Johnson to Go Back Into Starting Blocks : Banned Sprinter to Begin the Testimony That Will Determine His Future in Track

TORONTO — Not since he ran in the 100-meter final last Sept. 24 at the Seoul Olympics has Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson had more at stake than he will today, when he begins his testimony before the Canadian government’s commission of inquiry into drug use by athletes.

Johnson won the 100 meters at Seoul in the fastest time ever, 9.79 seconds, but the gold medal and the world record were taken away after he tested positive for an anabolic steroid in a post-race drug test.

Upon returning to his Toronto home, Johnson said at a news conference that he never “knowingly” used banned drugs, apparently attempting to place the blame on his coach, Charlie Francis, and his doctor, Jamie Astaphan.

But while on the witness stand two weeks ago, Astaphan produced an audio tape for the commission of a telephone conversation with Johnson that the doctor recorded in January of 1988 that appears to dispute the sprinter’s claim that he was duped.

Others close to Johnson, including Francis, testified earlier that they believed the sprinter was aware that he was using steroids.

Johnson’s attorney, Ed Futerman, did not dispute the validity of the tape during his cross-examination of Astaphan. But throughout the inquiry’s track and field phase, which began Feb. 28, Futerman has questioned witnesses about Johnson’s intelligence, which those close to the Jamaican-born sprinter have testified is often underestimated because of his stutter and his accent.

But Futerman has suggested that Johnson, 27, was not smart enough to make an independent decision about the consequences of using steroids and that he naively followed the advice of Francis and Astaphan.

Public opinion will not lack for information in drawing its conclusions. The inquiry is nationally televised in Canada, and newspapers from throughout North America, Europe and Japan have requested credentials for Johnson’s testimony, which is expected to continue through Thursday.

Ultimately, the only opinion that might affect Johnsons’ track career is that of the commissioner, Ontario Associate Chief Justice Charles L. Dubin.

Suspended for two years by the International Amateur Athletic Federation, Johnson can return to competition on Sept. 24, 1990. But Canada’s sports minister, Jean Charest, ruled that the sprinter can never again represent the country in a major international meet.

Charest, however, said that he will reconsider that ruling pending Dubin’s recommendation, which the commissioner is expected to deliver several months after the inquiry ends, either late this year or early in 1990.

Since returning from Seoul, Johnson has been working out sporadically at York University’s track and field center. But he has remained on the front pages in Canada because of the inquiry and also because of a couple of highly- publicized incidents.

He will appear on the witness stand today with a chipped tooth, the result of an assault by a pedestrian who harassed him while he was stopped at a red light in the upscale Yorkville section of Toronto.

Johnson’s agent, Larry Heidebrect, estimated at Seoul that the disqualification would cost his client between $10 and $15 million. Many of his endorsement agreements expired at the end of 1988. Others were canceled because of the scandal. But Futerman said that his client is more concerned about competing again.

“My dream is to compete in the next Olympics,” Johnson said during an appearance last week on an Italian quiz show. “I want to face Carl Lewis again.”