Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Jeremy Mayfield at odds with stepmother Lisa over meth use

The Jeremy Mayfield saga took its latest, and perhaps last, turn Wednesday with the revelation that Mayfield once again tested positive for meth, this time from a test conducted on July 6.

Words fail me.

This is a treacherous situation, legally speaking, and I'm not really of the mind to do what some outlets have done and speculate on aspects of this case, such as why Mayfield took so long to take the July test or why there were such high levels of banned substances in Mayfield's samples during the May test. What I will say is that Mayfield is certainly losing support, both legally and in the court of public opinion, for his case that NASCAR is bullying him and he's innocent of all charges.

Thing is, this whole affair is turning into a bad country song, with Mayfield's stepmother charging that Mayfield not only used meth, but even cooked it up himself for a period of time. "Between 1998 and 2005, I am personally aware that Jeremy used methamphetamines often," Lisa Mayfield said in her affidavit. "I was concerned about his heavy use and talked to his father about it. I saw Jeremy use methamphetamine by snorting it up his nose at least 30 times during the 7 years I was around him. Jeremy used methamphetamine not only in my presence, but also when we were both in the presence of others."

Huh. Mayfield responded in an interview with AP/Yahoo! Sports writer Jenna Fryer by saying that NASCAR "picked the wrong woman to use against me because that (expletive) is trash and has got nothing on me but lies ... "She don't deserve the Mayfield name ... She's hated me since my dad got killed because I won't give her any money. She goes on the Internet and blogs lies about me and Shana (his wife) and everything you can imagine. She's broke, and I guess she got NASCAR to give her some money."

Whom to believe? The truth lies somewhere in between, surely, but the problem with drug use is that it's like being pregnant -- there's no gray area involved. If Mayfield is even remotely guilty of using meth, why does he continue to fight so vehemently? And if he's completely innocent, how does he explain all these tests and factors all pointing in the exact same direction?

NASCAR: Mayfield again tests positive for meth [AP via Yahoo! Sports]

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