What do we make of the inspirational Lance Armstrong now?
The great Lance Armstrong was once an American hero. Question is, is he still? (AP photo)
Lance Armstrong was more than a guy on a bike. Indeed, he titled his as-told-to autobiography, “It’s Not About the Bike.” And he wasn’t just a guy who had cancer and lived to tell the tale. He was an inspiration, a role model, an object lesson regarding the power of the human will.
He beat testicular cancer and didn’t just go on with his life. He became bigger than life. He won the Tour de France seven years running. He was named Sports Illustrated’s 2002 sportsman of the year and took multiple ESPYs as the male athlete of the year. Above and beyond all that, he was the guy who gave us the yellow bracelets, the ones bearing the name of his foundation — Livestrong.
And now he stands revealed as … what? A craven cheat? The hypocrite of all hypocrites? The guy who swore his innocence right up until the point where he decided to stop swearing?
“I am … finished with this nonsense,” was Armstrong’s rationale for dropping his fight against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which took his words as an admission of guilt and moved to strip him of those seven Tour de France titles. (Though the International Cycling Union is waiting for further information to take action.) The USADA has vacated, to invoke the college sports word, everything Armstrong achieved in his sport from 1998 on.
And we’re left to do … what? To recall all the good will and admiration we directed toward Lance Armstrong all these years? To feel cheated ourselves? To feel — diving deeper here — that this beacon of hope actually was a manifestation of everything we have hoped against hope isn’t true? That the games aren’t rigged, that sports are indeed a measure of character, that the bad guys don’t always (or ever) win?
If we’d been honest with ourselves, we might have wondered if the Livestrong story was the stirring saga it appeared to be. Armstrong was under suspicion even as he was winning those Tours. (This being cycling, everybody is under suspicion.) He would dispute every allegation, but the weight of the whispers began to give some among us pause. But not, I would suggest, the masses.
Most of us still saw Armstrong as a hero. He had cancer and still he became the world’s greatest cyclist. That was the more gripping narrative, and also the more palatable. Reality, alas, tends to get complicated.
Armstrong insists that he has admitted no wrongdoing, that he has simply chosen not to keep fighting the USADA. In a statement, he said this: “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.”
And now we’re again scrambling for purchase on that slippery slope. Did Southern Cal win the 2004 BCS title or not? (The Trojans were stripped of the title owing to sanctions involving Reggie Bush, who has since returned his 2005 Heisman Trophy.) Who’s the real home run king — Hank Aaron or Barry Bonds? We have reason to suspect that Bonds didn’t generate all 762 homers on the up-and-up, but MLB kept letting him play, did it not? And, for further discussion: Should Mark McGwire be in the Hall of Fame? Should Rafael Palmeiro? Should Roger Clemens? And what of A-Rod, who might well hit 763 home runs?
This is a terrible time to be a sports fan. (Last week Melky Cabrera, this week Bartolo Colon and now Armstrong.) For all the joy that’s supposed to come from following these athletes and their trivial pursuits, we keep slamming into chilling truths, or half-truths, or truth laced so heavily with fiction that it’s not true at all. All any of us can know for sure about Lance Armstrong is that the first part of his stirring saga stands: He did beat cancer. Everything afterward is open to interpretation. Everything afterward could well have been a lie.
And all among us who have, over the years, sported those yellow bracelets? We could have shared his lie. Some feel-good story this is turning out to be, huh?
By Mark Bradley
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337 comments Add your comment
Skeezix
August 24th, 2012
11:23 pm
I side with Lance. He never tested positive and was the most tested athlete ever. He never, to my knowledge, was accused of doping in the USA (the French and Spanish were always accusing him). Why is a US anti-doping agency involved? Why does it claim jurisdiction for an event that took place in Europe? There is no hard evidence–just hearsay. This has all the feel of a vendetta and completely lacks due process.
Yes, he did cheate
August 24th, 2012
11:23 pm
Google 60 minutes Lance Cheat.
He knew he was in trouble with the evidence USADA had and bailed. In the end, Lance was a cheat and coward. That he used the money for Livestrong doesn’t matter. Who knows maybe one of the other winners would have parlayed their fame an fortune into good deeds.
Yes, he did cheat
August 24th, 2012
11:31 pm
You’re a blind idiot. Read before blabbering. Yes, he would have been granted due process had the USADA found him guilty
By bailing when he did, the evidence cannot be put on display.
Think about it. This man never quit. Why did he now?
Tide Rising
August 24th, 2012
11:34 pm
Yes, he did cheat,
The same 60 minutes that allowed Dan Rather to do a hatchet job on George Bush’s guard service with completely bogus, made up docs? When 60 minutes does a story they usually do it with a slant and a bias even if they do try and make it look neutral. I wouldn’t take what they air very seriously. I’ve seen several newscasts of their’s over the years where I knew more about the topic then they did and it was clear they were reporting from a pre-determined bias. They have no credibility sir.
Tide Rising
August 24th, 2012
11:36 pm
“Think about it. This man never quit. Why did he now?”
Easy. 14 years of wrangling with these bozos after 500 or so passed drug tests and millions of dollars in legal fees. Eventually its just not worth it anymore but in emotional and legal costs.
Yes, he did cheat
August 24th, 2012
11:47 pm
Tide Rising, you must have thought Paterno was a victim too.
Aug. 20: A federal judge throws out Armstrong’s revised lawsuit, leaving him three days to decide if he would head to arbitration to fight charges.
Aug. 23: Armstrong announces he will not go to arbitration. “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,” he said in a release.
I think the USADA, among other evidence, had 10 TEAM members willing to testify against him. Not 1, 2, 3, but 10.
He was sunk and knew it.
Coop
August 24th, 2012
11:48 pm
Hey pal,
If you can explain to me how he passed numerous tests regarding the accused doping, you’ve got a story. Otherwise, stay away from writing about sports. What a silly article; especially since you failed to address the testing at all.
Yes, he did cheat
August 24th, 2012
11:57 pm
Speaking of Paterno. One thing that can be said, “if it has been one of his 17 grand kids (17 now, not sure of how many he had when he learned of the shower rape) would he have done the same thing, especially after he saw his bosses did nothing. Absolutely not.
The timing of Lance quitting will forever haunt him. Like I said, a coward.
His speaking fees just dropped 1000%.
JSS
August 25th, 2012
12:03 am
“This is a terrible time to be a sports fan. (Last week Melky Cabrera, this week Bartolo Colon and now Armstrong).”
No, it is terrible time to be a hero worshipper… It is a good to explain to kids the diference between idols and human beings…
Yes, he did cheat.
August 25th, 2012
12:05 am
Coop, read up on the sport and the validity of the test results. I learned today the sport if full of cheaters. But the difference was, Lance, like Paterno (success with honor), held himself out as being something he ultimately wasn’t.
Hilltopper
August 25th, 2012
12:25 am
I always thought one took a blood sample, tested it, and the test determined whether the blood was “good or bad.” 500 times this test came back “good.” Do we seriously think that those “testifying” aginst Armstrong weren’t given an ultimatum: Tell like we want to hear or you are history?
Yes, he did cheat.
August 25th, 2012
12:39 am
Hilltopper,
USADA said the doping evidence against Armstrong came from the statements of more than a dozen witnesses, including former teammates and associates. While Armstrong’s defense was consistent – he had never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs – USADA said that was irrelevant. Armstrong and his co-conspirators on the U.S. Postal Service team, it said, devised ways to cheat in ways that wouldn’t be detected.
I know of kids who can hide drugs from tests. Why couldn’t the above be true.
Yes, he did cheat.
August 25th, 2012
12:47 am
And 3 members of that US Postal team were given lifetime bans in July.
Jimmy Crack
August 25th, 2012
4:43 am
What we have learned…
1) Cyclists in packs on public roads should be outlawed in all 50 states.
2) Everybody in professional cycling cheats or has cheated except Greg LeMond.
3) Lance cheated, or else how could he have beaten the other cheaters?
4) Cheaters do, in fact, prosper.
Too Strong
August 25th, 2012
5:13 am
Lance Armstrong was tested over and over again during his career and nothing. So now they want to go back and say they were all missing something. I met Lance while deployed overseas when he was on a USO tour. He is a great guy and an inspiration. I wish he had not thrown in the towel on fighting this, but I can understand how one can get to a point when you ask yourself is it worth all the personal turmoil.
TechRon
August 25th, 2012
5:58 am
Ditto. He passed every test. It is all history now. USADA is actually as stupid and worthless as the NCAA and that is saying something.
KomaGawa
August 25th, 2012
6:13 am
Mark, Each of us sports fans, and like it or not I was imprinted by my family’s habits before I had any say so on the matter of supporting sports teams, teams I played for, teams we watched on that grainy black and white screen…. Each of us has our little or big moment of truth; do we decide to look at what we are, or what we have become as best we can, or do we deny what doesn’t suit us…This little moment of truth has come over and over during the past few days regarding Lance Armstrong.. You seem as glib about this matter as I can be about the Braves impending collapse during Chipper’s final season…the season he fought for so strongly from last year’s injury….Relax I said, its only a minor children’s activity which now pays alot of money to a few rich players (both on and off the field). But Armstrong is different, for all the reasons you used to set up your yank down of the doll, Lance Armstrong. We all know that OJ did it. We all know that Texas-Boston-Yankees pitcher did it and that SF batting star did it… and now for those who don’t really give a rat’s behind about cycling, know that Lance did it. The record books in France will probably be erased, but the Cooperstown records still stand Bonds is still in the Hall. That is a bloody shame. That is what makes me angry, right now, sort of. This one agency will erase the existence in the records books, but nothing is done with MLB, 50 games, come on give me a break. I don’t believe professional cyclists are any different from MLB, NFL NBA PGA, NHL players, they are all under the same pressure and they all would and do respond the same way. It is only that in cycling the desires were allowed to incubate and the fruits at the end of the branches were allowed to hang closer to the ground, for the same reasons as in any American professional sport….. Cycling isn’t much here, but the afore mentioned pro organized entertainment is BIG, no “big” is too small when we compare the revenue generating streams associated with one of these American sports. How many vested interests are there in MLB compared with US pro cycling? Who is going to spend much of their time crusading to finding all the drugs connections and allegations, then in order to wipe out the existence of an entire career off the plates and displays of Cooperstown for God’s sake? Notice that I have reluctantly accepted Lance’s guilt based on what I know at this moment. But I am truly cynical about the hypocrisy that exists regarding other pro sports. I believe that certainly the MLB has members of all teams still using. the numbers are not constant, there are a range of factors causing fluxuations but I believe it is continuous, and I think that if you closely questioned a statistically true section of fans entering the ball parks as to how strongly they care about finding the cheats, about the possibility of some of their “heroes” having their careers erased from the record books if judged by some committee, a very very large percent of those fans would not back such policing measures. I know, I know , right now the preponderance of information, 10 informants, it is said, are willing to testify against Lance…if this were tried in a court of law, it appears at this moment a slam dunk conviction, at this moment. At this moment we are all reacting to what has been released to the media. But we know, there are always stories behind stories, and “some” can be shown to have holes, but it will take a long time for those agencies of gov. or courts or companies to admit to anything they aren’t forced to…..by public opinion. Enough already. I want to sleep tonight, Regards from Japan
dagnabit
August 25th, 2012
6:59 am
You sure are quick to convict on hear-say. You should never serve on jury. Armstrong chose to not enrich a pack of lawyers.The usada’s lawyers are on retainer but over use will cause an increase in cost. Armstrong chose to keep his finances stable.
Robert
August 25th, 2012
7:13 am
Can we please dispell the myth that he never tested positive. He did test positive for cortisone in 1999. He explained that it was from cream to treat saddle sores and his “explanation” was accepted and he was allowed to continue to race. However it was a postive test. His urine samples from the Tour de France were tested several years after he retired and they all indicated use of EPO using more advanced and modern testing methods. There are also his suspicious donations in amounts exceeding $100K to the UCI – supposedly to help them buy testing equipment. Most think he was in “cahoots” with the UCI and the payments were made to cover up a postive test. Who knows why they were made but donations to the UCE, especially in these amounts, by a cyclist are unprecedented.
Flounder
August 25th, 2012
7:38 am
Hey “Bob the blogger” …. crawl back into your friggin’ cave, putz.
Stanley Kelley
August 25th, 2012
8:14 am
Did the USADA ever prove anything? It apparently has unlimited power to make decisions about everything. What have the members of that panel ever contributed to the world of sports. It harasses people for years and then declares them guilty. Disgusting!–Mark McGwire is in the Baseball Hall of Fame and Pete Rose is not. How could this have happened?
Dave
August 25th, 2012
8:39 am
he passed all the tests yet all the USADA can find and use is the word of others who have been proven to be cheats… I don’t buy it.
Liberals suck ass
August 25th, 2012
8:40 am
What a crap article. There is ZERO evidence that Armstong used any type of drugs, Just because this “government” run make work programs says he did doesn’t make it so. Its just the way liberals treat any successful person. These whiny pencil neck retards can’t do anything except sit in judgement. Lance Armstrong won those races, and he wont’ them because of hard work. Screw u Bradly and these stupid Gov run Nazi death camp
Fidlin1
August 25th, 2012
8:40 am
Lance Armstrong is and always will be a Giant in the Bike Racing world. Where’s the proof? There is none. Most of the people out there have no idea what an effort Lance has put into his sport. The IOC has been relentless in their witch hunt and they are the losers here. GO pound dirt IOC .
Joy
August 25th, 2012
8:58 am
He has never failed a test and why would you even write this story? The entire story leans toward negativity and to try and make the reader believe that maybe they are wrong for believing in Lance all of these years…..I am starting to wonder should I even read your paper any longer.
escaped from email purgatory
August 25th, 2012
9:09 am
No one who dominates their respective sport is beyond suspicion any more.
Passing a test doesn’t wash away the stain. It’s an effective talking point for those who support the accused cheater maybe, but the chemists will always be a step ahead of the testing authorities.
As long as cheating pays, somebody smart enough will figure out how to get away with it – until they don’t. Then once the jig is up we get the evasive answer, the finger-pointing denial, a tearful contrition or delusional and disjointed testimony of Roger Clemens.
There’s a good chance many of the greatest athletic feats of our generation are tainted by PEDs. It didn’t detract from the thrill we got when they were originally performed. And the more athletes who are revealed as dirty, the less it bothers us.
reality check
August 25th, 2012
9:38 am
No athlete in the last 20 years has been drug tested more than Armstrong. He never failed a test. Hearsay is not admittable evidence in a court of law. What a bunch of crap.
Woofy One
August 25th, 2012
9:44 am
This was a witch hunt.I am not even a cycling fan and believe him innocent.
Strongarm
August 25th, 2012
9:47 am
Lance Armstrong INSPIRED ALOT OF OTHER BICYCLISTS!……….Inspired them to take STEROIDS TO WIN!………Just take a look at most of the Tour de France’s recent winners and the picture becomes clearer!
Character counts
August 25th, 2012
9:48 am
Another example of the deep pockets of Govt beating a man into submission. How many million has Lance spent defending himself?
Here is the irony; this current Administration has spent millions of taxpayer money chasing two Republican athletes, yet this same Admin cannot find reason to prosecute former NJ Democrat Gov Jon Corzine after the fall of his investment firm, even though Corzine lied before a Congressional hearing. Corzine’s firm cannot account for over $1 Billion of investor money, they don’t know where it went which is evidently just fine with the Obama Admin. Where is the investigation of Kasim Reed’s handling of airport contracts at the new international terminal? Sorry, no time, we’re hunting down the big time criminals, like Lance Armstrong, no time for the minor things.
Armstrong is a victim of rank hard core Democrat politics.
Cheater
August 25th, 2012
9:55 am
Armstrong joins a long list of Cheaters:
……….Clinton-on his wife
……….Bush-on his election
……….Edwards-on his wife
Hey…………..Armstrong should run for Public Office!
Yes, he did cheat.
August 25th, 2012
9:57 am
Lance keeps harping and you clowns keep buying (see Clayton County sheriff elect 37 felony thug) the tests results.
Lance knew that he could beat the tests. He did, he showed his teammates how.
I said the NCAA would strip Paterno of at least 2 victories (giving Robinson the record) because it could not have Paterno forever tainting the record. I said it the day Paterno was fired.
There is more to this story and Lance will be exposed. Sorry. Lance and Paterno’s myth shattered in less than a year. Wow.
John
August 25th, 2012
10:11 am
Hey KomaGawa,
Read about white space in paragraphs. I didn’t read a sentence of what you had to say. To overwhelming in volume. Fool me with white space.
TN Jeff
August 25th, 2012
10:14 am
This tells me that petty bureaucrats can be worse than cancer, … (posted by Ben)
Wow – what an idiotic statement!
I still hold that his cancer was caused by his performance enhancing drug usage. This wife cheating on, self promoting jerk was never on my radar for Role Model candidate.
Reading some of these comments reminds me of the masses of dolts who defended OJ Simpson.
Mark Bradley
August 25th, 2012
10:19 am
For the record, the USADA is a non-profit, non-governmental organization.
Lance Cheatstrong
August 25th, 2012
10:38 am
Typical idiots defending this guy. So, you’re telling me he won 7 straight TDFs and did not cheat? And he won all of them against cyclists who were ALL cheating? Does that seem plausible? He was better than all of the cheaters for 7 years? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Just makes no sense. And you think 10 of his former teammates would all collaborate and throw him under the bus? COME ON.
Americans want heroes. Doesn’t matter if they are dirtier than a pig in sh!t. They love heroes. And they’ll put people on pedestals even if they lack scruples and morals.
In your hearts you know he cheated. Own it.
what????
August 25th, 2012
10:39 am
Lance Armstrong is an idiot and the people who are chasing him are idiots.
This isn’t about liberal takeovers or vast right wing conspiracys. Its about DOING THE RIGHT THING. Who cares if Armstrong is guilty or innocent? The fact that this has drug on for so long just proves my point. Both sides want so bad to WIN. Why can’t they sit down and figure this out? Because somebody has to WIN.
We can’t reach an honorable compromise in our society any more because we are all a bunch of immature 3 year olds who have to have ALL the crayons or else we are going to throw a temper tantrum and go home.
Rather that do the right thing, lets have some press conferences or write books or post blogs to stir up public opinion in our favor. Then we can go home, sit on the sofa and feel good about ourselves rather than SOLVE THE FREAKING PROBLEM.
falconfreak
August 25th, 2012
10:46 am
I say, let’s put the USADA under a microscope and see what we come up with. Who are they? Who funds them? Did they conduct a vendetta?
These days it’s hard to trust any of the bureaucrats hiding behind a shield of the “government” authority. More have been proven corrupt than not. Some of the little pricks in these agencies get so swelled up with power, any objectivity is lost as they try win at any cost. And all too many of these pricks are co-opted by some monied interest.
Like so many have acknowledge, the man has been tested forever. Let’s look at the “new” evidence, its source, and the backgrounds of the USADA officials.
Duper
August 25th, 2012
10:58 am
Wisdom, Justice & Moderation
HUH?????????????
August 25th, 2012
11:05 am
“What do we make of the inspirational Lance Armstrong now?”
He never tested positive for drugs. Not sure how someone gets their titles stripped like that.
In other news, the Braves suck and Mark Bradley will most likely tell us about how the Braves will win the WS next year.
HUH?????????????
August 25th, 2012
11:06 am
“In your hearts you know he cheated. ”
How did he cheat if he never tested positive for drugs?
THE STUPID, IT BURNS!!!!!
HUH?????????????
August 25th, 2012
11:09 am
“Did Southern Cal win the 2004 BCS title or not?”
They actually got proven in court that they cheated.
“Hank Aaron or Barry Bonds?”
Bonds admitted to using sports enhancers. Cream. Aaron won it by talent and also faced death threats from the KKK.
“Should Mark McGwire be in the Hall of Fame? Should Rafael Palmeiro? Should Roger Clemens? And what of A-Rod, who might well hit 763 home runs?”
All either tested positive or admitted to taking steroids.
Mark, do you ever do your own homework?
HUH?????????????
August 25th, 2012
11:10 am
” the USADA is a non-profit, non-governmental organization.”
So how do they have any power to take someones titles away from a guy who never tested positive or admitted to taking drugs?
doc
August 25th, 2012
11:24 am
HUH?????????????
August 25th, 2012
11:10 am
” the USADA is a non-profit, non-governmental organization.”
So how do they have any power to take someones titles away from a guy who never tested positive or admitted to taking drugs?
ok, the same way the ncaa can extract wins from a coaches resume. neither organizations are government and are part of what you have to sign into to participate is my guess. personally not sure if this organization is in cahoots with the organization that sponsors the tour de france but again bike races are not government business anymore than the ncaa, nfl, nba, nascar, etc that have their own governing bodies making the rules of engagement i guess you could put it.
captguitarman
August 25th, 2012
12:02 pm
First. The fact that Armstrong decided not to expend the time and energy and huge sums in attorneys fees and other professional fees to defend himself is not, I repeat . . . is not evidence of guilt. In fact, it was the best thing to do, and contrary to the article, he walks away not creating crushed dreams, tainted heroes, or confusion about sports, but with all flags flying, and saying, I am not going to play your game USADA, because it is a no win for me, and you will never stop – it will never end, no matter how many times you bring it up and I expend time, treasure, and good will to beat it.
In this, Armstrong and his advisors showed great wisdom in understanding where sports, government, politics, religion, media, entertainment, and life in general are all heading with the advent and explosive growth of the intrusive, ignorant, uniformed, voyeuristic, never-satisfied, envious, 24/7 chatting, blogging, carping, nagging, cynical, and sarcastic national and world culture fueled by the anything goes anonymity of hundreds of millions of know-nothings on the Internet.
The USADA had him on the defensive, and now having proven nothing, he put them in the position of trashing the greatest cyclist in the history of the sport, with no hard evidence. Who do you think really wanted a protracted and high profile fight with Armstrong on the defensive and spending millions on lawyers? That is an easy answer. He made them look foolish and now they are on the defensive. They had no choice but to react. OK, if you won’t play this little game with us, then we are taking away every thing. And doing it based upon no hard evidence. Hard evidence no longer required . . . a regulatory agency of any stripe’s dream come true scenario. And it plays so well into the current world culture noted above.
So good for Armstrong because he knows he does not need them, and they can vacate all they want to vacate, and look silly as silly and as vindictive as hell in doing so. He is smart enough to know that stripping him of his wins and titles is a completely inconsequential, trivial, and irrelevant act –except in the eyes of those caught up in the above noted cultural phenomena – but that crowd has the attention span of a gnat and it is already off howling and baying and chasing other new targets and items of interest. Oh sure, they have “other evidence” by people who “observed” things. That’s comforting to know. Wonder how many different motiviations fueled that crowd. Wonder how many resentments, hard feelings, falling outs, desire to be in the spotlight, or desire to be instrumental in bringing down an icon, or how much just plain old green eyed monster envy might be behind that kind of “evidence?” You see, there are no scientific tests for failed ambition, frustration, resentment, or envy. And now there is no need for scientific drug testing to bring down someone like Armstrong. He won seven Tours de France, and he will never not be remembered for accomplishing that feat, regardless of what the ninnies at the USADA and their “witnesses” do or say.
Lynn
August 25th, 2012
12:06 pm
Armstrong is a polarizing figure. Arrogant, self-centered, determined, hard-working. He’s the best and worst of America all in one package. Yes, he did punishing, off-season workouts when everybody else was drinking beer and resting. He also, I believe (and the evidence in the form of his testing positive for cortizone use in 1999, as well as the series of samples from that same period that were re-tested with better testing technology and revealeded high levels of testosterone), was juiced to the gills. People believed in Armstrong so much they protected him and hid the truth — and he was willing to turn on his former teammates and call them dopers while denying he knew anything about what they were doing. Really? He ran that cycling team like a dictator, forcing talented team members to hang back and do less than they were capable of because the over-riding goal was for Armstrong to win. His team existed to assist him with that. In the end, his lack of character has revealed itself. I’m curious about the amount of money his Livestrong foundation raises; does anyone have any stats re: the percentage of money raised versus the percent used for actual cancer research? Does Armstrong receive a salary from Livestrong? Do any of his family members? I’d be interested in learning more about this part of his life.
Daddy Jacket
August 25th, 2012
12:08 pm
What time does GT-VT kick off on Labor Day?
Roy Wood
August 25th, 2012
12:12 pm
I still think he is the greatest.I sure wish the gov would stay out of sports>Like what they tried to do to clements.He always passed the drug tests before events I sure wish they would leave him along.I dont follow bike events but I dont blame him for telling them to stick it.
Alan
August 25th, 2012
12:36 pm
I thought, in this country we were innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around. The only stone cold facts in this debate is that he came up negative on over a hundred screenings for any PED. Why can’t an American win 7 Cycling titles? 3 Europeans have won 5, why is it so hard to believe an American can win 7? If he’s guilty, are we then going to hound the runner-up for the next 10 years? This makes me sick.
Jenny McMillin
August 25th, 2012
12:44 pm
Armstrong’s been a blowhard for years. Anyone who’s had cancer knows it. Armstrong survived testicular cancer, but he uses it like a club to beef up his ego. He “survived” it – he, all on his own, did not “beat” it. That honor goes to his medical team (all of whom he treated with hostility and arrogance – read the book), his inner circle/those who loved and helped him through it, yes to Armstrong himself, but buddy you better give some credit to the God that brought you here & kept you here. I survived brain cancer, and while I had a role in doing so, I can’t take full credit. You better acknowledge that higher power in your life or it’s a pretty long fall down. I give thanks to that same higher power that those #@%^ yellow bracelets might start going away.