White Banned in Drug Inquiry

In the latest fallout from the BALCO steroid case, a top U.S. sprinter said Wednesday she has accepted a two-year suspension -- costing her a likely spot on the Olympic team in Athens -- and will help authorities pursue other cheaters.

Kelli White, the reigning world champion in the 100- and 200-meter dash, admitted using several performance-enhancing drugs when sports officials confronted her with evidence from the government case.

“In doing this, I have not only cheated myself, but also my family, friends and sport. I am sorry for the poor choices I have made,” White, 27, said in a statement.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency confirmed that White is expected to help in the prosecution of additional Olympic-caliber athletes. She said, “I anticipate other athletes will be charged.”

Though it is unclear what information she might have about others, doping experts said her cooperation could have wide-ranging consequences.

“Everybody has an eye on everybody else -- what kind of drugs they are using and how much they are using,” said Steven Ungerleider, a noted author and researcher. “These kids, sadly, are all in the loop together.”

The list of track stars who have come under scrutiny because of connections to the BALCO case includes Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery -- the nation’s most celebrated sprinters -- as well as Chryste Gaines, Alvin and Calvin Harrison, Michelle Collins, Eric Thomas and Ramon Clay. None of the athletes has been charged criminally.

Jones, in particular, has denied using banned substances and has challenged officials to produce incriminating test results. But White’s case highlights a controversial strategy by which anti-doping officials are pursuing suspensions without such results.

Traditionally, USADA has taken action only after finding drugs in an athlete’s system. This time, they are moving forward with so-called “nonanalytical positives” -- evidence in the form of e-mail, canceled checks and shipping labels gathered by federal agents in the BALCO case.

Prosecutors had kept these documents sealed until the Senate Commerce Committee recently subpoenaed them and turned them over to USADA.

Anti-doping officials have contacted several athletes to discuss the evidence and offer deals, according to attorneys involved in the case.

Officials met with White in San Francisco on Monday, laying out what her lawyer described as an “extremely compelling, overwhelming” case.

“That was a very significant factor,” attorney Jerrold D. Colton said, “as was her desire to do the right thing.”

White acknowledged using previously undetectable steroids and erythropoietin, a hormone that boosts endurance. She agreed to the suspension, sparing USADA from testing its nonanalytical positive strategy.

The bargain was struck not too far from the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, or BALCO, a small manufacturer of nutritional supplements. Four men connected with the Northern California company have been charged with distributing steroids to dozens of professional baseball and football players and Olympic athletes.

Among the defendants is Greg Anderson, the personal trainer for San Francisco Giant slugger Barry Bonds, and Remi Korchemny, a track coach who worked with White, Gaines and the Harrison brothers.

Korchemny could not be reached for comment. He has pleaded not guilty, as have the other defendants.

White declined to say where she obtained the banned substances. Her attorney said: “Remi has been her coach since she was 12 years old, and she placed a great deal of trust in Remi and, unfortunately, some of that trust might have been misguided.”

Though White was given the minimum suspension under doping codes, some experts and sports attorneys were surprised by her decision to cooperate.

A lawyer for sprinter Gaines, who said her client had not been contacted by USADA, said other athletes might be less accommodating. “I think we’re sort of in uncharted territory,” Cameron Myler said. “I don’t know what USADA’s plans are, but should they bring charges based on a nonanalytical positive, then I would imagine there would be challenges from athletes.”

When elite-level runners compete in national meets, they agree to handle doping allegations within USADA’s system of hearings and arbitration. Given the unusual nature of the nonanalytical positive, however, some attorneys expect cases to end up in court.

“If there is a perception that there is a complete lack of due process, I don’t know how the courts will react to that,” said Howard Jacobs, a Southern California lawyer who represents several athletes connected to BALCO.

Marion Jones’ lawyer wrote to USADA this week requesting a meeting at which his client could answer any questions the agency might have. Attorney Joe Burton decried “the vortex of rumor, innuendo and speculation, much of it detrimental to the image and career of Ms. Jones.”

Jones was defiant at a news conference in New York last weekend.

“If I make the Olympic team, which I plan to do in Sacramento, and I’m held from the Olympic Games because of something that somebody thought, you can pretty much bet there will be a lawsuit,” she said. “I’m not going to sit down and let someone, or a group of people or an organization, take away my livelihood because of a hunch, because of a thought, because somebody is trying to show their power.”

On Wednesday, sports officials voiced support for USADA.

Jim Scherr, chief executive of the U.S. Olympic Committee, praised the agency for “cutting-edge work” that “is critical not only in catching those athletes who have broken the rules, but in protecting the reputation of the overwhelming majority of American athletes who would never seek to gain an unfair advantage by using a banned or illegal substance.”

With the Summer Games approaching, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said he has urged anti-doping agencies to move swiftly.

“That is certainly something we are very keen on, and we recommend all the efforts that are being done to date by our friends in the United States, who are doing a very good job of cleaning up the situation,” he said.

U.S. Olympic officials have been racing the clock, fearful that athletes could win medals in Athens only to have evidence of steroid use go public when the BALCO case reaches trial.

USADA declined to comment on a timetable for further action but complimented White’s decision.

“Ms. White has made some mistakes, but I admire her courage in acknowledging these mistakes and accepting responsibility,” Chief Executive Terry Madden said. “It is not easy to admit you have done wrong and then stand up to do something about it.”

White, who was facing penalties after testing positive for the powerful stimulant modafinil, will be stripped of the gold medals she won at last year’s world championships in Paris, and a gold and a bronze she won at the 2001 worlds in Edmonton, Canada. She has not been deterred by friends and coaches who have criticized her for cooperating.

“I hope I am able to take what has occurred and turn it into a positive for both myself and the entire sport,” White said in her statement.

“If I can make a difference in cleaning up the sport, then I will have done more for the sport than anything I could have done on the track.”

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Wharton reported from Los Angeles, Abrahamson from Lausanne, Switzerland.