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| (Photo courtesy of Christophe Ena, Associated Press) |
In his official statement, Armstrong continued to deny ever doping, calling the antidoping agency’s case
against him “an unconstitutional witch hunt” and saying the process it
followed to deal with his matter was “one-sided and unfair.” He drew attention to the 200+ negative results he has passed over the last decade.
“There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, ‘Enough is
enough,’ ” Armstrong said in a statement. “For me, that time is now.”
Armstrong, who turns 41 next month, said he would not contest the
charges because it had taken too much of a toll on his family and his
work for his cancer foundation, saying he was “finished with this
nonsense.” This is certainly an expensive decision in many ways...just paying back the winnings owed could cost in excess of $7 million. But he remains focused on his causes and "being the fittest 40+ year old on the planet".
Other coverage:
NPR - When a Hero Lets You Down
NPR - Lance Armstrong's Seven Tour Titles Are Effectively Gone
WSJ - Officials Pursued Armstrong For Years
Other coverage:
NPR - When a Hero Lets You Down
NPR - Lance Armstrong's Seven Tour Titles Are Effectively Gone
WSJ - Officials Pursued Armstrong For Years
200+ negative results? I don't know all the details of this ordeal but what authority does the USADA actually have?
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame this didn't go to arbitration so the real cheats could be exposed. I'm talking about the people that lied from the inside and covered up positive test results. The riders that raced clean and finished are the real losers in this deal.
ReplyDeleteBTW, it is still possible that LA could keep his titles. The UCI could take the case to CAS and it's possible they could rule not to strip the titles from him. Beside that, who are you going to award them too? Many of the guys that finished on the podium have already served two year bans.
Scott, with all due respect, your title doesn't match the story. Lance is not conceding he cheated. To concede is to acknowledge as true. That is not the case here.
ReplyDeleteTitle does seem to suggest Lance agrees to the accusations.Think it does seem like a witch hunt,and i can see why Lance would tire of it and try to move on.
DeleteI agree, basically he is only saying he will not fight this through the USDA arbitration hearing. I have a feeling we are not done with this. It is better to take the high road here and address the bigger issues with the USDA instead of using an arbitration hearing with Lance as the lightening rod.
DeleteMy prediction is that Lance has already made an inside deal with the UCI to keep his tour titles. I would bet just about anything he doped, but so what -- so did the whole peloton. Pretty much anyone who finished on the podium with him, along with many winners after his run have been implicated. There's a fine line between seeking justice and basking in a hero's fall from grace.
ReplyDeleteVery insightful news cast on NPR today regarding this.
ReplyDeleteHow about being able to do what Lance was trying to do with his red blood cells but do it LEGALLY!! Oxygen4Energy provides 95% pure oxygen to your lungs. We are also rolling out Vo2, a product that increases red blood cell production (10 yr. gov’t trials). Visit www.oxygen4energy.com/aka and check it our for yourself.
ReplyDeleteHmm slight correction, he never denies he only states he passed the control tests
ReplyDelete