Posted by The tatooed cyclist; NY Time general; Betsy Andreu and Emma O’Reilly; CNN; Foxsports.
From Lance:
“By helping to bring me down is not going to help y’alls situation at all. There is a direct link to all of our success here and I suggest you remind her of that.” (to Betsy Andreu)
“Now, Emma, you know enough to bring me down,” she says Armstrong told her after the meeting. (to Emma O’Reilly)
From U.S. Anti-Doping Agency:
USADA said Armstrong was at the center of ”the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen” within his U.S. Postal Service and Discovery Channel teams.
From the International Cycling Union (UCI):
But UCI President Pat McQuaid didn’t stop there. So repulsed by the extent of USADA’s evidence that Armstrong had doped, lied, bullied and threatened his way to glory — even demanding that key teammates on the U.S. Postal Service squad dope as well to further his championship pursuits — McQuaid said Armstrong should be expunged from the sport’s memory.
Title by title, trophy by trophy, and now dollar by dollar, this man is crumbling. When the USADA conclusions first hit in August and Armstrong declined to formally contest them you could say ‘No huge deal, he is retired anyway.’ At the time, he still had his Tour titles, his foundation, corporate sponsorships, a huge fortune, and many fans. One by one they are being publicly–with impunity–taken away.
High on the list is the $7.5 million he is being asked to pay back to SCA Promotions.
I can understand athletes doping. They want to win badly; with winning comes fame, money, and just plain being on top. At the time, in cycling in particular, others were doing it. I also understand the dangers, illegality, and rules of the sports. Definitely, for the good of a particular sport, and for health and many other reasons, the psychology of the athlete must be combated. That is a dynamic I can understand.
The thousand page USADA report is a milestone in investigative purpose. It contained the evidence that was thought to be unattainable. It shows that right can triumph over wrong. It proves that no one is above reproach.
Lance Armstrong is a liar and a cheat and he deserves everything that is now happening. Repression, avoidance, denial… He has done it on a grand and public stage with intimidation, exercise of power, lawsuits, defamation, etc. He has done it and he has pushed and amplified it. Most others have shown humility and confessed or explained–they recognize that that forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation will come in time.