her own choices in spite of the rules and she surrounded herself with some pretty shady characters.

Her first husband, shot putter C.J. Hunter, once tested positive for drugs, as did former boyfriend Tim Montgomery, a world-class sprinter who fathered her first child, Tim Jr.

One of her early trainers, Trevor Graham, was also named in connection with the BALCO steroids scandal.

Clearly, Jones has made some horrible choices in her life. And it's appropriate that she pay the price.

I'm just saying that I would feel bad for her if she's never given a chance in the future to make the right ones.

I saw Jones do an interview this week on "Oprah." She came off as genuinely remorseful and even somewhat of a sympathetic character. She said she has made mistakes and wanted to finally take responsibility for them. She says she is ready to rehabilitate herself so that she can help others -- and by others I'm assuming she means others who may find themselves facing the same choices that she did.

What I wonder is how Jones will ultimately help herself.

When she gets out of jail, how will she get herself back on track? And, more to the point, will anyone even give her a chance?

Just for fun, I decided to ask Chicago Sky coach and general manager Bo Overton a hypothetical.

Could we ever see the 32-year-old Jones in a WNBA jersey?

I know that sounds far-fetched. But is it really? Jones is broke and needs the money. And after track, basketball is probably her next best talent.

Jones used to be a fabulous basketball player at the University of North Carolina. Her speed was handy on the hardwood, too. Believe me, I know.

When I was at Northwestern, we played North Carolina my senior year -- the year the Tar Heels won the 1994 national championship. Jones was just a freshman, but starting at point guard.

She caused havoc in the backcourt, and our guards had a hard time fending off her quick hands and keeping up with her on the break.

If she hadn't become a track star, I'm confident Jones would have been a big name in the WNBA.

What kind of basketball player she would be now after more than 10 years away from the game is one question. Whether anyone in the WNBA would want to touch her with a 10-foot pole is another.

"Gosh, that's a good one. I've never even given any thought to that," Overton said. "I guess my first thought would be, I don't know what kind of message we would be sending to people. This league is about dads and moms bringing their daughters and their sons to the games. And they're watching great athletes who are great people doing things the right way.

"You bring in Marion Jones, and now all of a sudden you've got someone in here who took drugs. I just don't know if that's where this league is going.

"I guess if she were a real difference maker, just an awesome player, it would make me think. But I really just don't know if I could go beyond that."

Overton isn't alone. He probably isn't the only one -- in the sports world, or the private sector -- who would likely pass on Jones.

And therein lies the reason I feel sorry for her.

Yes, she's done some bad things. But it's possible she could be a pariah forever -- and this is a person who didn't kill, abuse or even physically hurt anyone.

And no, she didn't hurt the sport of track and field, either.

Track and field will go on, just like baseball will after the steroids era, the NBA will after its referee scandal and college athletic departments do every year after major recruiting violations.

Honestly, who really has Jones hurt but herself?

Once she gets to a better place, I, for one, would like to see if she can redeem herself. She may not get the chance, but I'd like to think she at least deserves it.

Do you?