Armstrong Admits to Doping
In August of last year, btw reported that American cyclist Lance Armstrong would not contest charges made by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) that he both used and distributed performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career.
The professional cycling world was rocked by the punishment handed out to Lance Armstrong.
Armed with more than 1,000 pages of sworn testimony from 26 people, the USADA had opened a formal action against Armstrong on the grounds of violating multiple anti-doping laws. He was accused of using, possession, trafficking, administering, and covering up his use of banned performance substances.
In response, Armstrong filed a lawsuit requesting that the court bar the USADA from pursuing its case against him. The judge ruled against Armstrong’s argument. When he chose not to challenge the USADA’s charges, Armstrong was stripped of all of his competitive titles, including his seven Tour de France wins and his Olympic bronze medal. In addition, Armstrong received a lifetime ban from any competition sanctioned by an official governing body.
Armstrong’s Fall from Grace
After maintaining his innocence for more than a decade, and angrily denying all accusations that he took performance-enhancing drugs of any kind, Armstrong has now admitted that he did violate cycling’s drug policy and then lied about it. Last month, he sat down with talk show host Oprah Winfrey for a much-publicized interview.
When asked if he believed it was humanly possible to win the Tour de France seven times, Armstrong said he didn’t believe so, adding that he didn’t invent the culture (of doping) but that he didn’t try to stop it either. Armstrong explained that drug testing has evolved, that there wasn’t even a test for a particular type of banned substance in 1999, and that scheduling the upcoming drug screening made it easy to clean up before a test. Armstrong claims to have stopped taking the banned substances in 2005. He acknowledged that he has hurt a lot of people and says he is committed to spending as long as he needs to make amends, understanding that it might be too late for some people.
Why Now?
When Winfrey asked Armstrong why he chose now to come forward, he said that it felt like the appropriate time. Many of Armstrong’s critics, however, think that his main motivation is more specific, and self-serving. They believe that by finally telling the truth, there is a chance Armstrong could have his lifetime ban shortened so that he could, one day, compete again.
The typical penalty for doping is a six-month suspension, which is what other riders on his team received for their admission. Winfrey asked Armstrong if he regretted coming back to the sport in 2009 after his 2005 retirement. Armstrong said that he did, because it was likely he wouldn’t have gotten caught.
Public Reactions
The fallout of Armstrong’s admission is likely to be major and on-going. The lawsuits have already begun. Floyd Landis, a former teammate, has filed a whistle-blower lawsuit accusing Armstrong of defrauding the U.S. Postal Service (the team’s former sponsor). If Landis’ suit is successful, Armstrong would be required to return a portion of millions of taxpayer dollars. The Sunday Times, a London newspaper, is seeking to recover the $500,000 it had to pay Armstrong in a libel case. The Dallas-based insurance company who paid $7.5 million in Tour de France bonuses is also suing to get that money back. The Australian government announced it will seek repayment of several million dollars in appearance fees it paid to Armstrong during its Tour Down Under. Sponsors like Anhueser-Busch, Nike, and Trek have withdrawn their financial support.
During the interview, Armstrong told Winfrey that being asked to step down as chairman of Livestrong, the charity he founded in 1997 to improve the lives of those affected by cancer, was the most humbling moment of this ordeal.