Lance Armstrong drops fight against doping charges; title losses & lifetime ban pending

[Dpantherman]

Details are still trickling in at this moment, but the Associated Press is reporting that seven-time Tour de France-winning cyclist Lance Armstrong has dropped his fight against doping charges leveled at him by the US Anti-Doping Agency. This means that he likely will be, as the Daily News puts it so succinctly, "stripped of Tour de France titles and banned for life."

From the AP:

The decision sets up a likely lifetime ban from the sport and the possibility that Armstrong will be stripped of his signature achievement - the extraordinary run of Tour titles he won from 1999-2005.

Armstrong, who retired last year, declined to enter arbitration - his last option - because he said he was weary of fighting accusations that have dogged him for years. He has consistently pointed to the hundreds of drug tests that he has passed as proof of his innocence.

"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 sent to The Associated Press. He called the USADA investigation an "unconstitutional witch hunt."

"I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999," he said. "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."

USADA will almost certainly treat Armstrong's decision as an admission of guilt, and hang the label of drug cheat on an athlete who was a hero to thousands for overcoming life-threatening testicular cancer and for his foundation's support for cancer research.

http://deadspin.com/5937480/lance-armstrong-drops-fight-against-doping-charges-will-likely-be-stripped-of-tour-titles-and-banned-for-life?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

So apparently he is STILL assuming the role of victim and expecting his fans and followers to buy it. He will no longer fight for his innocence, yet he maintains that he did nothing wrong. I can't imagine how many people will still buy into this guy, because always thought he was innocent until proven guilty. Now all I can see him as, is a FRAUD.

[Doc Holiday]

http://deadspin.com/...dium=socialflow

So apparently he is STILL assuming the role of victim and expecting his fans and followers to buy it. He will no longer fight for his innocence, yet he maintains that he did nothing wrong. I can't imagine how many people will still buy into this guy, because always thought he was innocent until proven guilty. Now all I can see him as, is a FRAUD.

I didn't see this till just now, but 500+ tests and no positives is all I have to say to your fraud claim, the USADA themselves said the closes thing they have to hard evidence right now is a few blood tests only carries some similarities.

these court battles probably easily cost him a $1 million plus every time, after beating these time and again you would have to wonder why continue to battle these charges, if someone else is just going bring more of them tomorrow.

even listening to mike and mike they are talking and saying the evidence is "well it's hard to believe he didn't do anything" or "well they have these witnesses" I say give me some evidence, and not something barely there, give me hard and real evidence.

Also the fed's just finished a 2 year investigation of Lance and found nothing.

[Iceberg Slim]

I didn't see this till just now, but 500+ tests and no positives is all I have to say to your fraud claim, the USADA themselves said the closes thing they have to hard evidence right now is a few blood tests only carries some similarities.

these court battles probably easily cost him a $1 million plus every time, after beating these time and again you would have to wonder why continue to battle these charges, if someone else is just going bring more of them tomorrow.

even listening to mike and mike they are talking and saying the evidence is "well it's hard to believe he didn't do anything" or "well they have these witnesses" I say give me some evidence, and not something barely there, give me hard and real evidence.

Also the fed's just finished a 2 year investigation of Lance and found nothing.

500+ tests and no positives ....that says it all, this is and has been nothing but a witch hunt ...he really must have made some powerful enemies along the way

[mmmbeans]

you guys are f*cking high.

[Jangler]

Even OJ is fighting for his innocence. :rolleyes:

[Mrs Pantherfan]

I honestly want to believe he never took anything..but I don't know :(

I like him....this whole thing makes me sad

[mmmbeans]

you can still like him for his work with cancer.

[Dpantherman]

I admire that sure, but he left it open for debate. Now I wonder how much of his foundation was founded on a lie. It did A WHOLE lot of good, but if it was founded on a lie, how can you not see immorality in that??

[Mrs Pantherfan]

Oh of course I will...I use Livestrong.com to track my food... it's the website that aided in my weight loss

[Cyberjag]

Fighting cancer is a lie? Who knew?

[Dpantherman]

Fighting cancer is a lie? Who knew?

No, use your brain.

Had he gotten caught there are no sponsorships, and there is no money to donate. (or at least a lot less).

[Iceberg Slim]

500+ tests over 20 years, and has passed them all=evidence

Hamilton claiming he watched Armstrong dope=hearsay

At some point you get tired of defending yourself from baseless charges...watch, Hamilton will come out with a book soon

[Cyberjag]

Had he gotten caught this would be moot. But he's NEVER been caught. He's passed every test. And the USADA guy just keeps coming. When is enough, enough?

[mmmbeans]

I admire that sure, but he left it open for debate. Now I wonder how much of his foundation was founded on a lie. It did A WHOLE lot of good, but if it was founded on a lie, how can you not see immorality in that??

what? Founded on a lie? That implies that bicycling takes moral precedent to cancer research. It also implies that he's somehow betraying the people that donated money to fight cancer by cheating in cycling.

Frankly, Americans never gave a shiat about the Tour until Armstrong started winning and nobody watches now that he's gone... Even amongst people that LOVE cycling, in every objective sense bicycle racing doesn't matter, cancer research does.