When doping allegations were made against Nike Oregon Project distance star Galen Rupp and his coach earlier this month, Rupp apparently handled it better than his parents did.



"I was angry," Greg Rupp said Wednesday. "I was really angry. I didn't know who I was angry with, specifically, more. Galen told me, 'Dad, calm down. Don't give them that energy. You know the truth. Why let them get you mad.'



"And he was right."



Rupp and coach Alberto Salazar were accused of doping and misusing prescription drugs to get a competitive advantage in stories by the investigative website ProPublica and in a BBC television news report.



Salazar and Rupp, the Olympic silver medalist and U.S. record-holder in the 10,000 meters, denied the allegations almost immediately. But the story lingered with more allegations surfacing in a subsequent ProPublica report and in several British newspapers.



It made for a tough few weeks for Greg Rupp and his wife, Jamie.



They agreed to speak about their feelings after Salazar issued a 28-page open letter on Wednesday that included additional emails, medical records and correspondence with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency as documentation.



They said they believe that Salazar addressed all the important points in his response, and answered the questions about their son's character.



"They were just such outrageous allegations, and baseless and just not true," Jamie Rupp said. "That was surprising.



"For both of us, one of the hardest things to wrap our brains around is what would motivate people to make those allegations based on nothing."



Greg Rupp is a respiratory therapist and Jamie Rupp is a registered nurse who has held a variety of jobs, and currently is a facilities design and construction project director for Legacy Health.



They took particular umbrage at allegations that Rupp had broken rules by using the banned drug testosterone as far back as when he was a teenager, living at home and attending Portland's Central Catholic High School.



They said neither ProPublica nor the BBC attempted to contact them to ascertain the truth of the allegations.



"It's outrageous, some of the things they were saying Alberto was giving our child," Jamie Rupp said.



"First of all, we are very involved parents. We have a very close relationship with Galen, and especially when he was a child, in high school, living with us."

They said they paid particular attention to any supplement that Rupp took.

They said Salazar also meticulously monitored anything Rupp took as a nutritional supplement or to treat illness.

Jamie Rupp described concocting a homemade "theraflu" out of over-the-counter cold medicines for Galen when he was sick while she talked to Salazar over the phone.



She said Salazar cautioned her against using anything that he hadn't first checked to make sure all the ingredients were OK with U.S Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency.



"He has been very involved in what goes into Galen's body and how it could potentially be construed or misconstrued," Greg Rupp said. "He always has erred on the side of being safe as far as USADA and WADA is concerned."



They note that Rupp was diagnosed with allergies and thyroid disease long ago.



Greg Rupp said he has a family history of thyroid problems, and that he was diagnosed before Galen was.



"My thyroid level is low," he said. "I take thyroid replacement, and probably will for the rest of my life."



They said they tested Galen for asthma-related allergies when he struggled to breathe as a youth soccer player.



"He's allergic to just about every grass and tree pollen in the Willamette Valley," Greg Rupp said.



The Rupps said they regard Salazar virtually as a member of their family.



Greg Rupp said Salazar was like "a second father" for Galen.



"I was very jealous of Alberto for a little while when Galen was in high school," Greg Rupp said. "He would tell Galen to do something, and Galen would hop to it. ...



"But I couldn't have picked a better role model for Galen to be involved with. Alberto is just a good person."



Galen Rupp is entered in the 10,000 meters at the USA Track & Field Championships on Thursday night at Hayward Field.



The Rupps will be there, proud as always, and still a little angry.



"It's all still so fresh for us right now," Jamie Rupp said. "I feel really protective of him, to be honest. I know he is a grown man, and he can handle himself. But I do feel very protective of both him and Alberto."



-- Ken Goe

kgoe@oregonian.com

503-221-8040 | @KenGoe