Just when I'd gained a tiny bit of respect for Danica Patrick, she does it again!

[Jag_Warrior]

Danica, Danica, Danica... :rolleyes:

Just because you have little feet, that doesn't mean that you should put them in your mouth.


When asked by radio host and writer Dan Patrick, "If you could take a performance-enhancing drug and not get caught, would you do it if it allowed you to win Indy?" Danica replied, "Well, then it's not cheating, is it? If nobody finds out? Yeah, it would be like finding a gray area."

And then Dara Torres said her piece:

Says Torres, "As an athlete that has been tested a thousand times whether through blood or urine samples – I've even offered DNA samples to prove that I'm clean – I really can't ever imagine saying if you don't get caught that it's not cheating."

Danica claims she was just joking. I remember way back when I was in school, a couple of the basketball players were on this late, late night college radio show. It always got a little raunchy. Well, we had this one cheerleader who was outrageously hot (Martha F., where are you these days? :heart :) . So they asked these yahoos if Martha fell asleep at a party, would she be fair game? Dummy #1 passed on the question. Dummy #2 offered up, "what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her." Now, most everybody figured he was just joking - he wouldn't really rape a cheerleader. But when he got suspended from the team for a game or two, he realized that not every joke is a good joke, not every joke is funny... and sometimes, silence is golden.

Maybe Danica was joking, maybe she wasn't. But there was nothing funny in what she said, and I agree with Dara Torres for spanking her for it. We have a HUGE drug problem in the U.S. Only an idiot would think that would be an acceptable joke. And Dara has no obligation to discuss it with Danica privately. It's up to Danica to clear up what she said. Man up, Danica.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20282300,00.html

[jackmart]

i jumped ship to another favorite driver this year and after her good finishes I was like maybe she is better than i thought. I agree that is not an issue to joke about.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

It's really the only thing she has put wrong this year. Give her a break.

[ykiki]

It's really the only thing she has put wrong this year. Give her a break.

I think if almost any other athlete had said this we wouldn't give them a break!

[jimispeed]

I think if almost any other athlete had said this we wouldn't give them a break!


I think you're right.

If Earnhardt Jr. said it.........Big News
If Lewis Hamilton said it......Big News
If Derek Jeter said it...........Big News
If Lebron James said it.........Big News
If Terrell Owens said it.........Big News
If Tiger Woods said it..........Big News
Even if JB Mauney from the PBR said it, it would be a very controversial subject!

Why should it be any different for her. I think she's doing a great job lately as a driver, but to make a statement like that for any athlete is just stupid and completely misguided!!

She's really shown alot of poise, and restraint in the right ways this year.

Unfortunate......

[beachbum]

As the apparent poster girl for the IRL, she has an obligation to be careful about what she says. If Ms local short tracker (yes there are women racing at local short tracks) said something as stupid, no one would care. But DP is followed, watched, and talked about everywhere. What she said was either stupid or callous, take your pick. In light of the Mayfield incident in N-Car and other issues with racers and drugs, it wasn't the least bit funny.

[Nem14]

Yep, she stepped on the ol' crank......I mean.....You know what I mean.

[mileman]

You're all right. She shouldn't have said it. Instead she should have just slapped Dan Patrick silly - which is what every one of his interviews should do. He's too full of himself to be taken seriously to begin with.

[Jag_Warrior]

Danica has taken a step toward clearing this issue up. It seems that she's gotten about as much flack for her comments as she did credit for her finishing position at Indy.

At least Danica is learning to take responsibility for her words and her actions.



“It was just a joke and I really apologize if it came across any other way. It was a bad joke.

“There is a lot of sensitivity in our culture about [performance-enhancing drugs] It's a shame kids think they have to do this to get ahead. It's very dangerous. ... It's absolutely not what I'm about.”

“I've learned my lesson on what I should be joking about,” Ms. Patrick concluded.


http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/17639/

[call_me_andrew]

If you cheat and fail, people will always call you a cheater. If you cheat and win, people will call you savvy.

http://www.southparkstudios.com/includes/utils/proxy_resizer.php?image=/images/shows/southpark/vertical_video/season_12/sp_1205_16.jpg&width=480&quality=85

[Jag_Warrior]

Tell that to Pete Rose...

[Chamoo]

If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'!

But, PED is a bit beyond that, and it's such a touchy subject these days that even if she said she had looked at a picture of steroids, she'd be in trouble. She should know this, and she obviously realized that she said the wrong thing.

I don't think we should let it slide, but, I think the way she has handled herself this year compared to years past, we should give her some credit that this is her first real issue in '09. This is the first time she has been singled out in the media for something this year, so that's a good thing in my opinion, so she gets some points for that.

But I betcha she gets tested this weekend lol.

[speeddurango]

OK, that's not good, but she's kind of honest there, not that I'm saying she's right or something, but a lot of people are hypocritic enough that they also do the same thing but say the other. Oh and yes this indeed shows what kind of a person she is and her image is really turning a big downturn for me.

[beachbum]

If you cheat and fail, people will always call you a cheater. If you cheat and win, people will call you savvy.
Not if what you do endangers other racers. Then you very likely may be called a "former" competitor.

[nigelred5]

She was honest. Maybe that's always been 'roid rage we have witnessed over the years with her and she finally layed off the 'roids this season.. KIDDING!!


Seriously though, to be honest, that girl is in a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation 90% of the time. Personally, I wish they would simply treat her like the other 99% of the drivers in the series. Tell us when she did a good job or when something significant involved her and otherwise leave it at
that. she's probably driving the best and had the best racing luck of her career so far this season. Let's just keep it at that. If she tests positive for something on anything other than a clear blue easy, then let's discuss.

The commercial breaks during the races this season are sad. Every break. Izod, then Apex and then teh rotation of Danica commercials. My daughter wants to know who wears Izod anyway? Is there ANY other sponsor in the series with enough cash to run a commercial? It's as bad as the wheels go round and round Bridgestone commercials during the champcar races.

[jimispeed]

She was honest. Maybe that's always been 'roid rage we have witnessed over the years with her and she finally layed off the 'roids this season.. KIDDING!!


Seriously though, to be honest, that girl is in a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation 90% of the time. Personally, I wish they would simply treat her like the other 99% of the drivers in the series. Tell us when she did a good job or when something significant involved her and otherwise leave it at
that. she's probably driving the best and had the best racing luck of her career so far this season. Let's just keep it at that. If she tests positive for something on anything other than a clear blue easy, then let's discuss.

The commercial breaks during the races this season are sad. Every break. Izod, then Apex and then teh rotation of Danica commercials. My daughter wants to know who wears Izod anyway? Is there ANY other sponsor in the series with enough cash to run a commercial? It's as bad as the wheels go round and round Bridgestone commercials during the champcar races.


I don't think Danica is getting a bad rap at all! They talk about her, it seems like 50% of each race!

But, it doesn't matter who you are. And if you're a woman with alot of exposure in a mostly mens sport, your spotlight is immense!!

Like Charles Barkley, you can claim not to be a role model, but in reality whatever you say is taken seriously. And a subject like that one shouldn't be treated as a joke, unless you're gonna make it more than obvious that you are joking. And even then, you're gonna pay for it!!

There's no free tickets for Danica......

Other than wearing only a string while bent over the hood of a car...........
I don't want to see any of the guys do that!!!

[call_me_andrew]

My daughter wants to know who wears Izod anyway?

Judging by the commercials, I'd say it's mostly uber preppy members of the Aryan race.

[Chamoo]

Well, I think the only enhancements she would use are a couple of breasts. I doubt anyone in the ICS would try PED's when the policies are so strict and testing so random. PED's can usually be traced a good amount of time after use, so I'm sure they would had caught her by now if she was.

Now here is a question that just popped into my head. If Danica was using some sort of performance enhancing drug, and the IRL tested her and found out, would they do something about it?

[beachgirl]

Now here is a question that just popped into my head. If Danica was using some sort of performance enhancing drug, and the IRL tested her and found out, would they do something about it?

That's a VERY interesting question.

[NickFalzone]

If Danica was caught, the IRL would take the appropriate measures, fines, suspensions, etc. That being said, I'm confident that as much as half or 2/3rds of the field takes something, just not something that gets tested for. As much crap as the IRL gets, it's still an elite racing series and mental performance and alertness is critical. I'm sure there are a number of prescribed or otherwise available performance enhancers that the IRL does not have labs check for. They test for the illegals, maybe for steroids, alcohol, and maybe for a few select RX drugs. But not everything.

[Gluaistean]

Danica has taken a step toward clearing this issue up. It seems that she's gotten about as much flack for her comments as she did credit for her finishing position at Indy.

At least Danica is learning to take responsibility for her words and her actions.



http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/17639/

This is the statement of a PR team that is well aware that she is in contract season.

Any other athlete who says or does something like this always follows with a PR statement. Now, if she answered genuinely, she would have my respect and admiration for doing so on her own accord. Not by IMG.

Look at what happened to Michael Phelps. Poor guy lost sponsors and a considerable amount of money when he was outed by a "buddy" for drug "recreational" use.

He doesn't drive a car at "over MPH" as Goodyear reminds you every race.

She does and unlike Graham Rahal, a true youngster that promotes driver safety and responsibility she should be sanctioned for her idiotic response. Joking or not , the IRL should discipline a driver who says anything like this. They represent their series and team. Oh, and where is AGR on this?