Lance Armstrong getting his titles stripped...
- Thread starter Stoli Dan
- Start date
I agree it looks bad but my question is how can they strip his titles if he's never failed a test? That is in his words but I would assume if he had failed a test it'd be the headline on every paper around the world (not an exaggeration).
On the other hand, he knew he was going to lose arbitration. He couldn't file suit in a court until after arbitration was settled so why not just quit the arbitration process and speed up the process so he can file suit?
That's the way I read the article but I"m no lawyer so I'm probably misreading.
On the other hand, he knew he was going to lose arbitration. He couldn't file suit in a court until after arbitration was settled so why not just quit the arbitration process and speed up the process so he can file suit?
That's the way I read the article but I"m no lawyer so I'm probably misreading.
If he does file a suit, then I take that statement back. But in this article he says he's moving on and isn't going to fight it any more. This article sounds more like he's dropping the fight now so the evidence they claim to have against him will never be heard.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/lance-armstrong-faces-big-decision-165515351--spt.html
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/lance-armstrong-faces-big-decision-165515351--spt.html
Hell, he's been fighting this for damn near a decade. What I don't understand is he is retired. Why keep trying to prove this now? I think he said 17 it. These guys aren't gonna stop tip they get what they want and I'm done trying to prove my innocence. Doing this will keep those fans loyal to him loyal and those that hate him saying he has admitted he doped when in fact he didn't in any way.
The time to take the I'm moving on stance is right after you've won a battle. He tried to fight this initially and then when he couldn't stop their evidence from being presented and made public, he suddenly quit. That looks very incriminating.
We're going to se more of these cases being brought years after the fact in the future. I read an interesting article a few weeks ago about the science of doping and the constant fight between the dopers and the testers to get the upper hand. One of the testers newer tactics is to take blood samples and freeze them for testing years later. Until now the dopers could just stay one step ahead of the testers and they'd be pretty safe in a drug test. It's hard for them to know what new tests will be available 5 years from now.
We're going to se more of these cases being brought years after the fact in the future. I read an interesting article a few weeks ago about the science of doping and the constant fight between the dopers and the testers to get the upper hand. One of the testers newer tactics is to take blood samples and freeze them for testing years later. Until now the dopers could just stay one step ahead of the testers and they'd be pretty safe in a drug test. It's hard for them to know what new tests will be available 5 years from now.
That's what I'm going with. They had something big ready to drop, but they gave him a chance to drop his case and allow him to always claim he was innocent. As damaging as this is to the sport of cycling, it's less damaging than what would happen if the damning evidence saw the light of day (and the scrutiny of the press). Given that his former teammates have told the USADA exactly what Lance was doing, they knew what tests to run. And they probably have run the tests now to prove he was doping during his 7 title run and told him that the game was up. Lance took the easy way out.
Gonna call ******** on this. They have been hounding him for a decade. IF they were going to do this they would have done it years ago.
Armstrong's official statement from his site:
[h=2]Lance Armstong's Statement of August 23, 2012[/h] 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.
[h=2]Lance Armstong's Statement of August 23, 2012[/h] 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.
I think USADA's has a vendetta against Lance
It is sure curious how dogged they have been investigating a guy who has been retired for years. It seems awfully personal. It also sounds like they do not have the authority to enforce their declaration. This USADA guy is Roger Goodell on steroids.
It is sure curious how dogged they have been investigating a guy who has been retired for years. It seems awfully personal. It also sounds like they do not have the authority to enforce their declaration. This USADA guy is Roger Goodell on steroids.
WOOT! I'll take em! 25, 26, 30, 34, 61, 64, 65, 66, 73, 78, 79, 92, 99, 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 09, 11...
Lance needs to go to the Paul Bryant School of Cheatin', apparently...
Lance needs to go to the Paul Bryant School of Cheatin', apparently...
I think we ought to give Lance a break...he may have been on performance enhancing drugs and he may not have done it, but the guy has one testicle left!! I think for him fighting his cancer and doing what he did, they should have just left the whole thing alone!
That's sort of how they got Contador. The team had become so good with masking doping (drugs and blood), and masking the masking agents that is was virtually impossible at the time to catch them. So, they actually developed a test to find trace amounts of whatever it was that lined the bags they stored the blood in. They caught him because that was in his blood. He tried to throw out some crap about tainted beef, but tainted beef doesn't have traces of what lines blood transfusion bags.
If it's like nearly all other arbitration agreements
Then Lance would be prohibited from filing suit, i.e. most (if not all) arbitration agreements provide for it to be the sole binding remedy in any dispute between the parties. So if Lance saw the writing on the wall in the arbitration proceedings he likely dropped it because he couldn't go any further and he knew it.
Then Lance would be prohibited from filing suit, i.e. most (if not all) arbitration agreements provide for it to be the sole binding remedy in any dispute between the parties. So if Lance saw the writing on the wall in the arbitration proceedings he likely dropped it because he couldn't go any further and he knew it.