USADA to Strip Lance Armstrong of 7 Tour de France Titles, Ban Him For Life
- Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:10pm by
Jason Howerton
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Lance Armstrong to be stripped of 7 Tour de France titles and banned for life by USADA (Credit: AP)
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.
Still to be heard from was the sport’s governing body, the International Cycling Union, which had backed Armstrong‘s legal challenge to USADA’s authority.
Armstrong, who retired last year, declined to enter USADA’s arbitration process – 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 during his extraordinary run of Tour titles stretchingfrom1999-2005.
“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 reacted quickly and treated Armstrong’s decision as an admission of guilt, hanging 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.
“It is a sad day for all of us who love sport and athletes,” Tygart said. “It’s a heartbreaking example of win at all costs overtaking the fair and safe option. There’s no success in cheating to win.”
Tygart said the agency can strip the Tour titles, though Armstrong disputed that as he insisted his decision is not an admission of drug use, but a refusal to enter an arbitration process he believes is unfair.
“USADA cannot assert control of a professional international sport and attempt to strip my seven Tour de France titles,” he said. “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.”
USADA maintains that Armstrong has used banned substances as far back as 1996, including the blood-booster EPO and steroids as well as blood transfusions – all to boost his performance.
The 40-year-old Armstrong walked away from the sport in 2011 without being charged following a two-year federal criminal investigation into many of the same accusations he faces from USADA. The federal probe was closed in February, but USADA announced in June it had evidence Armstrong used banned substances and methods – and encouraged their use by teammates. The agency also said it had blood tests from 2009 and 2010 that were “fully consistent” with blood doping.
Included in USADA‘s evidence were emails written by Armstrong’s former U.S. Postal Service teammate Floyd Landis, who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title after a positive drug test. Landis’ emails to a USA Cycling official detailed allegations of a complex doping program on the team.
USADA also said it had 10 former Armstrong teammates ready to testify against him. Other than suggesting they include Landis and Tyler Hamilton, both of whom have admitted to doping offenses, the agency has refused to say who they are or specifically what they would say.
“There is zero physical evidence to support (the) outlandish and heinous claims. The only physical evidence here is the hundreds of (doping) controls I have passed with flying colors,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong sued USADA in Austin, where he lives, in an attempt to block the case and was supported by the UCI. A judge threw out the case on Monday, siding with USADA despite questioning the agency’s pursuit of Armstrong in his retirement.
“USADA’s conduct raises serious questions about whether its real interest in charging Armstrong is to combat doping, or if it is acting according to less noble motives,” such as politics or publicity, U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks wrote.
Now the ultra-competitive Armstrong has done something virtually unthinkable for him: He has quit before a fight is over.
“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,” Armstrong said.
Lance Armstrong (center) leads the pack coming to Jack's restaurant in Pleasant Grove, Ala., Friday, April 27, 2012. (Credit: AP)
Armstrong could have pressed his innocence in USADA’s arbitration process, but the cyclist has said he believes most people have already made up their minds about whether he’s a fraud or a persecuted hero.
It was a stunning move for an athlete who built his reputation on not only beating cancer, but forcing himself through grueling offseason workouts no one else could match, then crushing his rivals in the Alps and the Pyrenees.
Although he had already been crowned a world champion and won individual stages at the Tour de France, Armstrong was still relatively unknown in the U.S. until he won the epic race for the first time in 1999. It was the ultimate comeback tale: When diagnosed with cancer, doctors had given him less than a 50 percent chance of survival before surgery and brutal cycles of chemotherapy saved his life.
Armstrong’s riveting victories, his work for cancer awareness and his gossip-page romances with rocker Sheryl Crow, fashion designer Tory Burch and actress Kate Hudson made him a figure who transcended sports.
His dominance of the Tour de France elevated the sport’s popularity in America to unprecedented levels. His story and success helped sell millions of the “Livestrong” plastic yellow wrist bracelets, and enabled him to enlist lawmakers and global policymakers to promote cancer awareness and research. His Lance Armstrong Foundation has raised nearly $500 million since its founding in 1997.
Created in 2000, USADA is recognized by Congress as the official anti-doping agency for Olympic sports in the United States. Its investigators joined U.S. agents during the federal probe, and Tygart had dismissed Armstrong’s lawsuit as an attempt at “concealing the truth.” He said the agency is motivated by one goal – exposing cheaters in sport.
Others close to Armstrong were caught up in the charges: Johan Bruyneel, the coach of Armstrong’s teams, and three members of the medical staff and a consultant were also charged. Bruyneel is taking his case to arbitration, while two medical team staffers and consulting doctor Michele Ferrari didn’t formally contest the charges and were issued lifetime ban by USADA. Ferrari later said he was innocent.
In a sport rife with cheaters, Armstrong has been under constant suspicion since the 1990s from those who refused to believe he was a clean rider winning cycling’s premier event against a field of doped-up competition.
He had tense public disputes with USADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency, some former teammates and assistants and even Greg LeMond, the first American to win the Tour de France.
Through it all, Armstrong vigorously denied any and all hints, rumors and direct accusations he was cheating. He had the blazing personality, celebrity and personal wealth needed to fight back with legal and public relations battles to clear his name – and he did, time after time.
Armstrong won his first Tour at a time when doping scandals had rocked the race. He was leading the race when a trace amount of a banned anti-inflammatory corticosteroid was found in his urine; cycling officials said he was authorized to use a small amount of a cream to treat saddle sores.
After Armstrong’s second victory in 2000, French judicial officials investigated his Postal Service team for drug use. That investigation ended with no charges, but the allegations kept coming.
Armstrong was criticized for his relationship with Ferrari, who was banned by Italian authorities over doping charges in 2002. Former personal and team assistants accused Armstrong of having steroids in an apartment in Spain and disposing of syringes that were used for injections.
In 2004, a Dallas-based promotions company initially refused to pay him a $5 million bonus for winning his sixth Tour de France because it wanted to investigate allegations raised by media in Europe. Testimony in that case included former teammate Frankie Andreu and his wife, Betsy, saying Armstrong told doctors during his 1996 cancer treatments that he had taken a cornucopia of steroids and performance-enhancing drugs.
Two books published in Europe, “L.A. Confidential“ and ”L.A. Official,” also raised doping allegations and, in 2005, French magazine L’Equipe reported that retested urine samples from the 1999 Tour showed EPO use.
Armstrong fought every accusation with denials and, in some cases, lawsuits against the European media outlets that reported them.
But he showed signs that he was tiring of the never-ending questions. Armstrong retired (for the first time) in 2005 and almost immediately considered a comeback before deciding to stay on the sidelines, in part, because he didn’t want to keep answering doping questions.
“I’m sick of this,” Armstrong said in 2005. “Sitting here today, dealing with all this stuff again, knowing if I were to go back, there’s no way I could get a fair shake – on the roadside, in doping control, or the labs.”
Three years later, Armstrong was 36 and itching to ride again. He came back to finish third in the 2009 Tour de France.
Armstrong raced in the Tour again in 2010, under the cloud of the federal criminal investigation. Early last year, he quit the sport for good, but made a brief return as a triathlete until the USADA investigation shut him down.
During his sworn testimony in the dispute over the $5 million bonus, Armstrong said he wouldn’t take performance enhancing drugs because he had too much to lose.
“(The) faith of all the cancer survivors around the world. Everything I do off the bike would go away, too,” Armstrong said then. “And don‘t think for a second I don’t understand that. It’s not about money for me. Everything. It’s also about the faith that people have put in me over the years. So all of that would be erased.”
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Comments (250)
GoodStuff
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:06amArmstrong is a loser….a cheat…and a serial adulter. Who cares?
Report Post »DrunkGOP_Hack
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:09amAnd who are you?
NO FRIGGING BODY!
GO BACK TO YOUR SHINE BOX LOSER!
Report Post »IIIcorp
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:13amUS District Court Judge Sam Sparks has stated that the USADA pursues investigations into sports figures “… acting according to less noble motives.” [5] One victim of this zealotry is Lance Armstrong, seven-time champion of the Tour de France. Although retired from the sport with a history of hundreds of passed drug tests, Armstrong is now subject to an investigation by the USADA lacking due process where the USADA refuses to disclose the names of Armstrong’s accusers and hides from accountability in federal court. [6] By contrast, United States Attorney AndrDe Birotte Jr. announced in a press release that his office “is closing an investigation into allegations of federal criminal conduct by members and associates of a professional bicycle racing team owned in part by Lance Armstrong.
Report Post »USADA a group of lawyers that are still mad at being picked last for any sport when growing up.
sillyfreshness
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:16amAnd what evidence do you have that he was doping? It’s all based on hearsay. Talk about a witch hunt.
Report Post »limalimamike
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:22amI guess you were there?
So quick to tear down American Icons, readying the masses for serfdom?
Report Post »eramthgin
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:27amWhere is the evidence. Take this into a federal court and lay this crap to rest. The USDAD or USDumbass or whatever it is will have its butt kicked to the curb. No hear say lets have the proof. Show us the Who, What, When Where and Why? All five of the “W”s is ZERO, NADA, NOTHING. This is jealousy pure and simple.
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:33amDidn‘t one of his lady’s steal this song?
Report Post »http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DohRa9lsx0Q
mydh12
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:38amAll of the top cyclists cheated. He was the best of the cheaters. Let him keep the stupid medals. Who cares?!
Report Post »Sirfoldallot
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:42am@ goodstuff – ur the losser & u have no good stuff but smurf crap.
Report Post »Paul
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:48amLet Us Not Worry About The Guy On The Bike , In The Time We Are In , All Distractions…
http://theseason.yolasite.com/
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 1:13amPhysical Competitions are Contests between Individuals designed to compare Personal Abilities… and if we cannot inhibit Performance Aides… then, the activity might as well be performed by Robots!
Report Post »sillyfreshness
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 1:25amAnd how do you know that all Tour De France cyclists aren’t doping and covering it up? Maybe they all are doping and hiding it.
At my work a few years ago, we had a guest speaker who competed with Armstrong in the 1990s. He, along with Armstrong, were doing endurance test at, I believe, University of Colorado. He said Armstrong smoked him and said Armstrong could ride full speed for like 3 or 4 times as long as he could. Armstrong’s heart is like 15% or 20% bigger than the average person. I doubt he was doping while he was in the laboratory at the U of C. I highly doubt Armstrong needed to dope as his heart has an advantage. Based on no evidence, I think Armstrong is being railroaded.
Report Post »NeoFan
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 2:16amThe sport is finished. Who could watch another race after seeing what has been done to this man after all he has accomplished? Evil is running rampant and good men are under attack from degenerates and pedophiles like good stuff.
Report Post »JACKTHETOAD
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 5:01am@PAUL – You got that right. The devil’s meat puppets are in their death throes, though either they don’t know it, or can’t believe it. Their arms are flailing away at nothing. Soon, they’ll be gone.
Report Post »MARCH4HIM
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 5:23amAnymore ,I have very little interest in sports of any kind .
Report Post »I just don’t trust anyone in any sport, the drive to be the
best at any cost is just to great .And that is my guess why
these agencies pursue every athlete that excels beyond
the norm. I’m thinking the guy who bought one of
Mark McGwires baseballs, for a million dollars ,would agree
with me.. On second thought ,maybe he wouldn’t .
Kevin The Elder
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 5:45am“It is a sad day for all of us who love sport and athletes. It’s a heartbreaking example of” fascist/communist law, where the accused is guilty until proved innocent. I think it is disgraceful for this group to carry the “U.S.” in their name. And so big brother knocks on my door and accuses me of being involved in drug dealing. I say prove it and their response is to say that because I won’t defend myself, I therefore am guilty? Talk about how ‘power corrupts’…
Report Post »anOpinion
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 5:54amWith enough time, effort, money, and distortion you can bring anyone down.
The USADA multi-year investigation goes beyond the pale; I wonder how Travis Tygart and the rest of the USADA would feel if the IRS spent this same effort analyzing income tax records of all USADA employees.
Report Post »taethne
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 6:54amHe may be a serial adulterer but until they have evidence of doping they need to shut up. Gee , we “think” you cheated, cannot prove it, but you are still guilty because we think you are guilty”? Come on, this is nothing more than foolishness.
Report Post »termyt
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:21amUSADA says to Armstrong, “You didn’t build that.”
A full, open, and legal investigation couldn’t find enough proof to continue but the USADA has some mystery evidence that it could not provide to a criminal investigation but shows clear guilt?
And the USADA gets the benefit of guilty until proven innocent. I don‘t know if Armstrong cheated or not but no one that I know of has had to go to the lengths he has to show that he hasn’t.
I guess the French were right. No American can win the Tour de France.
Report Post »ambivelentone
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 6:33pm@SILLYFRESHNESS:
Ah, the old “disprove a negative” trick. You sir are a wife beater and serial pedophile. Please prove that you are not. Thank you…
Report Post »retiredmailman
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 9:04pmCan’t put the toothpaste back in the tube. Already made millions on reputation. Trophies? I’d rather have the cash. Name the last 50 American Gold Medal winners. Passed all the test during racing years.
Report Post »WeDontNeedNoSteenkinBadges12
Posted on August 25, 2012 at 3:16amUSADA … another agency to be scrapped in the coming renewal of Liberty and Freedom in America.
Report Post »nobull14
Posted on August 25, 2012 at 8:20amWhat the American people should be looking into is who did he piss off ?, and that his medals are being stripped by a government funded Oblamo agency
Report Post »Wat Tyler
Posted on August 25, 2012 at 5:29pmIt’s like I said before.
In a world where the vast majority of athletic heroes are black, here a white hero stands out.
So the liberal Bolsheviks have set out on a witch-hunt to destroy the white hero, devoid of any real evidence other than someone’s word.
Michael Phelps, watch out. You’re most likely next on the Commie radar. They will try to get you, too.
They almost succeeded once before over his bong incident.
Report Post »DrunkGOP_Hack
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:06amTyler Hamilton and Landis…
Credible ADMITTED CHEATS!
They carried water and that is all they were ever good for.
Lance rode for one thing and one thing only. Cancer patients and survivors. He rode for others to NEVER GIVE UP!
Too many FAT, LAZY, PATHETIC AMERICANS OUT THERE THAT CAN’T EVEN MAKE IT OFF THE SOFA TO EAT AND BREATH HEAVY JUST TO WALK OVER TO THE REFER TO PORK OUT LIKE THE LIFELESS PIGS THEY ARE.
THE “GIMMIEDATS!”
YOU’RE ALL THE LOSERS!
EBT CARDS, DON’T PAY TAXES, CHEAT UP HARD WORKERS THEN WANT TO LIVE FOR FREE JUST LIKE HAMILTON AND LANDIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »Detroit paperboy
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:25amTell them to shove it…..just like Rodger Clemens did !!! This guy won 7 titles and now they wana take em back……….sorry , it’s past the statute of limitations in my book….the age of Obama, he didn’t win those races ….someone else did…..
Report Post »Winedude
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:55amI must say that the handle you have chosen for yourself is quite appropriate considering the quality of your post…
Report Post »wboehmer
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 6:30am“Lance rode for one thing and one thing only. Cancer patients and survivors. He rode for others to NEVER GIVE UP!”
You can’t be serious???
Report Post »johnjamison
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:20amWhy are our tax dollars used for any of this crap. If sports want test their athletes it’s thier responsibility,if the refute the test result it’s still their problem. We’re 16 trillion in debt and we see examples of useless tax sucking government agencies like the USADA everyday.Yet everytime they talk cuts they go straight to teachers,police,and fireman not CRAP AGENCIES like the USADA
Report Post »johnjamison
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:36am16+trillion in debt,120+ trillion in unfunded liabilities and congress was doing what attacking roger clements to draw the focus off the total disaster that both parties have created. Guess what washington it’s not working any more every tax paying hard working u.S. Citizens is learning more everyday
Report Post »soybomb315_II
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 9:17amThey NEVER produced a single shred of evidence despite Lance being the most tested rider on the tour
But the government has successfully broken the will of a guy who beat cancer and the best riders in the world 7 years straight…..
This is straight out of Atlas Shrugged. Who is John Gault?
Report Post »pdw
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 9:30amThe French again show their self love. They can say all they want but at the same time know they are the liars.
Report Post »PaxInVeritate
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 10:58amThis is how the government convicts innocent people with zero proof of guilt. Wear them down into submission.
Lance, you will always be a 7 time winner to me! I watched every win on the Tour. Refusing to fight is not admission of guilt. A very hollow win for the Jack-wagon Tygart. He will never achieve anything as great in life as your accomplishments in sports and philanthropic endeavors Lance. May God continue to blessed you in all your future enterprises.
Report Post »nobama2012yeswecan
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 11:13ammoochelle obama told us that barrak knows we have to change history,and the way we feel!!
Report Post »they are changing the way we feel about America and what it means to be American!!
Not I !!! I WILL NOT COMPLY!!!!
TheMajority
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:00pmSure. Lance is a 100% “selfless” man. He won all those titles for cancer patients only. Let me explain something to you. Nobody is that selfless, and should not be. The best achievers do it with “self interest”, and that is why the citizenry of the USA has achieved more than the citizenry of any other communist nation who wants their citizens to be 100% selfless.
As the late Ayn Rand said (who knew the difference between self interest, and selfless),
“I swear on my life, AND MY LOVE FOR IT, I will not live my life for the sake of another man, nor will I ask another man to live their life for me.”
My revision
Report Post »“I swear on my life, AND MY LOVE FOR IT, I will not live my life for the sake of another man, but retain the right to do so by free will, nor will I ask another man be “forced” to live their life for me.”
3monkeysmomma
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:14pmI‘m no fan of Armstrong’s, but this seems sooooooooooooooooo bogus.
Report Post »muffythetuffy
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 1:13pmI am a white European American. I wish Limbaugh, Beck, and Hennady would stop saying we still live in a Free Country. We do not. America is no longer a free country. We have as much freedom today as people in China and Russia. Newsweek Obama issue is still off the store shelves. Books that the Rogue Government in Washington dislike are pulled by the publisher. Films that the Rogue Government do not want seen are not distributed by film distributors. Traveling can get you arrested. Free speech will get you locked up in a mental ward at some Snake Pit. Free?
Report Post »JRook
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 2:15pmWell you got the drunk part right. With 10 individuals who rode with him lined up to testify as to his banned actions the outcome was clear. He resigned from the fight to save whatever little dignity he has left relative to this issue. Who he rode for does not change activities that may have helped his performance. Until they change the rules, they are what they are. From my vantage point, professional athletes should be able to utilize whatever methods or substances they want when training. So long as they don’t use anything while competing.
Report Post »JRook
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 2:16pm@Detroit paperboy Actually Clemens stuck through his trial and ordeal and won his case. Lance left the fight for a reason.
Report Post »maverick4harlot
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 2:23pmThe USADA has NO, NADA, ZIP, ZERO authority to strip Armstrong of anything EXCEPT his gold medal. All of Armstrongs TDF wins are under the Authority of the UCI or the International Cycling Union as it is called. ONLY the UCI can strip Armstrong of his TDF titles yet the USADA claims they have the power. Just like Obama they are over reaching their legal authority.
Report Post »landman1
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 3:53pmLance Armstrong is a winner. His remarkable record brought an obscure sport to the forefront. They should rename the race to “Tour de Lance” and thank the guy for giving these so called experts a job. Who won it this year? crickets…crickets
Report Post »PaxInVeritate
Posted on August 25, 2012 at 12:26amLANDMAN1… Bradley Wiggins won the Tour this year and the Gold Medal too.
Report Post »Kilmerfan
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:02am“The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.” Ayn Rand
Report Post »spikebu
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 1:15amYeah. The straight and narrow path just keeps getting narrower and narrower. At least the path to God is unchanging!
Report Post »magadog
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 7:26amGood post KILMERFAN…Rand rules!
Been thumbing thru the Constitution this morning (…or as the libs like to say – handling the Charmin)
Report Post »and I can’t seem to find ANY justification for the formation of a governmental agency that regulates ENTERTAINMENT ($9 million annual budget).
magadog
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 7:38amSorry…clarification to previous post:
They are a non-governmental/non-profit org that received $10 million in grants from our wallets in 2010.
Again…I’d like to choose where I spend my entertainment money. I believe that is constitutional.
Report Post »johnjamison
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:32amYou’re correct maddog,
Report Post »And to better state it No where in the Constitution does it give Congress or the government the right to allocates tax dollars for the purpose of drug testing the entertainment community. If it does then why isn’t everyone in Hollyweird being tested. As much as steriod are are athletic enhancement drugs,narcotic are performance enhancing as it allows those taking them to better live ina fantasy world. The should refer to illegal drugs as actor enhanement supplement and feild test everyone in Hollyweird.
Or abide by the Constitution and left the entertainment community regulate itself and that include the Olympics.
soybomb315_II
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 9:23amThank you Kilmerfan
I just got around to watching Atlas Shrugged yesterday. The attitude of the government against Lance Armstrong is just like in the movie. They will punish any individual excellence until we are all on equal footing (using the court of public opinion instead of evidence). Eventually, the good people and the fighters give up and leave people to their own demise….Who is John Gault
Report Post »mkw22
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 5:21pmLove it, great post.
Report Post »dadsrootbeer
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:01amLive strong my ash.
Report Post »DrunkGOP_Hack
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:21amWow – what a DAD!
Report Post »Fat loser. Hate to be your kid.
The-Monk
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:42am@DrunkGOP_Hack
Hey DrunkGOP_Hack newbie… Please collect your paycheck from the MSM and go back to collecting your welfare checks. Your Momma is waiting to wash your dirty clothes and clean up the mess you and JZS left in her basement. Can you say Sponge Bob square butt? Of course you can. If you can’t… JZS will teach you…. just like he always does, troll.
Report Post »spikebu
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 1:39am@ drunk…I believe there actually was (maybe still is) a “Dad’s Root Beer”. Not a root beer fan, but it sounds familiar. Please change your avatar. I like that state’s flag.
Report Post »DrunkGOP_Hack
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:52ammonk – really?
pathetic waste of human dung would know better, but then again you called me a newbie.
First it is NOOB. Get your words correct, you look like dope when you chastise like a moron.
Been here longer then you.
Spike – Az native so not changing a darn thing.
Report Post »Listen_then_think
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:00amThe toll it has taken on his ability to cheat on his wife then cheat on his girlfriend is enormous.
Report Post »Jenny Lind
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 3:08pmYou mght want to rethink that, considering where his cancer was, and since most of you know nothig and less than nothing of facing cancer personally, and what is does to you on a phyical and emotional level, I personaly tink his life is amazing This was a witch hunt, period.
Report Post »VoteRightDammit
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:58pmIf interested, you should read Armstrong’s entire statement.
He makes it VERY clear he did nothing wrong, but the USADA – and Travis Tygart, it’s CEO – have shown a willingness to violate any and every law & rule in their quest to “get” Armstrong. And, Armstrong has come to the point where, despite no evidence of wrongdoing, he simply cannot or will not continue to fight against the USADA, which has unlimited funds and time to fight.
Very sad a sports hero CAN be subjected to this kind of thing in America … more reminiscent of the USSR or Nazi Germany.
Armstrong’s full statement:
http://lancearmstrong.com/news-events/lance-armstongs-statement-of-august-23-2012
Report Post »Sirfoldallot
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:23amI don’t know all the facts but the 2 facts ,I know is he won 5x’s & raised allot of money 4 cancer awareness. There r so many ppl out there ready 2 strip a person of a title after the fact. He knows how much he trained so I bet he hurts inside.
Report Post »JP4JOY
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 1:31am@SFALOT
Lance won SEVEN times, you twit.
Report Post »mlcblog
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 4:27amCheater all the way around. Now he cheats us out of a confession and apology, any kind of repentance. We are just so much fodder for his ego, like his wife and girlfriends.
Report Post »soybomb315_II
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 9:24amat least the government didnt detain Lance Armstrong…..yet
Report Post »13th Imam
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 2:57pmU speakin about Bill BJ, or johnny edwards?
Report Post »avgconservative
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:55pmSo… you work all your life to be the most incredible athlete in the world in your sport… you pass doping exam after doping exam… you claim title after title, then a new governing agency arises… it has millions and millions of dollars behind them… they have a grudge against you… their pockets are deep, meanwhile the athlete’s pockets are not… they continue to harass and charge… the athlete wears down and finally gives up… THAT‘S HOW THEY DETERMINE WHETHER YOU’VE DOPED.
They‘re a freakin’ joke. The USADA are a bunch of lawyers getting paid to bring down a wonderful man.
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:06amI guess they will go after Greg LeMond next.
Report Post »Kilmerfan
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:11amThey will go after Michael Phelps next or the Beach Vollyball gals….
Report Post »spikebu
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 1:04amIt’s very reminiscent of, “We’ll bind your arms and legs and toss you in the lake. If you drown, you’re innocent! If you don’t, we’ll burn you to death for your guilt.” Armstrong didn’t drown. They’ve been burning him ever since.
Report Post »v15
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 1:26amBarry Bonds belongs in the Hall of Fame
Report Post »thop1960
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:56am@RJ
Lemond is throwing a party right now, he hates Lance and has pushed for years for investigations into the doping allegations. If anything he is part of the whole witch-hunt against Lance. He just can’t get over anyone being better than he was. USDA, France, and Lemond are all losers…
Report Post »mkw22
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 5:25pmgreat points…I say watch out Michael Phelps. Why the heck do they waste govt. money on this stuff. I absolutely hate cheating in any sport, but I think the various sports need to monitor themselves, and the govt. needs to keep there dirty hands out of it.
Report Post »FEWL
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:54pmI am glad he has said enough. How exactly do you take innocence into arbitration? Isn’t arbitration designed to favor the agency? More people need to say enough and stop playing the games that these agencies play.
Report Post »RebelRouser
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:41amthat‘s easy to say if you don’t have 7 championships on the line
Report Post »HoratiusAtTheBridge
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:54pmTRONuphisownRECTUM – What’s your deal? Got a Frenchie in the woodpile? Armstrong is a victim of the new method of character and career assassination: You only ALLEGE things. You SAY you have “proof” and that you have “witnesses”. Only, you never produce any of it and the ***** mediots parrot the ALLEGATIONS endlessly. The weak, fecal-headed people (i.e. TRONuphisownRECTUM) just love to wriggle in this stuff, seeing someone better than they can ever be get torn down. History will be Armstrong’s judge – not the USADA, not assorted ‘net tools, and not the PU**Y French who can’t stand that they got beat at racing bicycles. Guess you aim lower after the big WWII Puss-Out, right? **** You All.
Report Post »JJMcCartney-dot-com
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:52pmThis just in…USADA contends that it was not Lance Armstrong who sat atop a bicycle and rode it throughout the Tour de France from 1999 to 2005. It was all a mass hallucination by the press, all the other competitors, and the administrators of the Tour.
So let us imagine, then, that none of the other competitors in the Tour could possibly have been doing the same things Lance Armstrong was alleged to have done.
Doping has been a fairly ambiguous thing over the years. Competitors do all manner of things to try to gain any advantage they can. Be it ‘legal’ or not, the subject peddling a bicycle did, in fact, work his body to it’s limits to win. USADA seems to want to live in a parallel universe where no spitballs ever made it past the umpires in the history of baseball, no basketball defender ever faked getting charged by an offensive player, and Pete Rose wasn’t Charlie Hustle.
Oh, and Lance Armstrong faked having cancer and battling back. And Sheryl Crow was never his smoking hot girlfriend.
Oh, behold the almighty USADA…the all-knowing, all-powerful do-gooders whose only purpose in life is to go around the world proclaiming that Lance Armstrong winning was ‘no fair’.
This is just like MLB banning Pete Rose for life for betting on his team to win. Sure hope the USADA brass feel better about themselves now.
Report Post »crusaderx9
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:51pmAt the end of the day there is no actual proof because IF there were actual proof it would be revealed for all to witness. Murky innuendo by USADA and she-said/he-said allegations should be disregarded…
Report Post »Wildblue3
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 9:10amAgreed, They don’t have proof and nor do they have the authority to strip him of his titles. That‘s France’s decision, not theirs.
Report Post »billrow
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:45pmJust another agency with unlimited resources that can sue and hound someone into submission.
Report Post »drmarkr
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:42pmTygart’s FOS….they have zero authority to do anything related to his TdF titles….entirely the UCI’s purview…..
Report Post »Kilmerfan
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:41pmWhat a load of crap this is all a witch hunt. Why brother achieving anything when some snot nosed deskjockey can take it away.
Oh I guess Obama earned those titles.
Ayn Rand was right.
Report Post »DSTSS2010
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:28amThe World according to Obama: “You didn’t do that!”
Report Post »It’s not fair that some white guy has seven trophies, we need to re-distribute them!
Armstrong must have said something Obama didn’t like, so his USADA “Czars” took care of it.
Well KMA!
chicago76
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:32pmAnother witch hunt, to destroy a true american hero.
Report Post »DetritusScreener
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:31pmIs there an expiration date for witch hunts?
Report Post »chicago76
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:30pmIf they put most of the athletes in pro and olympic sports thru the same wringer that they have put armstrong thru then most of the olympic and pro athletes wound be found to be doping. Look at the major league baseball. Until thirty years ago all the dominicans were skinny back up infielders. If it wasn’t for doping there would be no Sammy Sosas. If it weren’t for doping there would be no Miguel Cabreras. Nobody bothers the real dopers, then they harass a hero like Armstrong. One more thing, isn’t it odd how all those skinny inner city kids in high school turn into giant football players in a matter of a year or two. Gee, you think they’re doping.
Report Post »muddpuddle
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:38pmits all about big government beating up on a winner…. they dont like winners
Report Post »barber2
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:58pmMUD: Not this administration. They like to “redistribute” from those who succeed and pander to those who either can’t or chose not to ! The angry . The Blamers. The entitled. The losers. The lazy. The Obama base.
Report Post »wordweaver
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:30pmI can’t watch bike racing any more with all of the doping business. It just seems like almost all of them are doing it in order to compete, and they just get better and better at staying ahead of the banned substances by abusing new ones or figuring out how to get around tests. I don’t hold with it.
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 1:56amJust the world of professional sports. They’ll find ways to get around the doping laws…Until someone is caught, then they find more ways!
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 11:20amYou actually watched bike racing at some point?
Report Post »sunnydog
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:28pmThe usda is full of ****!!!! I bet obama is behind it he will destroy everything american!!!! LANCE YOU ARE STILL A CHAMPION!! MITT ROMNEY 2012 OR BUST!!!!!!
Report Post »barber2
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:48pmAgree. The new “ changed” America – the Harry Reid “ prove you are innocent first ” approach to justice and the Lefty Lap Dog Media has left many of us disillusioned by what we read , what we hear in the media, what is adjudicated by the courts , what is supported by the ACLU, and certainly what is said by the White House. A pox rests upon all .
Report Post »ThoreauHD
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:27pmActually, the USADA is US based, and doesn’t have jurisdiction in France. It’s also a tax free non-profit, which means it runs off of donations. It also didn’t exist when Lance won the Tour de France. Put all those together and I’d tell them to go stuff it too.
Report Post »zipzap
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:20pmUSADA – another layer of what?
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:14am*****
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:29amI’ll try this again. M E R D E
Report Post »lylejk
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:19pmLance shouldn’t give up. There’s obviously no proof yet the posers in DC can do this to Lance, they can do this to anyone. Not sure if he’s guilty or not, but years after the fact and no way to proove anything, why is it this administrations business to pursue athletes about anything (except Basketball of course). November can’t come soon enough for me. :)
Report Post »Al J Zira
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:19pmAre we still kicking this can? I really thought they were done with investigating Lance and his doping. He took drug tests before and after each race just like everyone else and never tested positive. Why does this seem like a witch hunt?
Report Post »Psychosis
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:16pmnot really informative
what was the stuff he used called???
what evidence do they have ???
was this stuff illegal ??
or was this stuff just good for you and some whiny azz idiot thinks it wasnt fair he won all those races ??
i remember hearing about something he was using that let him increase his oxygen absorption, but if i recollect it was all natural, and common sense nothing remotely resembling a “ drug”
really wish this article contained some links etc but i guess i will get off my lazy bu.tt and look it up later
Report Post »downhillmike
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:42pmNot one shred of physical evidence. They “claim” they have blood tests from 09 and 10 – after he retired and no plublished results. They “claim” to have others who will testify, but the only ones they mention are lyers and cheats themselves. This is nothing but sour grapes from competitors who don’t have the same work eithic nor abilities. This is nothing but a witch hunt from government sources that only want to tear down success. Sickening!
Report Post »Psychosis
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:49pmme likey the update
thanks its quite difficult looking all that up on my phone :) thanks JASON HOWERTON !!!!!
Report Post »mlcblog
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 4:28amRead more….it’s been in the news if you want to find it.
Report Post »NOT A CRAZY
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:12pmThe USADA is a pile of crap. If they had any proof they should have done something a long time ago.
Report Post »TRONINTHEMORNING
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:20pmLance is over and out. Isn’t it wonderful? And he’s full of crap, by the way. Deal with it.
Report Post »Verceofreason
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:21pmLAnce decided it was time to stop fighting and get on with his life.
Report Post »We will never know the truth.
Most of his accusers were dopers who got caught.
MODEL82A1
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:28pmYeah, TRON, poor Lance will have to live with his tens-of-millions of dollars, tens-of-millions more raised for Cancer Research through LiveStrong, his millions of grateful fans and his successful life. You sure showed him!
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:31pm@Tron
Report Post »I hate the way they have hounded this guy for the last 15 years, now, it just goes to show, a Govt body with unlimited funds can just beat down somebody. He isn’t admitting to anything, he is just tired of paying lawyers to fight these guys. They never have gotten any evidence against him, just some hearsay. And in the grand scheme, what does it matter if he doped or not, its bicycle racing, in France. Why has the USDA spent all that money trying to get this guy.
TRONINTHEMORNING
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:41pmArmstrong is getting what he deserves. And I am gonna celebrate it on my show tomorrow.
Report Post »MODEL82A1
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:52pmTRON, You have a “Show”? Who knew? Literally.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 11:55pm“What he deserves.” Ouch.
Report Post »DrunkGOP_Hack
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:01amTRONINTHEMORNING – Celebrate all you want. You have done nothing or achieved nothing.
You help nobody, so you celebrate the fact that you are a loser in what? The internet Blogasphere?
Wow what a real human and wonderful contribution you are to yourself.
Pathetic garbage and a sad testament to yourself and yourself only.
Never heard of you never will hear you. So go relish in the fact that your a NOBODY and Celebrate your MEDIOCRITY or bask in your dimly lit little world and celebrate the fact you leave nothing for anyone to even care about.
Insignificant dried up blow fish crap is all you are and you will always suffer your own critiques of self that have kept you where you are, in that black empty hole in your chest.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:01amI meant to add a question mark to my comment as in ” what he deserves ?”
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:17amI guess I still can’t see why they spent all that money going after him, the tour de France isn’t in the US, so why are they prosecuting him, supposedly he did this in another country? Hey, why don’t we spend that money to, oh I don’t know, go after drug dealers in this country.
Report Post »Wool-Free Vision
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:19amTron, I think you are on the wrong side of this if you take a stance alongside the witch hunters. I’m not much of an Armstrong fan either, but this is a ridiculous farce.
The Austin judge was right to question the USADA’s motives, but wrong to throw out Armstrong’s case in spite of his own suspicions. What the hell good is a judge who rules against his own judgment???
This entire thing stinks, but notice who is producing all the hot air and refuses to let it die. The USADA is not doggedly pursuing this over any love of sports or fairness. On the contrary, they are motivated by their spiteful aversion to the concept of American exceptionalism. Go check out their website and you will find that this is more globalist BS. Agenda 21 crap.
I really hope you reconsider your position on this before you go to air, TRon.
Report Post »Psychosis
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:25amusually i enjoy your posts tron but i think your a bit out of it on this one
what evidence do they have ………………….none
until they do, innocent until proven guilty ( unless you approve of the reverse)
shame on you tron , and i hope you read this and rethink your position before your show tomorrow
Report Post »pudssweetie
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 12:29amWell I just think that we should all call into Trons radio show tomorrow and tie up all the phone lines. Just admit it Tron, you are jealous because you never did nor will ever achieve anything in your life, that Lance Armstrong has achieved.
Report Post »NOT A CRAZY
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 2:02amTron…Why don’t you go on your show tomorrow and tell the world how the Marine who was just detained in a communist-style psychiatric evaluation was somehow wrong to voice his opinion about this crappy B.O. administration? What is the difference between the Marine being railroaded and Lance Armstrong being railroaded. They either had proof that Armstrong broke the rules or they don’t. If they had strong proof they should have brought it out years ago. I don‘t care one way or the other about Armstrong or bicycling but I don’t like what happened here.
Report Post »johnjamison
Posted on August 24, 2012 at 8:23amTruthfully I heard Tygart was a very secretive close friend of Sandusky…..And another source told told me they had prove tygart blew goats.
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