Lance Armstrong stripped of titles, banned for life
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency erased 14 years of Lance Armstrong's career Friday - including his record seven Tour de France titles - and banned him for life from the sport that made him a hero to millions of cancer survivors after concluding he used banned substances.
USADA said it expected cycling's governing body to take similar action, but the International Cycling Union was measured in its response, saying it first wanted a full explanation on why Armstrong should relinquish Tour titles he won from 1999 through 2005.
The Amaury Sport Organization that runs the world's most prestigious cycling race said it would not comment until hearing from the UCI and USADA, which contends the cycling body is bound by the World Anti-Doping Code to strip Armstrong of one of the most incredible achievements in sports.
Armstrong, who retired a year ago, said Thursday that he would no longer challenge USADA and declined to exercise his last option by entering arbitration. He denied again that he ever took banned substances in his career, calling USADA's investigation a "witch hunt" without a shred of physical evidence.
He is now officially a drug cheat in the eyes of his nation's doping agency.
"Nobody wins when an athlete decides to cheat with dangerous performance-enhancing drugs, but clean athletes at every level expect those of us here on their behalf, to pursue the truth to ensure the win-at-all-cost culture does not permanently overtake fair, honest competition" said USADA chief executive Travis Tygart. "Any time we have overwhelming proof of doping, our mandate is to initiate the case through the process and see it to conclusion as was done in this case."
Tygart said the UCI was "bound to recognize our decision and impose it."
"They have no choice but to strip the titles under the code," he said.
The UCI and USADA have engaged in a turf war over who should prosecute allegations against Armstrong. The UCI event backed Armstrong's failed legal challenge to USADA's authority, and it cited the same World Anti-Doping Code in saying that it wanted to hear more from the American agency.
"As USADA has claimed jurisdiction in the case the UCI expects that it will issue a reasoned decision" explaining the action taken, the Switzerland-based organization said in a statement. It said legal procedures obliged USADA to fulfill this demand in cases "where no hearing occurs."
The International Olympic Committee said Friday it will await decisions by USADA and UCI before taking any steps against Armstrong, who won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Games.. Besides the disqualifications, Armstrong will forfeit any medals, winnings, points and prizes, USADA said, but it is the lost titles that will be part of his legacy.
Every one of Armstrong's competitive races from Aug. 1, 1998, have been vacated by USADA, recognized by Congress as the official anti-doping agency for Olympic sports in the United States. Its staff joined a federal criminal investigation of Armstrong that ended earlier this year with no charges being filed.
USADA, which announced its investigation in June, said its evidence came from more than a dozen witnesses "who agreed to testify and provide evidence about their first-hand experience and/or knowledge of the doping activity of those involved in the USPS conspiracy," a reference to Armstrong's former U.S. Postal Service cycling team.
The unidentified witnesses said they knew or had been told by Armstrong himself that he had "used EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone and cortisone" from before 1998 through 2005, and that he had previously used EPO, testosterone and Human Growth Hormone through 1996, USADA said. Armstrong also allegedly handed out doping products and encouraged banned methods - and even used "blood manipulation including EPO or blood transfusions" during his 2009 comeback race on the Tour.
In all, USADA said up to 10 former Armstrong teammates were set to testify against him. Included in the case were e-mails sent by Floyd Landis, who was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title for doping, describing an elaborate doping program on Armstrong's Postal Service teams, and Tyler Hamilton's interview with "60 Minutes" claiming had personal knowledge of Armstrong doping.
Had Armstrong chosen to pursue arbitration, USADA said, all the evidence would have been available for him to challenge.
"He chose not to do this knowing these sanctions would immediately be put into place," the statement said.
Armstrong's longtime coach, Johan Bruyneel, came to his defense and said he was the victim of an "unjust" legal case.
"I'm disappointed for Lance and for cycling in general that things have reached a stage where Lance feels that he has had enough and is no longer willing to participate in USADA's campaign against him," Bruyneel wrote on his personal website. "Lance has never withdrawn from a fair fight in his life so his decision today underlines what an unjust process this has been."
The Belgian, who manages the Radioshack Nissan-Trek team, has his own legal battle with USADA. He has opted for arbitration to fight charges that he led doping programs for Armstrong's teams.
Armstrong clearly knew his legacy would be blemished by his decision. But he said he has grown tired of defending himself in a seemingly never-ending fight against charges that he doped while piling up more Tour victories than anyone ever. He has consistently pointed to the hundreds of drug tests that he passed as proof of his innocence during his extraordinary run of Tour titles.
"There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough.' For me, that time is now," Armstrong said Thursday night, hours before the deadline to enter arbitration.
"Today I turn the page. I will no longer address this issue, regardless of the circumstances," he said. "I will commit myself to the work I began before ever winning a single Tour de France title: serving people and families affected by cancer, especially those in underserved communities."
Although he had already been crowned a world champion and won individual stages at the Tour de France, Armstrong was still relatively unknown in the U.S. until he won the epic race for the first time in 1999. It was the ultimate comeback tale: When diagnosed with cancer, doctors had given him less than a 50 percent chance of survival before surgery and brutal cycles of chemotherapy saved his life.
Armstrong's riveting victories, his work for cancer awareness and his gossip-page romances with rocker Sheryl Crow, fashion designer Tory Burch and actress Kate Hudson made him a figure who transcended sports.
His dominance of the Tour de France elevated the sport's popularity in the U.S. to unprecedented levels. His story and success helped sell millions of the "Livestrong" plastic yellow wrist bracelets, and enabled him to enlist lawmakers and global policymakers to promote cancer awareness and research. His Lance Armstrong Foundation has raised nearly $500 million since its founding in 1997.
Jeffery Gervey, chairman of the foundation, issued a statement of support.
"Faced with a biased process whose outcome seems predetermined, Lance chose to put his family and his foundation first," Gervey said. "The leadership of the Lance Armstrong Foundation remain incredibly proud of our founder's achievements, both on and off the bike."
Questions surfaced even as Armstrong was on his way to his first Tour victory. He was leading the 1999 race when a trace amount of a banned anti-inflammatory corticosteroid was found in his urine; cycling officials said he was authorized to use a small amount of a cream to treat saddle sores.
After Armstrong's second victory in 2000, French judicial officials investigated his Postal Service team for drug use. That investigation ended with no charges, but the allegations kept coming.
Others close to Armstrong were caught up in the investigations, too: Bruyneel, the coach of Armstrong's teams, and three members of the medical staff and a consultant were also charged. Bruyneel is taking his case to arbitration, while two medical team staffers and consulting doctor Michele Ferrari didn't formally contest the charges and were issued lifetime bans by USADA. Ferrari later said he was innocent.
Armstrong was criticized for his relationship with Ferrari, who was banned by Italian authorities over doping charges in 2002. Former personal and team assistants accused Armstrong of having steroids in an apartment in Spain and disposing of syringes that were used for injections.
In 2004, a Dallas-based promotions company initially refused to pay him a $5 million bonus for winning his sixth Tour de France because it wanted to investigate allegations raised by media in Europe. Testimony in that case included former teammate Frankie Andreu and his wife, Betsy, saying Armstrong told doctors during his 1996 cancer treatments that he had taken a cornucopia of steroids and performance-enhancing drugs.
Armstrong retired in 2005 and almost immediately considered a comeback before deciding to stay on the sidelines - in part because he didn't want to keep answering doping questions. Three years later, Armstrong was 36 and itching to ride again. He came back to finish third in the 2009 Tour de France.
Armstrong raced again in 2010 under the cloud of the federal investigation. Early last year, he quit for good, making a brief return as a triathlete until the USADA investigation shut him down.
"He had a right to contest the charges," WADA President John Fahey said. "He chose not to. The simple fact is that his refusal to examine the evidence means the charges had substance in them."
___
AP National Writer Eddie Pells contributed to this report.
USADA said it expected cycling's governing body to take similar action, but the International Cycling Union was measured in its response, saying it first wanted a full explanation on why Armstrong should relinquish Tour titles he won from 1999 through 2005.
The Amaury Sport Organization that runs the world's most prestigious cycling race said it would not comment until hearing from the UCI and USADA, which contends the cycling body is bound by the World Anti-Doping Code to strip Armstrong of one of the most incredible achievements in sports.
Armstrong, who retired a year ago, said Thursday that he would no longer challenge USADA and declined to exercise his last option by entering arbitration. He denied again that he ever took banned substances in his career, calling USADA's investigation a "witch hunt" without a shred of physical evidence.
He is now officially a drug cheat in the eyes of his nation's doping agency.
"Nobody wins when an athlete decides to cheat with dangerous performance-enhancing drugs, but clean athletes at every level expect those of us here on their behalf, to pursue the truth to ensure the win-at-all-cost culture does not permanently overtake fair, honest competition" said USADA chief executive Travis Tygart. "Any time we have overwhelming proof of doping, our mandate is to initiate the case through the process and see it to conclusion as was done in this case."
Tygart said the UCI was "bound to recognize our decision and impose it."
"They have no choice but to strip the titles under the code," he said.
The UCI and USADA have engaged in a turf war over who should prosecute allegations against Armstrong. The UCI event backed Armstrong's failed legal challenge to USADA's authority, and it cited the same World Anti-Doping Code in saying that it wanted to hear more from the American agency.
"As USADA has claimed jurisdiction in the case the UCI expects that it will issue a reasoned decision" explaining the action taken, the Switzerland-based organization said in a statement. It said legal procedures obliged USADA to fulfill this demand in cases "where no hearing occurs."
The International Olympic Committee said Friday it will await decisions by USADA and UCI before taking any steps against Armstrong, who won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Games.. Besides the disqualifications, Armstrong will forfeit any medals, winnings, points and prizes, USADA said, but it is the lost titles that will be part of his legacy.
Every one of Armstrong's competitive races from Aug. 1, 1998, have been vacated by USADA, recognized by Congress as the official anti-doping agency for Olympic sports in the United States. Its staff joined a federal criminal investigation of Armstrong that ended earlier this year with no charges being filed.
USADA, which announced its investigation in June, said its evidence came from more than a dozen witnesses "who agreed to testify and provide evidence about their first-hand experience and/or knowledge of the doping activity of those involved in the USPS conspiracy," a reference to Armstrong's former U.S. Postal Service cycling team.
The unidentified witnesses said they knew or had been told by Armstrong himself that he had "used EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone and cortisone" from before 1998 through 2005, and that he had previously used EPO, testosterone and Human Growth Hormone through 1996, USADA said. Armstrong also allegedly handed out doping products and encouraged banned methods - and even used "blood manipulation including EPO or blood transfusions" during his 2009 comeback race on the Tour.
In all, USADA said up to 10 former Armstrong teammates were set to testify against him. Included in the case were e-mails sent by Floyd Landis, who was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title for doping, describing an elaborate doping program on Armstrong's Postal Service teams, and Tyler Hamilton's interview with "60 Minutes" claiming had personal knowledge of Armstrong doping.
Had Armstrong chosen to pursue arbitration, USADA said, all the evidence would have been available for him to challenge.
"He chose not to do this knowing these sanctions would immediately be put into place," the statement said.
Armstrong's longtime coach, Johan Bruyneel, came to his defense and said he was the victim of an "unjust" legal case.
"I'm disappointed for Lance and for cycling in general that things have reached a stage where Lance feels that he has had enough and is no longer willing to participate in USADA's campaign against him," Bruyneel wrote on his personal website. "Lance has never withdrawn from a fair fight in his life so his decision today underlines what an unjust process this has been."
The Belgian, who manages the Radioshack Nissan-Trek team, has his own legal battle with USADA. He has opted for arbitration to fight charges that he led doping programs for Armstrong's teams.
Armstrong clearly knew his legacy would be blemished by his decision. But he said he has grown tired of defending himself in a seemingly never-ending fight against charges that he doped while piling up more Tour victories than anyone ever. He has consistently pointed to the hundreds of drug tests that he passed as proof of his innocence during his extraordinary run of Tour titles.
"There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough.' For me, that time is now," Armstrong said Thursday night, hours before the deadline to enter arbitration.
"Today I turn the page. I will no longer address this issue, regardless of the circumstances," he said. "I will commit myself to the work I began before ever winning a single Tour de France title: serving people and families affected by cancer, especially those in underserved communities."
Although he had already been crowned a world champion and won individual stages at the Tour de France, Armstrong was still relatively unknown in the U.S. until he won the epic race for the first time in 1999. It was the ultimate comeback tale: When diagnosed with cancer, doctors had given him less than a 50 percent chance of survival before surgery and brutal cycles of chemotherapy saved his life.
Armstrong's riveting victories, his work for cancer awareness and his gossip-page romances with rocker Sheryl Crow, fashion designer Tory Burch and actress Kate Hudson made him a figure who transcended sports.
His dominance of the Tour de France elevated the sport's popularity in the U.S. to unprecedented levels. His story and success helped sell millions of the "Livestrong" plastic yellow wrist bracelets, and enabled him to enlist lawmakers and global policymakers to promote cancer awareness and research. His Lance Armstrong Foundation has raised nearly $500 million since its founding in 1997.
Jeffery Gervey, chairman of the foundation, issued a statement of support.
"Faced with a biased process whose outcome seems predetermined, Lance chose to put his family and his foundation first," Gervey said. "The leadership of the Lance Armstrong Foundation remain incredibly proud of our founder's achievements, both on and off the bike."
Questions surfaced even as Armstrong was on his way to his first Tour victory. He was leading the 1999 race when a trace amount of a banned anti-inflammatory corticosteroid was found in his urine; cycling officials said he was authorized to use a small amount of a cream to treat saddle sores.
After Armstrong's second victory in 2000, French judicial officials investigated his Postal Service team for drug use. That investigation ended with no charges, but the allegations kept coming.
Others close to Armstrong were caught up in the investigations, too: Bruyneel, the coach of Armstrong's teams, and three members of the medical staff and a consultant were also charged. Bruyneel is taking his case to arbitration, while two medical team staffers and consulting doctor Michele Ferrari didn't formally contest the charges and were issued lifetime bans by USADA. Ferrari later said he was innocent.
Armstrong was criticized for his relationship with Ferrari, who was banned by Italian authorities over doping charges in 2002. Former personal and team assistants accused Armstrong of having steroids in an apartment in Spain and disposing of syringes that were used for injections.
In 2004, a Dallas-based promotions company initially refused to pay him a $5 million bonus for winning his sixth Tour de France because it wanted to investigate allegations raised by media in Europe. Testimony in that case included former teammate Frankie Andreu and his wife, Betsy, saying Armstrong told doctors during his 1996 cancer treatments that he had taken a cornucopia of steroids and performance-enhancing drugs.
Armstrong retired in 2005 and almost immediately considered a comeback before deciding to stay on the sidelines - in part because he didn't want to keep answering doping questions. Three years later, Armstrong was 36 and itching to ride again. He came back to finish third in the 2009 Tour de France.
Armstrong raced again in 2010 under the cloud of the federal investigation. Early last year, he quit for good, making a brief return as a triathlete until the USADA investigation shut him down.
"He had a right to contest the charges," WADA President John Fahey said. "He chose not to. The simple fact is that his refusal to examine the evidence means the charges had substance in them."
___
AP National Writer Eddie Pells contributed to this report.
Regardless of what he did or did not do, it is such a shame because he is such an incredible athlete.
The more that I read about this the more that I believe that Armstrong has completely outmaneuvered the USADA. The USADA has resolved to immediately remove Armstrong's titles without any direct evidence of cheating which the public believes is simply unfair....why the itchy finger USADA? Even the Judge questioned the motivation of the USADA as either Political or Personal because there is no clear benefit to sporting by either the injunction or the prosecution.
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Armstrong has always indirectly responded to questions of doping standing on his record: "500 tests no positive results" but I have never heard him conclusively say out right that he has never doped and, honestly, I don't believe that he would say that and; therefore, his last appeal is his last word and he's "turning the page" because by that he'll never be cornered into a position where he would have to make that definitive statement; in other words, he won't lie.
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Really, nobody wins in this whole scenario except Armstrong. The USADA just looks like a bunch of d-bags stamped from the die of Ken Starr or Joe McCarthy in pursuit of their own agenda without any adherence to the expectations that legitimize their existence. Armstrong appears to take the high road to reserve his time to pursue a more noble purpose the LIVESTRONG Foundation.Â
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This is one victory clearly belongs to Armstrong. Even the USADA cannot dispute that because to do so by claiming a "victory" even for sporting or the American people would ring hollow and simply undermine their credibility *further* as an impartial agency dedicated to the truth.
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Armstrong's sacrifice of seven titles is a small price to pay to protect the enduring legacy of his foundation. And, as Laird Hamilton said: nobody can erase all the video of Armstrong finishing first and standing...seven times...on the tallest step of that podium to receive those titles.
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I've never really liked Armstrong much but I've always enjoyed watching his very effective tactical manipulations both on and off the course; in an earlier time he might have given Napoleon or Rommel a pretty good battle. Armstrong's sacrifice of seven titles is a small price to pay to protect the enduring legacy of his foundation.
Sounds like Lance got screwed. The best bicyclists ever. Did he use drugs to do it? Maybe, Maybe not. The USADA had no real hard evidence.
 @Telman@Â
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Yep...as long as the public believes that then Armstrong has won.
Interesting, a few people are saying Casey Anthony is not guilty, but Lance is automatically guilty because he's tired of putting up with USADA's crap. He has a heck of a lot of money to pay back because of this.
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The arrogant jerk gave up because he IS GUILTY!
 @CommonsenseÂ
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So since he is guilty...would you then undermine his LIVESTRONG foundation?
 @CommonsenseÂ
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Yeah his 100+ clean test results are a sure sign of guilt. The guy has pissed in more cups than the average murder convict and not one of them has come up dirty. Get over yourself.
hahaha...
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What else does the USADA think they have control over? Dog shows? Horse racing? Tupperware parties?
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Sorry, but this is too funny!
For a little perspective check out this fun article...
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http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/2012/08/bummed-about-lance-armstrong-theres-always-greg-lemond/
Write your congressman and ask why taxpayer funds are being wasted by witchhunts like this. USADA has no authority to take any of Armstrong's Tour trophies nor was it adhering to even a minimal standard of evidence. Shut it down.
 @LockesChild Unfortunately our government sets the example in these witch hunts, look at how much money and resources they wasted going after Bonds and Clemens, this is no different.
 @oledawg Roger Clemons certainly took the witchhunt down a notch or two. Bonds lost to a bs obstruction of justice charge. I guess when the stormtroopers are after you it is likely you will lose.
Dopers never win... Ha-Ha.... Loser Lance. Livestrong...ON 'ROIDS!
I think it is a black or whiye issue : He either peed hot or not. They test before, during and after the event and not 1 hot in 7 races. sounds like a witch hunt. I will still support his good work. I commend Nike.
USADAÂ SHAME SHAME!
The USADA is a crooked, corrupt organization. What Lance needs to do now is take this to civil court and sue the heck out of them for defamation. The USADA needs to be shut down immediately. Even though the are a private organization and this was not a criminal case, what happened to "Innocent until proven guilty"?
 @Mikefly562 The director wanted to have Armstrong's scalp so he could imagine that he was an important person, that's all.Â
Should just disband USADA. If they want to use drugs to help their performance let them. Its not like they're people that should be idolized by our children. Its all about the money and the endorsements. So if they want to ruin their health thats up to them.
What the story doesn't include is that the USADA has an 8-year statute of limitation that it is obviously ignoring by enforcing charges from 1999-2003. USADA doesn't even follow its own rules of engagement when trying to pin this guy. Sounds like a kangaroo court.
A man who wins might enjoy the recognition, but he knows who won and that is all that matters to Men.
You don't need medals to be a champion.
LIVE STRONG!!!!
That will be his legacy.
I can't say I'm an Armstong fan. With that said, it sounds like the USADA is saying... we really don't have any concrete proof such as used needles, viles, etc.; but, we firmly believe he cheated so we're going to strip him of his victories... JUST IN CASE.Â
10 witnesses is hearsay. They have NO EVIDENCE. Who's to say the "witnesses" aren't just jealous people, or in some cases people that are mad because they themselves got their titles stripped for doping.Â
I need evidence. Show the facts. This all seems like a load of B.S. to me.Â
He used drugs????? Â Man, didn't see this one coming..................
Hello, USADA:
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Screw your decision. Armstrong is still a champion.
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That is all. Please go back to your expensive champagne and suede leather chairs.
I don't follow cycling at all but if someone asked me who the all time greatest cyclist is the answer is Armstrong. I don't give 2 s**ts what the USADA thinks. It's absolute crap that he has proven his innocence over and over again but is still guilty.Â
It appauls me that the USADA has NOT shown one bit of proof. Just little tidbits about that they have 10 witnesses. Show me the proof. Show me how this organization somehow took samples that were negative and yet they were able to say that they discovered something. If they can do that, then fine. Let's move on.
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I find it wrong that there has not been one ounce of due process here. The USADA is jumping out their relm of authority here and now they are expecting the world to follow them.
@path_tech Yeah, not only that, but one of their own witnesses is a known liar and cheat - Floyd Landis. That guy has as much credibility as a dog's ass right after a huge dump
Not fighting is not the same as being guilty. The burden of proof lies with the USDA, not Lance. Its like saying "You did something amazing, you must have been doping" What's next? Go after Michael Phelps?Â
 @Jalharad There have been plenty of rumors about Phelps doping too. People just can't accept there are humans with complete and utter talent out there. It's like you have to be doing something wrong if you are amazing. People are idiots!
Screw the USADA, and screw Tygart. You are a shameful body that does nothing good for sport. Sorry to say, but the sport as a whole was very dirty at the time of Lance's titles, and guess what, the people who now get those titles in most cases WERE AFFIRMED DOPING USERS. Congratulations on this stupidity and nonsense. May your organization be sued into the ground.
He passed hundreds of drug tests - what else do they need?  Can't blame him for giving up, obviously they wouldn't give up and how much time and especially money should  he have to spend to prove himself?
@Doxie So did Mcgiure, Bonds and Clemens. Yet the people close to them who testified to them using the drugs did not have the nor staying power.
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Curt Schilling says Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and anyone else linked to steroids doesnât belong in Cooperstown. Their records, the former Red Sox pitcher said during his Wednesday night appearance on âConan,â should be expunged from the record books.
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"âIf you cheated, youâre done,â said Curt Scilling. It should be the same for Armstrong.
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 @snoopy84  @Doxie Yeah, but they didn't prove anything.  Or did they?  Maybe I'm missing something, but it sounds like it's all based on hearsay.
 @Doxie  @snoopy84 That's all there is "hearsay".
I find this highly one sided. Although I dont follow any type of sport, by choice, I do believe Lance Armstrong when he supplies hundreds of clean tests. USADA shouldnt have the authority to strip him of his medals that he won on foreign soil. USADA was created in 2000, Armstrong won his first Tour in 1999 therefore he should be exempt from their testing. What would be next? USADA tries to strip Babe Ruth of all his All-Time rankings?
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To me it appears USADA is just trying to make a name for itsself and doesnt care about whose career they ruin in the process.
Not the same opinion about Casey though, eh?
 @HonkeyCat As I understand it, Casey Anthony (I presume youre referring to) was not a seven time Tour De France winner who had several hundred control tests done through the career and suddenly have some department of the government cry foul with several heresay accounts with no physical evidence. This is not a murder case, this is about an athlete being the center of an unsubstantiated witchhunt.
So you got your pouind of flesh USADA...you happy now?
If the USADA is really serious about combating doping, then they should be concentrating their efforts on the current athletes, not trying to dredge up the past. Â
I understand Lance's decision to give up the battle of the doping allegations. For someone who has accomplished so much in his life, along with a battle for his life, it has to be heartbreaking to have to CONTINUOUSLY fight to clear your name. Especially when there is no physical proof of any cheating.
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It just goes to show you what is a harder battle to win, cancer or the USADA. At least he had a chance in fighting the cancer.
so he fought hard and did the impossible (winning 7 tour de france titles) but he doesn't have it in him to fight old men in suits to keep his titles from being taken away for drug charges?
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something ain't jibbing here folks. Â sorry lance knows more than he is admitting too
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he can join baseball's steroid users hall of shame
@sunnysandiego The criminal investigation concluded with no charges filed. This tells me there isn't evidence to make the case. USADA doesn't care about how much evidence they don't have. They are supported by Congress... (so what). The USADA needs to be disbanded. There are lots of testing that is done to check for performance enhancing drugs, and they didn't turn up anything.. If they can't prove their case, with evidence such as a positive test result, they need to shut up.
 @sunnysandiego I hope you don't sit on a jury. Your logic is very flawed and based on absolutely no evidence other than Lance is tired of fighting ghosts and lies. Imagine if you were accused of something where there was no evidence to support the claims, and the media kept pushing the idea so people began to push aside facts and begin to speculate on nothing more than hearsay. Now imagine this went on for more than a decade and during that time did nothing but bring negative comments from people; people who would make nasty comments to your family members, and slanderous comments to yourself. Would you continue to fight the onslaught for decades to come, or would you simply decide to stop fighting so you could live your life.
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Try looking at all the facts before jumping to conclusions.
I really don't care what the USADA can do or can't. The troubling part of this, many people are starting to justify why people at the top cheat. They also are close to saying it is okay. So, we give top athletes the benifit to cheat because? Clemons, Bonds, Mcguire all doped but had the money and lawyers to shut everyone up.
Roger Marris, Hank Aaron had thier records broke by dopers.
Armstrong won the races doped up so why should he be awarded/rewarded and why should the USADA be the bad guy? Several people came forward saying he used-what is their word worth? Nobody has won 7 tours and battled cancer, how did he get cancer? These guys don't give up thier fight because they know they have thier fans. "Say it ain't so, Joe" Armstrong got greety-should have stopped at 3 or 4 wins, that in it's self is a feat!
 @snoopy84 Where's the evidence? Or does it not matter if there is evidence anymore? Shall we just convict people on hearsay now?
 @Dan Sherman  @snoopy84 J'accuse!
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off with his head!
 @snoopy84 "I really don't care what the USADA can do or can't."
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Good. Keep telling yourself that the USADA took away Lance's trophies or can prevent him from competing in international competitions. Maybe that fantasy will make you feel better.
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@LockesChild Armstrong is a cheat. You want to maker cheaters your heros-that is up to you. I rather teach our young integrity.
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 @snoopy84  @LockesChild I think I can scrape together 10 of your acquaintances to say they saw you doing something unethical. And then that would be fact.
@snoopy84 So why didn't the criminal investigation uncover this? Tell me again?
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@Poisonous Giraffe @LockesChild Did you know that Barry Bonds never failed a drug test. So why did he later confessed to it's use.
Did you know Armstrong was given a blood tranfusion during a race and that it was to have steriods in 2001. The lab director told the FBI in a sworn statement that the ICU (International Cycling Union) arranged the an  unusual meeting and made it known that it didn't want the suspicious test to be investigated any further.Â
Maybe you need to understand how this stuff works and the money involved to keep stuff under the rug. This is why people who testify usually get screwed or change thier story like Andy Pettitte did for Clemens.Â
 @snoopy84  @LockesChild Hopefully you are not responsible for teaching anyone given your ignorant bias.Â
 @snoopy84  @LockesChild ...even though he passed hundreds of drug tests. Got it.
 @snoopy84 My sentiments too, Snoopy. I'm sad when I think that we have such a two-faced outlook on drugs in this country. We are waging a futile war on some drugs at an enormous cost and seems like we get others pushed on us by doctors/ big pharma/ and the FDA despite unknown side effects. And, it seems there are a lot of folks who'd like to just turn a blind eye on drugs in the sports world. These are the guys kids actually do aspire to be like in a lot of cases.