'False Positive': Butch Reynolds voices his side in new documentary

In the 1980s and ’90s, sports fans thrilled to the speed and grace of Ohio State track-and-field athlete Butch Reynolds.

The Akron native was awarded gold and silver medals in the 1988 Summer Olympics, which were held in Seoul, South Korea.

Then, in 1990, Reynolds’ world was rocked. The organization then known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation − today called World Athletics − administered a test that allegedly indicated that the athlete had taken an anabolic steroid. The test turned out to be incorrect, a result of errors that had taken place in the organization’s lab.

Even though he had not used the steroid, Reynolds was subject to a suspension, and his track-and-field career was upended.

The faulty test result − and its aftermath, including Reynolds’ attempts to restore his reputation and good name − is covered in the new documentary “False Positive.”

Directed by Kent State University Africana Studies professor Ismail Al-Amin, the documentary was produced by ESPN for their acclaimed “30 for 30” series.

“False Positive,” which has not yet aired on ESPN, is to be the opening-night selection of this year’s Cinema Columbus Film Festival. The screening is set to take place at 7 p.m. April 24 in the Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St.

Following the film, a discussion is to take place between Al-Amin and Reynolds that is to be moderated by Dispatch sports columnist Rob Oller.

“Growing up in Akron, Butch was somebody that we looked up to and followed closely,” said Al-Amin, who got to know Reynolds by working at his foundation, the Butch Reynolds Care for Kids Foundation.

Then, about 10 years ago, he decided to embark on a documentary about the drug allegations. He wanted to make a film that dealt with the case objectively.

“He was pretty much an open book,” said Al-Amin, who concluded that Reynolds was indeed innocent. “Between getting to know him as a person, and then doing my own research on the side, I just felt like he was railroaded.”

But, above all, Al-Amin wanted to paint a portrait of a fascinating figure.

“Regardless of what you thought about him, or if he was guilty or not guilty, it was a hell of a story,” Al-Amin said.

Reynolds −now 59 and based in Columbus − recently spoke with The Dispatch about his life, the scandal and the new documentary.

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Question: Were you wanting for a documentary to be made about what happened to you?

Butch Reynolds: You know, you always want to tell your story. No question, I wanted to tell this story. But I know what patience is all about, and I know what faith is all about, and putting those two things together, I had to wait for the right time and the right person. Only God knows that this is the right person, and I had the right person, and I think that’s really what it boiled down to after 34 years.

Question: In a nutshell, what happened with the false-positive test in 1990?

Reynolds: It was a mistake in the laboratory in France, and they were under investigations already for mishandling and mislabeling urine samples. For them to take this type of embarrassment or mistake would have cost them the testing for the Olympic games.

There was a lot of politics behind them on making sure that the false positive was just a positive in their eyes.

Question: They didn’t want to lose their reputation by acknowledging their error, right?

Reynolds: To sum it up, that’s really what transpired here... It was a simple mistake, and once they realized it was a mistake, it became an all-out cover-up.

Question: What is it like to endure something like that?

Reynolds: You go through what they call the five stages of grief. I lost a lot. I lost who that person was, to be totally honest. By keeping the faith and staying strong and keeping moving, it allowed me to understand that God exists, and to allow me to understand that you have to keep a positive mindset, no matter what happens.

Question: Do you feel the ability to compete was robbed from you?

Reynolds: Of course. When they told the world that negativity − the false accusation − I did not know how much damage was really done, and I’m glad I didn’t. Because I probably wouldn’t have fought the way I fought, and to carry on my name and my grandfather’s name (and) my legacy. Just to be exonerated is the true message after 34 years.

Question: Do you feel having gone through this has made you stronger and better?

Reynolds: For me to experience what I had to experience, I’m excited to see, moving forward, what life will be like, and how many youths I can touch with a positive message of staying strong and keeping it moving.

Question: Has World Athletics ever officially cleared you?

Reynolds: No, that’s my whole statement at the end of the day: I just want to be vindicated, I want to be exonerated (by) the world governing body after 34 years.

Question: Will this film help that?

Reynolds: Yes, any time you can talk about an injustice, no matter what, it will help the message I’ve been saying for a long time.

Question: You’ve been back in Columbus since working as The Ohio State University football team’s speed coach from 2005 to 2007.

Reynolds: One of the greatest transitions in my life − and I’ve had a lot of transitions in my life − was when I came up to The Ohio State University and I was the first NCAA speed coach for a major university. That was because of coach Jim Tressel.

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Those three years there shaped even more who I am when it comes to athletics, when it comes to... student athletes. The program at The Ohio State University, when it comes to student athletes, is awesome.

Question: Do football players move differently than track-and-field athletes?

Reynolds: My formula for speed is balance, form and technique. If I have great balance and good form and technique, then I can teach first-step movement. Then what I call agility on top of that.

I teach the fundamentals of speed... You can play soccer, you can play lacrosse, you can play baseball and of course football and basketball, and I will teach you how to run.

At a glance

To buy tickets for “False Positive,” screening at 7 p.m. April 24 in the Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St., visit cinemacolumbus.com.