Landis Hires Lawyer Versed in Sports-Doping Cases

The New York Times ^ | August 3, 2006 | JULIET MACUR

[Plutarch]

On his first day back home in California, the Tour de France winner Floyd Landis, awaiting test results that will determine his future, yesterday hired Howard Jacobs, a lawyer who has represented a host of athletes in cases involving performance-enhancing drugs.

On Saturday, the result of drug tests on the second of Landis’s two urine samples will come back from the French lab that tested his first sample last week. That initial A sample came back positive for an abnormal ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone. It also tested positive for traces of synthetic testosterone, which means that the testosterone had come from an external source and was not natural.

The B sample result will be crucial in determining whether Landis will be formally charged with using performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France.

“He wants to be ready to defend himself, in case the B sample comes back positive,” Jacobs said in a telephone interview. “I’m not one to accept what the lab says as proof. I haven’t seen the document. You need to see documentation to see how they got their numbers...”

[Plutarch]

By hiring Tyler Hamilton's lawyer, it looks like Floyd is preparing to go to the mat to save his racing career.

Since Phonak is going to throw Floyd under the bus as soon as the B Sample is announced, it will be time for Floyd to pin blame on the deservedly notorious Phonak management.

Here is a pic, showing a Phonak rider being proffered an unmarked substance in a white medicine cup before Stage 14 at the 2006 Giro d'Italia. He appears to be saying: "Here, kid, just take it. It'll make ya go faster."

On the Simply Stu podcast (#38T July 16th), Floyd was interviewed by Allen Lim, during the Tour and remarked about mysterious substances being given to him by Phonak.

Lim: What did you have this morning?

Floyd: An omelette and some rice, and Muesli to make with yogurt. Its hot out, it tastes better than omelette.

And then the race, just some bottles [?] and gels, and some stuff they make, I don't even know I just eat it.

Simply Stu Podcast

Phonak image enlarged

[staytrue]

It looks like Landis was doing well until the disaster where he lost 11 minutes and the coach may have very well understood it was over and gave landis some extra help.

[ncountylee]

the French lab

That's a relief...NOT.

[Plutarch]

Ping to nutmeg

[Jo Nuvark]

I know very little about this, but being that it is France who monitors these tests, and they hate Americans, what's to keep them from tainting the samples?

[nutmeg]

Thanks for the ping... I'll alert the TdF ping list.

[nutmeg]

Tour de France ping!

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my Tour de France 2006 list.

[Plutarch]

AM Bump.

[BaBaStooey]

Hired Tyler Hamilton's lawyer. Great, a guy with a proven track record of winning these doping cases. No, wait..

[Penny1]

"...And then the race, just some bottles [?] and gels, and some stuff they make, I don't even know I just eat it."

ruh-roh...

[dl5192]

If you don't think that every one of these guys knows EXACTLY what's going into their bodies, you're crazy. All professional athletes at this level dope.

Floyd's test will come back positive on Saturday and he'll continue to deny. There will be conspiracy theorists who say that it's the French who are out to get Americans. But then how do you explain all of the guys who were linked to the Operation Puerto affair a few months ago? How do you explain the Festina affair in 1998 (a French team)?

Hate to break it to you, but Floyd cheated. Americans are not above cheating in professional and Olympic sports. Marion Jones, Justin Gatlin...the list goes on and on.

[Plutarch]

If you don't think that every one of these guys knows EXACTLY what's going into their bodies, you're crazy...

Speculating on whether Floyd doped or not is so last Saturday. We are beyond that now, and speculating on what excuse he is going to confabulate.

Gatlin lamely blamed a disgruntled masseuse. If Floyd need stoop so low as to blame an external wrongdoer, his soon to be former employer Phonak provides a potential villain, as it has earned a particularly notorious doping reptutation prior to Floyd. That Floyd is on record stating (as a joke) that Phonak gives him mystery gels that he just blithely consumes might turn out to be useful ammo for his case.

[Paulus]

Floyd was tested on three consecutive days. Interestingly, he was "clean" on day 1, "dirty" on day 2, and "clean" again on day 3. Something sounds kinda fishy? Now, personally, I don't know if Floyd used banned substances or not. However, I'm inclined to believe that he didn't.