Posted on 08/23/2012 8:23:23 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Thursday night it will strip Lance Armstrong of his unprecedented seven Tour de France titles after he declared he was finished fighting the drug charges that threaten his legacy as one of the greatest cyclists of all time.
Travis Tygart, USADA's chief executive, said Armstrong would also be hit with a lifetime ban on Friday.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
Armstrong has passed something like 95 random and unannounced drug tests in his career. But because he’s decided to no longer spend the money to fight the doping charges the hole world decides that’s an admission of guilt.
Who did Armstrong piss off in this world, because seems to me he is really hated and everyone couldn’t wait to get him.
Lance Armstrong won’t fight USADA charges
Lance Armstrong isn’t impressed with one fan at the Tour of California in 2009
Maintains UCI is only agency with power to ban him
Lance Armstrong has opted not to fight the charges of doping and conspiracy leveled against him by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
“There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, ‘Enough is enough.’ For me, that time is now,” Armstrong said in a statement. “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.”
Click here to read the full statement.
Armstrong’s trainer Michele Ferrari and doctor Luis del Moral have already been given lifetime bans in the same case, but Armstrong and his attorneys maintain that USADA does not have the right to bring these charges, that the current anti-doping procedures put that duty in the hands of the sport’s governing body, the UCI.
“Mr. Armstrong is not requesting a AAA arbitration because - unlike USADA - he respects the rules applicable to him and not because of any belief that USADA’s charges have merit or any fear of what a fair proceeding would establish,” his attorneys Tim Herman and Robert Luskin wrote.
“Under all the applicable rules, USADA cannot proceed until it submits its evidence to UCI’s independent panel for review and adjudicates any disputes with that panel about jurisdiction, scope, the reliability of the evidence, and all related issues with UCI in CAS. At an absolute minimum, UCI and USADA should go to CAS to resolve the jurisdiction issue before any proceedings begin, a solution offered by UCI but rejected by USADA.”
USADA’s case dates back to 1998, with USADA seeking to strip Armstrong of all seven Tour de France victories as well as victories in the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and Tour de Suisse.
The agency charged that Armstrong not only used EPO, Coriticosteriods, Testosterone, Human Growth Hormone and blood transfusions, but also masked the use of these performance enhancing drugs and methods with saline and plasma infusions. Additionally, it alleged Armstrong, during his time with the US Postal Service and Discovery Channel, encouraged and facilitating doping by his teammates.
The charges from the 1998-2005 period stem from witness testimony from “numerous riders, team personnel and others” who either observed Armstrong doping, had him admit to doping directly to them, or were encouraged to use or received assistance in doping by Armstrong.
But Armstrong and his attorneys have vigorously denied all the claims, calling USADA’s case a “witch hunt”.
Additionally, USADA is reported to have acquired data from 38 of Armstrong’s blood samples from his comeback years, which it alleges demonstrates manipulation by blood doping, as well as 2001 Tour de Suisse doping control data that indicated EPO use.
The UCI has objected to the agency going forward with these charges, insisting that it should be the body to have results management authority over any doping cases, although the World Anti-Doping Agency has backed USADA in its jurisdiction.
USADA has stated that giving the case to the UCI would be like “the fox guarding the hen house” because of their vested interest in keeping the image of the sport free from such scandals, as well as the UCI’s possible involvement in covering up a 2001 doping positive by Armstrong.
Armstrong’s attorneys leveled their objections to USADA’s proceedings in the US federal courts, taking the case to a Texas district court in an attempt to block it from moving forward. They called the proceedings a violation of Armstrong’s Constitutional right to due process, argued that the arbitration system could not provide a fair decision and that the lack of information provided regarding witness identity and testimony was a violation of USADA’s own rules.
Judge Sam Sparks dismissed the case, finding that the arbitration system set up specifically for sports doping cases was sufficient to provide a fair hearing, and that USADA’s rules provide for ample time for discovery of evidence prior to the hearing. But he did not make a judgement on whether USADA had jurisdiction over the UCI or not.
Armstrong was faced with the August 23 deadline to inform USADA if he would take the case to arbitration or accept the ban. But today his attorneys simply stated that he would not go forward with the proceedings because they feel only the UCI has the right to bring charges against him.
Yeah - How DARE he try to prove himself innocent, despite all of those passed doping tests!
(/sarcasm, for those who are sarcasm impaired)
And, for the record, I don’t care about Armstrong one way or the other. I just hate witch hunts.
If they strip him of his titles who do they award them to. Everyone who finished second to him on the Tour was on drugs as well.
No, sometimes you just run out of money.
So you’re ok with accusing the people who are doing the investigation on the other side with being on a “witch hunt” without any proof however? THEY are guilty as far as you’re concerned. Only Lancie boy is innocent!
Time to sell or give away your Lance Armstrong memorabilia.
Did you even read his statement? Most likely not. Do you even know the lengths that this government agency is going to to supposedly “catch” him?
Nice (but stupid) ad hominem, FRiend.
(Notice - I said the ad hominem attack was stupid, not the poster.)
The rules of the game with respect to doping have to do with physical evidence. That is, blood and urine testing to detect banned substances. From all accounts, USADA has no test results which support their allegations.
That’s strike one.
The USADA’s own rules (IIRC) limit their investigations to a 7 year window - it may be 10 years (I’m not certain of the exact number). The allegations they are pursuing cover a 17 year window.
That’s strike two.
USADA doesn’t actually have any authority to strip titles. Their authority to issue lifetime bans is unclear. But their claim to strip the titles is spurious and reeks of vendetta.
That’s strike three.
Based on the actual evidence in play, the large preponderance of evidence supports a conclusion of witch hunt.
But you’d rather pitch sloppy attacks against anyone who will identify the agenda-driven jihad against Armstrong. USADA has been unable or unwilling to prove its allegations. You are demanding Armstrong prove his innocence.
Apparently you believe in the presumption of guilt.
Again, I don’t give a rat’s tail about Armstrong one way or the other. But I, at least, can recognize that legitimizing the perpetual innuendo attack in this arena will be used to legitimize it further in others - both political and personal.
“Good!! It is my opinion he is a liar and a big steroid freak, I hear he is an egocentric jurk. Adios . You are a disgrace to real sport sir!!”
I respect your opinion. I’ve vacilated on sharing it because LA has been SUCH A HERO WITHOUT QUESTION.
Just like Hussein is to the Hussein Heads.
Hasn’t every one of LA’s teammates gone down hard for doping?
At any rate, I have a hard time treating an athlete like a god who can do no wrong simply because he WINS, and find it both amusing and annoying that so many assume LA is above repproach simply because he is LANCE ARMSTRONG.
Many seem to have the opinion that the baseball dopers aren’t heroes — the same ones who seem to believe Lance IS a hero BECAUSE HE IS LANCE ARMSTRONG.
Mary, you’re pretty darned sure aren’t you. How long has it been since Armstrong’s last Tour de France race, and yet they’ve been trying to prove him a cheat since, and still haven’t been able to do so.
Tell you what, after you have had to hire a legal defense team and spend years defending yourself against nothing more than an assumption, after all physical evidence has cleared you, perhaps I’ll consider your opinion here as being more dignified than flatulence.
Until then...
Are you for real? Mandatory steroid testing didn't start in MLB until 2004. And Sammy Sosa failed MLB steroid testing twice.
cyclists I know here in middle TN including some pretty serious riders all...i mean almost to a man...have said for years they thought Lance was guilty
no question to them and they really keep up with this stuff
and they claim more do dope than not
amazing isn’t it...folks just go hog wild and likely know little more than emotion about this
I wouldn’t bother
Reason and information are not exactly the most sought after subject on this forum once they get stirred up around here.
it’s like “which direction did the wolfman go carrying the pretty damsel”..and the crowd dashes off in the night torches in hand and pitchforks in tow
the USADA better watch out..lol
/s
I’m conflicted on this one. On the one side I’ve always thought he was doping. On the other side if you can’t manage to catch a guy for over a decade, especially if he’s already retired, maybe it’s time to declare defeat and walk away.
Several witnesses supposedly. I would like to hear detail on how and what he did to beat the tests.
Can't imagine he would quit fighting if innocent.
Oh, and welcome to FR. Since July of 2012!
amazing isn’t it...folks just go hog wild and likely know little more than emotion about this
You are so right, just wait until the USADA release their evidence, then they will all be silent-—— or not
Pro cycling is the dirtiest sport and everyone knows it. You accuse others others of malfeasance yet bend yourself into a pretzel defending the slimeball.
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