I was reading recently about the introduction of EPO in the peloton. During its first years of use, before they figured it out, young riders were dropping like flies. In the Netherlands alone, according to the article, 20 riders died from EPO experimentation in the first year. The following year, 21 riders died. The next year, 25. And the next year, 21. And the next, 15. For five or six years, in a single, small country, cycling suddenly was a lethal sport.
You'd think during this time someone, some fan, some journalist, some parent, would have said, "Wait a second, what's going on? Why are all these young men dying? Is there some kind of doping going on?" But apparently no one did. Maybe they thought it would be disrespectful, or in poor taste. And so an entire advanced country under rule of law failed its young athletes, and for years they continued to die, and no one was ever held to account.
When you compete in a professional, commercial sport that's known for having a history of drug abuse - and related fatalities - if something goes wrong and you fall critically ill, it stands to reason that drug abuse is the first thing people think of. It's part of the price you pay for participating in such a sport in the first place. The price you pay should not include death, however, so in my view it's good that people point fingers and ask questions.