Lance Armstrong resisted subpoena, then wanted secrecy
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Lance Armstrong resisted turning over records sought by U.S Postal Service investigators, then tried to keep the inquiry under seal and out of the public eye, according to recently released court documents.
In 2011, Postal Service officials investigating Armstrong and his teams for doping wanted records from his team management groups, financial statements, training journals and correspondence with former training consultant Michele Ferrari. He eventually complied with the subpoena but as recently as October was still asking the courts to keep the inquiry private.
"They've been given everything they wanted and that they asked for ... months ago," Armstrong attorney Tim Herman said Tuesday.
The Postal Service was Armstrong's main sponsor when he won the Tour de France from 1999-2004. The team was sponsored by the Discovery Channel for Armstrong's seventh victory in 2005. Armstrong was stripped of those titles this year.
Last week, federal Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson in Washington ordered the subpoena and Armstrong's efforts to keep it private released to the public. The judge rejected Armstrong's arguments that releasing the subpoena would violate the secrecy of the grand jury process or a pending whistleblower lawsuit filed against Armstrong by former teammate Floyd Landis.
Armstrong was still the target of a federal criminal grand jury investigation into allegations of doping on the Postal Service teams when the subpoena was issued. That investigation was closed in February with no charges filed.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency investigated Armstrong for doping and in August ordered him stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. In October, the agency released a massive report detailing performance-enhancing drug use by Armstrong and his teammates. The report included sworn statements from 11 former teammates, including Landis.
Armstrong denies doping and insists he never cheated, but chose not to fight the USADA charges.
In 2011, Postal Service officials investigating Armstrong and his teams for doping wanted records from his team management groups, financial statements, training journals and correspondence with former training consultant Michele Ferrari. He eventually complied with the subpoena but as recently as October was still asking the courts to keep the inquiry private.
"They've been given everything they wanted and that they asked for ... months ago," Armstrong attorney Tim Herman said Tuesday.
The Postal Service was Armstrong's main sponsor when he won the Tour de France from 1999-2004. The team was sponsored by the Discovery Channel for Armstrong's seventh victory in 2005. Armstrong was stripped of those titles this year.
Last week, federal Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson in Washington ordered the subpoena and Armstrong's efforts to keep it private released to the public. The judge rejected Armstrong's arguments that releasing the subpoena would violate the secrecy of the grand jury process or a pending whistleblower lawsuit filed against Armstrong by former teammate Floyd Landis.
Armstrong was still the target of a federal criminal grand jury investigation into allegations of doping on the Postal Service teams when the subpoena was issued. That investigation was closed in February with no charges filed.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency investigated Armstrong for doping and in August ordered him stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. In October, the agency released a massive report detailing performance-enhancing drug use by Armstrong and his teammates. The report included sworn statements from 11 former teammates, including Landis.
Armstrong denies doping and insists he never cheated, but chose not to fight the USADA charges.
The US post office? They are not even a government agency, what are they doing involved? Maybe he tainted their reputation's? LMAO
 @Grumpa "The Postal Service was Armstrong's main sponsor when he won the Tour de France from 1999-2004."Â
When does 'not news worthy' and 'witch-hunt' apply? Only after someone successfully evades an inquiry for.... how many consecutive years? Anyone remember Pete Rose and how adamant he was about betting on baseball? Only to finally come clean years later? There is apparently mounds of testimony from participants implicating Armstrong. Early indications have him doping. If you were racing Armstrong and lost as a 'clean' participant, you would want the truth. However... if this isn't news worthy or a witch hunt... move on. Others may want to see this to completion.
Only thing left for Lance is jail time.
 @Windowseat For what ????
Doper.
 @DDG NOT !!
Who cares....this isn't news.
How come the NFL doesn't have the same practice of banning that the cycling world does?
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NFL = 1st offence four game suspension
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Cycling = 1st offence 2 year ban, 2nd offence life time ban
 @Oppenheimer If the NFL required a team to forfeit all games played that season in which a player who tests positive for PEDs played even a single down, they would suddenly figure out the supposedly impossible task of policing and controlling their own players' use of them.
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This should only apply to performance enhancers, anything that would give a player an unfair advantage, not weed.Â
 @MargeGunderson  @Oppenheimer I disagree. If you are a professional athlete you should be able to use performance enhancers under regulatory controls. If I want to get a better job or do better at my job, I increase my knowledge of the field. If an athlete wants to improve on his job he works out and can use performance enhancing drugs. If another player chooses not to use those drugs, then it is his decision and he should not whine. It would be like employees at Walmart saying "we don't get paid enough"...oh wait....
Enough of this stupid witchhunt. This has gone on long enough, let it die.
Just let them use whatever drugs they want. Makes the games much more interesting anyways. Its their bodies.
That's great. What ever happened to natural ability? That would be a great thing to teach the kids.
Just read somewhere he is now being given 3 weeks to appeal the removal of his titles...one last chance for him.
Now it's REALLY starting to come apart...oh dear.
 @DMT I gave him the benefit of the doubt for quite awhile. Unfortunately the more I hear, the more obvious it becomes that he cheated.
 @Petwlkr  @DMT How is it cheating when 21 of the 22 people who places in events ALL doped? It's like a one legged man racing a two legged man and then saying "he cheating cause he has two legs"
 @Jalharad OH; I see. It's okay to cheat because everybody else is doing it? Â
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I have an 8yr old grandson that is already smart enough to know that excuse doesn't hold any water. How come you don't?
 @Petwlkr  @DMT I fell two years ago, and have taken a lot of grief for it. Less and less these days, though. Nothing to gloat about, just a sad situation.
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His removing his name from the LiveStrong cancer awareness foundation just made it all the more real (and surreal).Â
 @Petwlkr Sadly, this is what I am thinking too... :( He brought this upon himself and dragged others with him.