USADA to Ban Lance Armstrong for Life and Strip him of all tour titles

[Hyperplex]

https://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/48773712/ns/sports-cycling/

AUSTIN, Texas - Never one to back away from a fight, Lance Armstrong is finally giving in and the cost of quitting is steep: His seven Tour de France titles could be gone as soon as Friday.

The superstar cyclist, whose stirring victories after his comeback from cancer helped him transcend sports, chose not pursue arbitration in the drug case brought against him by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. That was his last option in his bitter fight with USADA and his decision set the stage for the titles to be stripped and his name to be all but wiped from the record books of the sport he once ruled.

Travis Tygart, USADA's chief executive, left no doubt that was the next step. He said Armstrong would lose the titles as soon as Friday and be hit with a lifetime ban, even though he is retired and turning 41 next month. . . .

I haven't been following any of this story but I saw the headline this morning. Wow.

[ReaperKK]

Wow indeed, I've heard bits and pieces of the story but all his titles, wow.

EDIT: Just thinking about this all that work and recognition put into cycling gone. I remember hearing an interview with one cyclist who said everyone was doing it, there was no way to even compete with these guys if you didn't do it.

[jingle.boy]

I haven't been following either, but I liked Lance's comments better.

https://lancearmstrong.com/news-events/lance-armstrongs-statement-of-august-23-2012

Lance Armstrong's Statement of August 23, 2012
AUSTIN, Texas - August 23rd, 2012 - There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, "Enough is enough." For me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999. Over the past three years, I have been subjected to a two-year federal criminal investigation followed by Travis Tygart's unconstitutional witch hunt. The toll this has taken on my family, and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today – finished with this nonsense.

I had hoped that a federal court would stop USADA’s charade. Although the court was sympathetic to my concerns and recognized the many improprieties and deficiencies in USADA’s motives, its conduct, and its process, the court ultimately decided that it could not intervene.
If I thought for one moment that by participating in USADA’s process, I could confront these allegations in a fair setting and – once and for all – put these charges to rest, I would jump at the chance. But I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair. Regardless of what Travis Tygart says, there is zero physical evidence to support his outlandish and heinous claims. The only physical evidence here is the hundreds of controls I have passed with flying colors. I made myself available around the clock and around the world. In-competition. Out of competition. Blood. Urine. Whatever they asked for I provided. What is the point of all this testing if, in the end, USADA will not stand by it?

From the beginning, however, this investigation has not been about learning the truth or cleaning up cycling, but about punishing me at all costs. I am a retired cyclist, yet USADA has lodged charges over 17 years old despite its own 8-year limitation. As respected organizations such as UCI and USA Cycling have made clear, USADA lacks jurisdiction even to bring these charges. The international bodies governing cycling have ordered USADA to stop, have given notice that no one should participate in USADA’s improper proceedings, and have made it clear the pronouncements by USADA that it has banned people for life or stripped them of their accomplishments are made without authority. And as many others, including USADA’s own arbitrators, have found, there is nothing even remotely fair about its process. USADA has broken the law, turned its back on its own rules, and stiff-armed those who have tried to persuade USADA to honor its obligations. At every turn, USADA has played the role of a bully, threatening everyone in its way and challenging the good faith of anyone who questions its motives or its methods, all at U.S. taxpayers’ expense. For the last two months, USADA has endlessly repeated the mantra that there should be a single set of rules, applicable to all, but they have arrogantly refused to practice what they preach. On top of all that, USADA has allegedly made deals with other riders that circumvent their own rules as long as they said I cheated. Many of those riders continue to race today.

The bottom line is I played by the rules that were put in place by the UCI, WADA and USADA when I raced. The idea that athletes can be convicted today without positive A and B samples, under the same rules and procedures that apply to athletes with positive tests, perverts the system and creates a process where any begrudged ex-teammate can open a USADA case out of spite or for personal gain or a cheating cyclist can cut a sweetheart deal for themselves. It’s an unfair approach, applied selectively, in opposition to all the rules. It’s just not right.

USADA cannot assert control of a professional international sport and attempt to strip my seven Tour de France titles. I know who won those seven Tours, my teammates know who won those seven Tours, and everyone I competed against knows who won those seven Tours. We all raced together. For three weeks over the same roads, the same mountains, and against all the weather and elements that we had to confront. There were no shortcuts, there was no special treatment. The same courses, the same rules. The toughest event in the world where the strongest man wins. Nobody can ever change that. Especially not Travis Tygart.

Today I turn the page. I will no longer address this issue, regardless of the circumstances. 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. This October, my Foundation will celebrate 15 years of service to cancer survivors and the milestone of raising nearly $500 million. We have a lot of work to do and I'm looking forward to an end to this pointless distraction. I have a responsibility to all those who have stepped forward to devote their time and energy to the cancer cause. I will not stop fighting for that mission. Going forward, I am going to devote myself to raising my five beautiful (and energetic) kids, fighting cancer, and attempting to be the fittest 40-year old on the planet.

TL;DR version... USADA has been on a witch hunt, and doesn't have the jurisdiction to strip him of his titles.

[SinTrade]

It's obvious to everyone who has followed the sport that Lance doped. He absolutely had to in order to compete, specially in late 90s. Now he is pulling his last card out and trying to become a martyr. For those interested here's a nice article about what happened:

https://inrng.com/2012/08/lance-armstrong-quits/

[rumborak]

I have a very hard time defending him too. He did it, that is clear. So, all this comes down to is him being the prime target because of his success.

[rogerdil]

Joe Pa and then this; this truly must be the year of the jackpot.

[ResultsMayVary]

It has been a witch hunt by the USADA. This whole situation is ridiculous. The people at the USADA are fucking idiots. No more, no less.

[jingle.boy]

Well, I ain't close to this at all, and don't even follow the sport.  Clear case of he said/she said.

[yorost]

This reeks as a last ditch effort to salvage his reputation, but damned if it isn't easy to agree with what he says.

[El Barto]

It’s hard not to see Armstrong’s statement as an audacious work of cynicism, using tough talk to mask a weak position. He can’t seem to say aloud that he rode clean, instead just that he “played by the rules” which is not the same when examined with legal eyes.

Well, no, it's not the same.  However when viewed with legal eyes, it's the part that matters.  I have no idea if he was doping or not.  However, if he played by the rules and passed their tests, then I'd say the problem is with them and their tests.  Nailing him now, despite their own process yielding no evidence, really makes them look pretty shady.  Imagine if criminal courts worked the same way.  There's no evidence to prove you guilty, but we all know you did it. Guilty as charged. 

[rumborak]

They have 10+ witnesses for the hearing, right? This isn't just a "show up and we'll accuse you" thing

[snapple]

They have 10+ witnesses for the hearing, right? This isn't just a "show up and we'll accuse you" thing

The issue with that is some of these people could just be looking for their 15 minutes.

[yorost]

It’s hard not to see Armstrong’s statement as an audacious work of cynicism, using tough talk to mask a weak position. He can’t seem to say aloud that he rode clean, instead just that he “played by the rules” which is not the same when examined with legal eyes.

Well, no, it's not the same.  However when viewed with legal eyes, it's the part that matters.  I have no idea if he was doping or not.  However, if he played by the rules and passed their tests, then I'd say the problem is with them and their tests.  Nailing him now, despite their own process yielding no evidence, really makes them look pretty shady.  Imagine if criminal courts worked the same way.  There's no evidence to prove you guilty, but we all know you did it. Guilty as charged. 

That's why it's been tabbed a witch hunt, for sure.  They've made his case one of their top priorities based on rumors, closed investigations that came nothing, and the belief all cyclists dope.  They really appear to have decided long ago that he doped and would pursue him until they won.

They have 10+ witnesses for the hearing, right? This isn't just a "show up and we'll accuse you" thing

The issue with that is some of these people could just be looking for their 15 minutes.

...and it's suspected that they're offering 'get out of doping free' cards to some of them, or something like that.

[jsem]

It's about time.

Been following cycling rigorously the last six years. The right thing to do is to vacate the titles, you can't have Klödi being a tour winner, and you can't have Ulle grabbing all those wins.

[yorost]

It's about time.

The titles aren't gone, yet.  We'll know soon enough, but there's a chance the USADA is ignored by the cycling bodies.  It wouldn't out of love for Armstrong, but to resist the USADA's controversial handling of this affair.

[kirksnosehair]

Somewhere, Barry "Asterisk" Bonds is chuckling right now 

[jsem]

It's about time.

The titles aren't gone, yet.  We'll know soon enough, but there's a chance the USADA is ignored by the cycling bodies.  It wouldn't out of love for Armstrong, but to resist the USADA's controversial handling of this affair.

I know, I'm just saying it's about time. Armstrong has dodged many bullets... but he's not even attempting to dodge this one so far.

[senecadawg2]

To be completely honest, I couldn't care less. Maybe the USADA has handled the situation wrong, but that doesn't change the fact that Armstrong is guilty.

[yorost]

It's about time.

The titles aren't gone, yet.  We'll know soon enough, but there's a chance the USADA is ignored by the cycling bodies.  It wouldn't out of love for Armstrong, but to resist the USADA's controversial handling of this affair.

I know, I'm just saying it's about time. Armstrong has dodged many bullets... but he's not even attempting to dodge this one so far.

I think he is trying to dodge it, though, and he could succeed if the right organizations agree with his statements.  If the USADA brands him and cycling organizations ignore them, who won?  I'd say Armstrong, handily.

[KevShmev]

Meh. To me, this is like baseball (or just about any professional competitive sport): most probably cheat anyway, so this is much ado about nothing. Anyone who thought he was guilty (which I am sure he was) was still gonna think it regardless, so if you are Armstrong, why waste all that money defending yourself? His rep will take a beating either way. And they can take his name off the record books, but he still won all of those Tours. So, yeah, ho-hum.

[antigoon]

And they can take his name off the record books, but he still won all of those Tours. So, yeah, ho-hum.

This is why I don't really like the title stripping stuff. The guy still won, and everyone knows it. I know it's symbolic but it just seems weird to me.

[hefdaddy42]

This thing is bullshit.  He's passed every drug test he's ever taken. 

[Tick]

Its a travesty. The guy is an inspiration to so many cancer victims. I believe Lance is telling the truth.

[KevShmev]

I believe he is an inspiration to many cancer victims, and justifiably so, but while I don't believe he is telling the truth, I don't care. 

As for the title stripping stuff, they can take his name off the books, but he won those seven Tours, everybody knows it, and they cannot take away the moments and thrill of victory he had every single time.

Long story short, I am sure Armstrong will sleep fine at night, and the USADA can now be happy with themselves.

[black_biff_stadler]

USADA bin Laden amirite?

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Also, even if he did dope up, he was still competing amongst a field of others who've out-and-out said "You have to dope to be able to even compete".  So he likely didn't have any major advantage over any of the others who were vying for the win.  I know that isn't really the point, but still.  Regardless, dope or not, none of this makes winning the Tour-de-France any less of a gruelingly spectacular accomplishment.  I'd be lucky to make it the first mile.

[SinTrade]

This thing is bullshit.  He's passed every drug test he's ever taken.

Like Marion Jones? If I remember correctly around 60 % of doping sanctions in cycling are from Non-Analytical positives. USADA is still going after the other players, so I believe we will hear their evidence sooner or later. They claim to have analytical proof that he doped at least in 2010 and 2011.

So who should be named the winner? ..I hope no one

[jsem]

This thing is bullshit.  He's passed every drug test he's ever taken. 

Except he didn't. Non-negative for cortisone in 1999, of course it was for his saddle sore. And the alleged positive from the Tour de Suisse in 2001 that was swept under the rug. Also, this argument could be used for a lot of others. Ulle, Basso, Valverde, Bjarne Riis, etc.

If anything is BS, it's that Lance has survived this long...


More news today also, is that all his results since 1998 are disqualified

“Numerous witnesses provided evidence to USADA based on personal knowledge acquired, either through direct observation of doping activity by Armstrong, or through Armstrong’s admissions of doping to them that Armstrong used EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone and cortisone during the period from before 1998 through 2005, and that he had previously used EPO, testosterone and hGH through 1996. Witnesses also provided evidence that Lance Armstrong gave to them, encouraged them to use and administered doping products or methods, including EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone and cortisone during the period from 1999 through 2005.  Additionally, scientific data showed Mr. Armstrong’s use of blood manipulation including EPO or blood transfusions during Mr. Armstrong’s comeback to cycling in the 2009 Tour de France.”

The anti-doping rule violations for which Mr. Armstrong is being sanctioned are: 

(1)    Use and/or attempted use of prohibited substances and/or methods including EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone, corticosteroids and masking agents.

(2)    Possession of prohibited substances and/or methods including EPO, blood transfusions and related equipment (such as needles, blood bags, storage containers and other transfusion equipment and blood parameters measuring devices), testosterone, corticosteroids and masking agents.

(3)    Trafficking of EPO, testosterone, and corticosteroids.

(4)    Administration and/or attempted administration to others of EPO, testosterone, and cortisone.

(5)    Assisting, encouraging, aiding, abetting, covering up and other complicity involving one or more anti-doping rule violations and/or attempted anti-doping rule violations.

[SinTrade]

This thing is bullshit.  He's passed every drug test he's ever taken. 

Except he didn't. Non-negative for steroids in 1999, of course it was for his saddle sore. And the alleged positive from the Tour de Suisse in 2001 that was swept under the rug.

[/quote]

I'm sure his 100,000 $ donation to UCI didn't hurt   

[jsem]

Of course, he was only aiding their anti-doping work.

[tofee35]

The bottom line for me is this:

If he didn't cheat, then he knows he won those Tours. If he did cheat, then it's something that he will know about himself and have to come to terms with. People's opinions and being stripped of the titles won't affect the truth that only he knows. For me, the real shame in all of this is the negative affect that these accusations have on all of the organizations that LA supports.  I mean, the guy is a hero to so many athletes and cancer-survivors (and their families) alike. He supports, donates to, and runs great charities. He's dedicated his life to it. I'm confident that his decisions in life have saved many other lives. Frankly, I could care less if he did dope to win those events. 

[KevShmev]

The bottom line for me is this:

If he didn't cheat, then he knows he won those Tours. If he did cheat, then it's something that he will know about himself and have to come to terms with. People's opinions and being stripped of the titles won't affect the truth that only he knows. For me, the real shame in all of this is the negative affect that these accusations have on all of the organizations that LA supports.  I mean, the guy is a hero to so many athletes and cancer-survivors (and their families) alike. He supports, donates to, and runs great charities. He's dedicated his life to it. I'm confident that his decisions in life have saved many other lives. Frankly, I could care less if he did dope to win those events.

I am sure most pro cyclists know that doping is wide spread in their sport, so they don't feel bad about it at all; they simply view it as something all cyclists do to gain an edge. 

[FiberglassMoon]

Of course it's a witch hunt, but I'm afraid it's glaringly obvious that he did cheat...this is just him trying to save face.  He passed all the tests....but so did Mark McGwire.  Also, if he didn't give up his defense, then he would have to face extremely in depth testimonies from like 10 other people who were on his cycling team.  I mean, if he cheated then he cheated....just because he has done great work for cancer research doesn't exempt him from the fact that he cheated.

The funny thing is that during his time in cycling virtually everyone was using PEDs...I almost feel that if you weren't using them at that time then you had no chance at winning.  So if you think in those terms, Lance Armstrong is still the best cyclist ever....he was juicing but so was everyone else so it's kind of like a level playing field.

Also, as the sport has gotten cleaner, the times in these cycling events have gotten slower, showing that PED.

Lance's legacy is greater then this though

[rumborak]

It's probably my indifference for the sport in general, but I don't see how Armstrong's legacy isn't affected by this. I personally can't just shrug off the thought "oh well, they all doped, so it's equal". He was *the* cyclist for a while and will have had access to substances and procedures other athletes won't have had. So I don't think it was an equal playing field. As a Bulgarian cyclist you will have had no chance to win in those days, no matter your skill.

And if they want to save the reputation of the sport (not that there's much left at this point), they need to introduce bio-passports. Actually all professional sports should do so.

rumborak

[hefdaddy42]

So their evidence is just testimony?