For those who missed it, this is how Cena’s brief segment played out. There was a voiceover that said: “John Cena doesn’t like being asked if he has used steroids.” To me, that showed a bias right from the start.Then, a reporter asked the question, “Have you ever taken steroids?”
The following is what CNN aired as Cena’s response: “This is a crazy question and it’s something that’s tough to answer just because of the way society is now. The way people conceive things, because performance-enhancing drugs have got the spotlight and it’s a hot thing to talk about. I can’t tell you that I haven’t, but you’ll never be able to prove that I have.”
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Seeing Cena’s answer in its entirety was quite revealing.
When asked if he ever took steroids, Cena’s immediate response was: “Absolutely not.” The reporter then interrupted him and said: “Even back in bodybuilding days? Football days?” That’s when Cena said, “This is a crazy question. …”
After he got to the “I can’t tell you that I haven’t” part, which I’m sure CNN saw as a smoking gun, Cena continued his thought: “Because each one of you out there has an opinion on how I carry myself, and I can take a million tests – I’ve been tested for drugs since I was 17 years old. I can take a million tests. I can pass every one of them. As soon as I pass it, there’s some guy on the other end going ‘Oh, there’s masking agents, there’s this, there’s that.’ I know the arguments because I’ve been in the situation. This is a subject that is very, very near and dear to me only because since I was a very small child I have worked my [butt] off to get to where I’m at, and it [stinks] to have to deal with people saying that I rely on a crutch. I take great pride in the fact that I have a God-given gift of above-average natural strength, and I show it off whenever I can, because to me that’s fun, that’s entertaining, it’s what I love to do.”
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/wrestling/blog/2007/11/cnn_owes_cena_an_apology.html
This is why we shouldn't talk to reporters at the airport.