Andre Agassi- Thanks for the controversy

Wow its been so long since I have blogged that I almost forgot my blogspot password. The reasons for no blogs vary from lack of interesting topics, lack of motivation and little bit because of the lack of time. But then last night suddenly a topic hit me in the face. This is probably something I would have blogged about the day the news came out but for some reason I never got to it. It is the entire Andre Agassi fiasco that is going on. For those of you who don't read the sports page, Agassi admitted to using crystal meth and then lying to the ATP about it. This revelation has shaken the tennis and sports world. Here are my thoughts on the story.

While there are many things one can discuss on the crystal meth controversy, I have chosen three points that have either bothered me or that I have discussed with friends over the past few days.

The ATP- What were they thinking?

Let me see if I get this straight. Andre Agassi fails a drug test and is informed of the violation by the ATP. He then writes the ATP a letter saying that he took it by mistake because he hung out with the wrong employee who he has fired since. Having received this letter, the ATP forgives him and takes no action. Let me say that again because it requires repetition- The ATP forgives him and takes no action.

Wow, how good is your life when you do something that is not allowed and all you have to do is write a letter saying it was a mistake and things go back to normal. The decision of the ATP was shocking to say the least. Agassi should have been punished. Don't get me wrong, I like Agassi, but if you make a mistake, you pay the price. Believing him based on a simple letter is the worst form of jurisdiction I have ever seen.

There is not enough focus on this error in judgement and I think someone needs to pull up the authorities who made this call and take them to task. It is an embarrassing decision.

Andre Agassi- Should he have revealed what he did?

I have heard mixed views on this one. Some say he is stupid because a) What is his upside? Why bring up these skeletons when you know the outcome can never be good b) He doesn't need a controversy to sell his book or to make money. So then again, why do it? c) There are so many kids who look up to him, imagine the impact on them. Taking these points in to consideration he was stupid to reveal what he did.

On the other hand, some say that he has the right to say what he wants. In his defense Agassi said "If you are going to tell your story, you owe it to yourself to tell it honestly. Especially if you are going to call it 'Open'. "

I agree with Agassi. You should be able to say what you want. But here is the important point Andre, before you do something like this, you better make sure you are aware of the consequences. You have to realize that you are about to bring a storm of criticism on yourself and that you may lose face, respect, fans and any goodwill you may have created over the years. Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Martina Navratilova have already criticized Agassi and I guarantee you we have not seen the complete fall out of his revelations as yet. But if you are prepared to battle the world and you know what you are in for, then by all means, say what you want.

Should we be tracking what drugs (non performance enhancing) that athletes are taking?

Now obviously I am not talking about performance enhancing drugs here but rather recreational drugs which actually may hamper an athletes performance. Most sports organizations have a ban on this. Ricky Williams of the Miami Dolphins was suspended by the NFL for testing positive for marijuana on three occasions. Most recently in tennis, Richard Gasquet faced a ban for testing positive for cocaine which he got in his system from kissing a girl (interesting case). The bottom line is that there have been many other cases over the years in all sports. This gives rise to the question, should sports associations have a right to tell athletes what they can do in their spare time? As long as they are not using performance enhancing drugs, why do these associations care?

A friend said that most sports associations are trying to keep up a clean image of their league and so this kind of behavior does not bid well for the respective sport. Here is the deal though, if the associations don't test athletes for these drugs, who would ever know if they were being taken? No one would have ever know about Gasquet's or Ricky Williams' case unless the ATP made an issue out of it.

And that is the stance I am taking as well. As long as people don't take performance enhancing drugs, I really don't care what other drugs they take. That is their life to run and possibly ruin.

The total impact of this issue is yet to be seen. I read an article this morning that tennis authorities have been asked to investigate if Agassi committed perjury by lying. This is just the beginning and I feel bad for Agassi. Things were going so well. He has a great life and family, his foundation is doing good work, when he left his career he was loved and respected by one and all and he is considered one of the greats of the game. It is sad to see all this unveiling itself. But then again, he chose this path of revelation. Frankly, I can't wait to get my hands on the book.

To all you sports, tennis and Agassi fans, in the words of my favorite sports writer Rick Reilly- "Love the column, hate the column, got a better idea?" Please comment.

Photo Credit- Dubreuil Corinne/ABACA USA/Empics Entertainment