Monday, December 27th, 2010 at 9:45 am  |  87 responses

In Defense of Diana Taurasi

Why the allegations against her don’t add up.

By Ben York / @bjyork

This past summer, I took a road-trip to Seattle and Los Angeles with the Phoenix Mercury for a SLAMonline article. My main focus was to get the inside scoop on what life is like on the road for WNBA players and how vastly different it is than the NBA. And while I did obtain the intricate details of planning for away games, practices on the road, and traveling with the general public something much more meaningful happened.

I witnessed what true love of the game of basketball really is, personified through Diana Taurasi.

taurasi_300_090929Our first stop was to play the Seattle Storm. When we landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, we blended in with the thousands of other travelers that day and made our way down to baggage claim. Afterwards, as we were heading to the team bus, I was checking emails on my phone and ran into a National Car Rental display sign, knocking the entire display over in a loud, awkward way. Of course, the entire Phoenix Mercury team was right behind me and saw the embarrassing encounter.

“Oh, Yorkie, what the hell are you doing?” Diana Taurasi said while laughing hysterically. “You must not be a National fan – more of a Hertz guy, eh?”

She then pat me on the back and talked to me about my article on the way to bus.

Anyone who knows Diana Taurasi on a personal basis has a hundred endearing stories like these. That’s just who Diana is.

However, in light of the recent developments regarding Taurasi testing positive for Modafinil, a banned substance, it is becoming increasingly clear that traditional media wants to cause and create controversy. The tone of nearly every article or report is one of condemnation and disapproval with a hint of condescension.

Proven facts are being ignored:

- The tumultuous history of the lab in Turkey where the test was performed.

- Her ‘A’ sample was “leaked” before following proper protocol in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Agency guidelines.

- Modafinil wouldn’t help or enhance the way she plays the game. In fact, it probably had an adverse affect on her basketball ability.

- The test could have been a false-positive.

- Her ‘B’ sample hasn’t been tested.

- We know very little about the accusations.

The problem I have with this is two-fold.

1. The damage is already done.

There is no denying what Diana Taurasi has accomplished for women’s basketball. She has inspired a generation of young women to have confidence and a belief in themselves no matter what the general public thinks or says about their game. Her enthusiasm and competitiveness has transcended women’s basketball and become legendary – that much is known.

Sadly, if/when she is proven innocent, there is a chance none of the aforementioned contributions will matter. People, especially those who denounce the league already, will have already made the choice to believe what best suits them and their personal interests. Taurasi can be a polarizing figure for women’s basketball fans. The vast majority of basketball fans love her dominant game and passion. Still, there are others who don’t appreciate her intensity and are vehemently “out to get her.” This supposed incident will provide them with more fuel.  

2. Her status as a role model.

Just so I can be as clear as possible, I consider Diana Taurasi to be the quintessential role model for young women everywhere. Like any human being, she has made mistakes. But if I were raising a daughter, Diana Taurasi would be at the top of my list of inspirational figures to steer her towards. She is one of the most humble and appreciative people you’ll ever meet, is team-driven and goal-oriented, and treats people with respect and dignity. Most importantly, when she does make a mistake, she handles and addresses it with the utmost grace and humility.

What better example could I provide for my kids? My feelings don’t change one bit with the recent allegations.

As a society, we’ve become obsessed with judging others. If you look at the facts in Taurasi’s case, there are an enormous amount of vital details we are missing and the ones we do have sound iffy at best. Before you turn your back on Taurasi and persecute her, stop and think for a minute. What do I really know about the allegations? What has been proven? Remember, basketball overseas can be a shady business….

Some will say I’m biased writing this article. I am. It’s the exact reason I decided to speak out in her defense. There comes a time when you need to put aside being politically correct and stand up for injustice. Diana Taurasi is one of the best things that has ever happened to women’s basketball and is someone the league needs in order to continue to thrive.

Would it help if I told you about the Diana Taurasi I know?

The Diana I know is the one who acknowledges every member, employee, and passerby of the arena staff with a smile at each practice and game. The Diana I know is the one who deflects credit and takes the blame at all times; just as a leader should do. The Diana I know is the one who is appreciative of everything she has worked for and those who have helped her along the way. The Diana I know is the one who talked extensively with me about books like “The Four Agreements” and “The Mastery of Love.” The Diana I know is the one who has inspired millions of young girls everywhere to follow their dreams.

The Diana I know is the one who will face this adversity head-on with integrity and class…and come through it stronger than ever.

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  • Mike Miller

    The truth is that if her B sample comes back positive and she can’t play for USA it will not be too much of a big deal at all. So much talent on that team that somebody else will step up. To tell the truth if she cheated then all the things that she has done will have lots wondering if she was using a PED when she did them. I think she is more of a dirty player then PP. But just by a hair. I guess only time will tell. I hope the W starts to lock down on all her antics.

  • momo

    Modofinil is not just banned in the Turkish league, it’s banned all over. It is called The world anti-doping act Nathan.

  • momo1913

    Sombody said she is getting more hate then Vick.And Mike Vick has never cheated at the game of football, Has he?? No, he has not. He has never tested positive for a PED.

  • ozz

    keep defending her.. her second sample is positive as well.. !! b sample proves it.

  • Michelle

    Um Penny Taylor and Horakova(both from Fenerbahce)didnt give their urine samples to the officials thi weekend(they didnt want their samples to go to the same lab as DT’s) after the last game against Besiktas. There was a big debate and then the Turkish basketball federation send a petition/form so that PT and Horakova could have there samples tested at a lab in Kohl(Germany) and they agreed to that. DT’s B sample has been send there as well for re-examination, thank god for that!
    http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=tr&tl=en&u=http://www.htspor.com/tbbl/haber/587573-yeni-doping-krizi

  • Michelle
  • AJ

    Two false positives.. Yeah, right. I hope the WNBA takes action on this also. It does not look good for the W that the top player is a cheat.

  • momo1913

    Her B sample is positive also. She has proved to be a dirty player, and now we all know that she is a cheater. It is so funny to see how her fans defend her even in her wrongs. WNBA needs to take action on her.She makes them and USA basketball looke bas.

  • nathan

    Its so funny to see so many people wishing her the worst when she’ll be just fine. Dirty? Hey, if you can’t play ball get off the court.

  • Anonymous

    Cheataurasi.

  • Michelle
  • Sal

    Penny wants to leave because she and DT are lovers. duh..

  • Sal

    And yes DT fans worry me. It’s like they say a pledge to a DT poster every morning. ” I pledge to you thee DT to defend you to the death, no matter how wrong and dirty you are” It’s weird to be so blind. I was hoping her B sample was going to be clean myself. But it is not. Yes she is a very dirty player and I don’t call players dirty at all but she is one of the few.

  • Sal

    Everybody knows why Penny wants to leave the team.

  • Michelle
  • http://slamonline.com tealish

    I can’t believe one commenter here actually claimed that Diana Tarausi garnered more hate for her DUI than Michael Vick for dogs.
    More than Michael Vick…Michael Vick…
    Come on now, we can’t have a serious debate if we’re saying things like this…..

  • big O

    Ben I can not understand how one can defend her? Now that the A and B sample are positive why have you not written an article about that. Don’t say becaue it is not official. When you wrote this article things were not official then. All we had was a leak.If this was DMJ,Cappie,Catchings,Angel,Young,Sancho,A. Lacy,Holdsclow,Cash,Langhorn,Agustus,etc. would you be so quick to defend them? I just wondering, would you?

  • momo1913

    That is a hell of a good question big O. I wonder the samething also. Things that make you go hummm…

  • Danielle Shoemaker

    First of all, if these athletes were given a better salary they wouldn’t have to play 12 months out of the year and risk injury or take sleeping agents to function. (Not saying she is) My hard working father is a truck driver and use to have to take pretty much the same thing to help him stay awake so he could drive longer.Key word in that sentence,AWAKE. Doesn’t mean it can help you run faster or make your shooting percentage any higher. And this is just like the story I heard recently, where a guy who had his leg amputated wanted to run a race,and everybody’s like sure let the poor guy run. He wins the race and everybody goes up in arms,oh he’s cheating because his prosthetic leg makes him run faster.This just comes down to pure old fashioned JEALOUSY.And I’m sorry, if she did it,I don’t argee with it but I understand it.But hell,let’s go back to the old saying,innocent until proven guilty.

  • Dlove

    The truth is not many of the HAVE to play over seas. The top wnba player make about $100,000 for 5 months of work. $100,000 buck is enough for many to live off of for one year. Even if you are making $50,000 that is enough to live off of also. The only ones that may NEED to play year round are the rookies and young players. Or they can just say screw the wnba(I hope they don’t)and go overseas and make $200,000 plus and take the summers off. The people that NEED to get paied more are people that fight for this country. But most of all the teachers. Without teachers we would be a country of dummies. I think they should get paid more but most do not HAVE to play year round to make ends meet. If DT did take this stuff there is no excuess.

  • indylove

    SO I see BEN did not answer bigO’s question. I wonder why. And I love your post Sal ” I pladge allegiance to thee DT” how funny. So Ben would you writh an article like this if this had happened to one of the black players?

  • sadsnake

    big O and indylove, just a little question… would YOU defend Diana Taurasi if she was exactly the same person/player but black? Answer please if you don’t mind.
    By the way her B sample is being tested in a German lab and there’s no result yet. Eating gossip for breakfast, having rumors for dinner. Imagine your favourite player in Dee’s situation and then start judging, that’s gonna be much funnier.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Ben York

    @indylove – wow, you’re making this into a race issue??

  • Danielle Shoemaker

    Dlove-I don’t agree with taking ban substances,but another reason they go overseas is to keep their name in the game.In the NBA, guys can ride the bench and still make more money than these girls. It’s a dog eat league,even some of colleges best have trouble sustaining a good name in the game. You’re talking about teams that only have 11 or 12 players to a team,and have to fill those teams with new prospects every year. It’s a promotion game and business,as much as it is a game of basketball. Another thing, as if we’re not already a country of dummies? I completely agree,I think our soldiers,our teachers,certainly our wounded soldiers should be taken care of. I also think the 9/11 responders shouldn’t have to worry about a thing,but this is not the country or the world we live in.

  • margo

    So, since it is official that the B sample is positive will Ben write about that. NOPE. Well I guess it’s official she is a dirty cheat. It may be good she got caught. she can take someime off and think about her life and get it together. She is just too old to keep breaking rules like she does. I wonder was she on this stuff last year in the W,or when she won the ship.

  • spice 1

    Also the drug she tested positive for is sometime used to mask ilegal drugs.

  • spice 1

    Ben still has not answered “big O” or indylove’s question.

  • Pingback: SLAM ONLINE | » A Diana Taurasi Retrospective

  • http://slamonline.com Ben York

    @spice 1 – big 0 and indylove’s question is so ridiculous I didn’t want to justify it with a response. Racist? Have you read any of my articles?

  • truth

    The facts are the facts. When writers befriend their subjects they can not be objective any more. I hate that Ben because I enjoy your writting. But I am disappointed to see that the facts don’t matter.I

  • Danielle Shoemaker

    Are you guys seriously about to turn this into a race issue? Really? I am a huge fan of DT I say it proudly but the only person who has actually gotten to know her is Ben, so get off his back,we don’t have all the facts yet. And please STOP the debate right now about her cheating in the past.She’s been tested over the past ten years and with the exception of the olympics and her Russian championships,she’s won all her major games in the states. The first time she comes up positive is in a new team/league,not in 2009/2007 championship.And please, if you think after winning all those UConn championships people weren’t testing her left and right,you’re dead wrong,so quick throwing salt!

  • Merc#1

    Yeah, and I am sure the WNBA would inform the public that’s it’s biggest star has been doping. I am sure it woulkd be sweapt under the rug like everything else she has done.It is said to see such a great talent do this. She has dirted the game and makes USA bball look bad. I love the Merc but I am not a blind fan. I wish we still had Cappie then it would be no worry about next summer. My kids love DT but we will be having a talk and throwing away our jerseys. I do not want my kids growing up wanting to be like a cheater. I never wanted them to be so into DT becaue she is a dirty player, but they were so young that they would not have picked it up. But this is thelast straw.

  • Kash

    It’s over DT just tell the truth and you may be able to right this wrong you have done. I hope she does not get depressed and drink herself to near death. Hey, if you get in the car DT after you been drinking this time I hope and pray you don’t hurt anybody but yourself. As long as you don’t hurt anyboy else I could careless. The would may be better without you.

  • amber

    Ben must have some type of thing for DT. Ben York you are never to get that close to your subjects.

  • Grace

    Fenerbahce fans sending this letter to WADA, please join us.

    info@wada-ama.org

    To whom it may concern‚
    As a group of avid basketball fans that truly believe in the integrity‚ ethics and fairplay‚ we would like to bring to your attention the events unfolded around Diana Taurasis alleged use of a banned substance.
    On or about December 23‚ 2010‚ we learned that the Fenerbahce Basketball player Diana Taurasis A sample‚ taken after a regular league game against ISTANBUL University contained a banned substance. Apparently‚ the news leaked and Taurasis right to confidentiality as a result was breached.
    On December 28‚ 2010‚ only 5 days the news was leaked‚ the head of Turkish Football Federation Anti-Doping Organization and the Chairman of Turkish Basketball Federation Health Department‚ Prof. Dr. Turgay Atasu‚ went on various media outlets and declared that he was confident Taurasis B sample was also positive and she should be banned 2 years. Dr. Atasu clearly violated Taurasis fundamental right to presumed innocence and rendered the process of analyzing the B sample a mere formality.
    Please note that when Dr Atasu was drawing his conclusions when Taurasis B sample was not even opened and clearly he was formulating public opinion that Taurasi was guilty of doping and she should be punished. He further went on and said he was in favor of exposing cheaters as soon as there is some evidence of wrongdoing. His total disregard of due process and confidentiality of results is self evident in his widely published remarks.
    Dr Atasu is a public official in a position of authority in doping matters and he is also head of a health committee with the Turkish Basketball Federation that is responsible from receiving and evaluating the test results. His comments published in all major news outlets are outrageous‚ unacceptable and in clear and irrefutable violation of WADA Code Article 14.2.5.

    Furthermore‚ in the last few months there are at least 5 other athletes accused of doping using the same banned substance‚ modafinil. After 2‚5 years of no reported doping cases how can one logically explain the sudden explosion of Modafinil in 5 other athletes within a very short time?. Given the tarnished history of Hacettepe University Doping Control Center and their suspension in 2009‚ this raises very serious concerns about the integrity of their testing procedures and the results.

    While we are in favor of punishing those who cheated to gain a competitive advantage‚ we are also a strong advocates of fair testing done in a professional manner adhering to the highest procedural and ethical standards. Unfortunately in Taurasis case it is clearly impossible to talk about such standard. Dr. Atasus comments coupled with this labs questionable history and practices raise significant concerns and questions that are yet to be answered.!

    Based on these facts we kindly request:

    -Immediate suspension of Hacettepe University Turkish Doping Control Center.
    -A thorough investigation of Dr. Turgay Atasus public comments to understand how he was sure that Taurasis B sample was positive before it was even analyzed?
    -Was he in contact with the lab personnel?
    -Did he influence the testing process to determine the outcome?
    -A complete review of the Labs procedures‚ analysis techniques and instruments in light of all positive cases for the same substance that occurred in a very short period of time.
    -Most importantly a retest of Taurasis both A and B samples in another accredited laboratory to alleviate significant doubts and concerns about the integrity of the results .

    Sincerely‚

  • Kris

    I am a Taurasi fan. She is an exceptionally talented athlete. The bottom line is that Taurasi knew she shouldn’t be using the drug. She is no more tired or stressed than any other WNBA player. If she had gone to a physician, received a prescription, informed the appropriate people and/or agencies that she was under a doctor’s care and receiving medication the picture would be different…but she didn’t do that. In addition to the drugs, her ethics and integrity are in question. Her ego got in the way and she thought being DT would get her off the hook. Pending the final results, the IOC, WNBA, etc, will have no choice but to take action. Karen Bryant (CEO Seattle Storm) was recently asked about the WNBAs stance on drug use. The answer was simple for Bryan, absolutely no tolerance.

  • Michelle
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