Posted on 08/23/2012 10:18:32 PM PDT by Domandred
AUSTIN, Texas - August 23rd, 2012 - There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, "Enough is enough." For me, that time is now. 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.
I had hoped that a federal court would stop USADA’s charade. Although the court was sympathetic to my concerns and recognized the many improprieties and deficiencies in USADA’s motives, its conduct, and its process, the court ultimately decided that it could not intervene.
If I thought for one moment that by participating in USADA’s process, I could confront these allegations in a fair setting and – once and for all – put these charges to rest, I would jump at the chance. But I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair. Regardless of what Travis Tygart says, there is zero physical evidence to support his outlandish and heinous claims. The only physical evidence here is the hundreds of controls I have passed with flying colors. I made myself available around the clock and around the world. In-competition. Out of competition. Blood. Urine. Whatever they asked for I provided. What is the point of all this testing if, in the end, USADA will not stand by it?
From the beginning, however, this investigation has not been about learning the truth or cleaning up cycling, but about punishing me at all costs. I am a retired cyclist, yet USADA has lodged charges over 17 years old despite its own 8-year limitation. As respected organizations such as UCI and USA Cycling have made clear, USADA lacks jurisdiction even to bring these charges. The international bodies governing cycling have ordered USADA to stop, have given notice that no one should participate in USADA’s improper proceedings, and have made it clear the pronouncements by USADA that it has banned people for life or stripped them of their accomplishments are made without authority. And as many others, including USADA’s own arbitrators, have found, there is nothing even remotely fair about its process.
USADA has broken the law, turned its back on its own rules, and stiff-armed those who have tried to persuade USADA to honor its obligations. At every turn, USADA has played the role of a bully, threatening everyone in its way and challenging the good faith of anyone who questions its motives or its methods, all at U.S. taxpayers’ expense. For the last two months, USADA has endlessly repeated the mantra that there should be a single set of rules, applicable to all, but they have arrogantly refused to practice what they preach. On top of all that, USADA has allegedly made deals with other riders that circumvent their own rules as long as they said I cheated. Many of those riders continue to race today.
The bottom line is I played by the rules that were put in place by the UCI, WADA and USADA when I raced. The idea that athletes can be convicted today without positive A and B samples, under the same rules and procedures that apply to athletes with positive tests, perverts the system and creates a process where any begrudged ex-teammate can open a USADA case out of spite or for personal gain or a cheating cyclist can cut a sweetheart deal for themselves. It’s an unfair approach, applied selectively, in opposition to all the rules. It’s just not right.
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. We all raced together. For three weeks over the same roads, the same mountains, and against all the weather and elements that we had to confront. There were no shortcuts, there was no special treatment. The same courses, the same rules. The toughest event in the world where the strongest man wins. Nobody can ever change that. Especially not Travis Tygart.
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. This October, my Foundation will celebrate 15 years of service to cancer survivors and the milestone of raising nearly $500 million. We have a lot of work to do and I'm looking forward to an end to this pointless distraction. I have a responsibility to all those who have stepped forward to devote their time and energy to the cancer cause. I will not stop fighting for that mission. Going forward, I am going to devote myself to raising my five beautiful (and energetic) kids, fighting cancer, and attempting to be the fittest 40-year old on the planet.
How do you know the guy that finished second wasn’t doing the same thing. Or even the next ten top finishers?
He is being found guilty with no evidence.
From wiki lol:
One of the USADA review panel members selected by Tygart to consider anonymous testimony against Lance Armstrong, Minneapolis attorney Clark Calvin Griffith, in June 2012 entered an Alford plea on the misdemeanor charge of indecent exposure for exposing his genitalia to a William Mitchell College of Law female student on a street in St. Paul, Minnesota in January 2012. Griffith was sentenced to sex offender counseling in July 2012
Lance is a democrat. I don’t know what he did or didn’t do, but I do believe there should be a statute of limitations on this sort of thing.
For them to come along after 10+ years is ridiculous. They had more than enough time to prove their allegations years ago, and didn’t, or couldn’t.
I’m with Lance on this, I’d tell them to kiss my a.. and be done with it.
He is lying.. Period.
Are you saying Lance is lying?
If you are, does this look familiar to you?:
“Here’s my suggestion. Revoke all sanctions until evidence is discovered that supports the conclusions of the Freeh Report.
When evidence is finally discovered, you can put the sanctions back in place.”
Your cool with Penn State tooling along until evidence is shown.
What evidence has been shown that Lance ever cheated?
If I have misunderstood your post, disregard mine.
Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?
I think they would like to prosecute him for being a mutant, but Marvel Comics might sue for trademark infringement.
How are you 100% sure?
I’m not necessarily disagreeing....just wanting to know what evidence you have.
Just like Harry Reid knows and has witnesses that prove Mitt Romney didn’t file taxes for 10 years? Everyone who says Lance cheated needs to put up or shut up. The entire basis of the judicial system in this country is innocent until proven guilty. The founders ( and everyone else) knows you cannot prove a negative, and you cannot defend yourself endlessly against the same nebulous charges brought time and time again
Some people dont like Lance. I get that. I don’t know him personally and don’t have an opinion on that. But I have a real problem with witch hunts. our entire juatice system is at risk if anyone can be railroaded in this fashion. The government can get 10’of your neighbors to say you are running a prostitution ring out of your house. They can produce no prostitutes or customers, but dare you to prove you are not. After you succesdully defend yourself 10 times they bring the charges an 11th time.... Now how do u like the system??? Or they accuse you of treason and summarilynexecute you on the same evidence.....Now do you see the danger???
Can you ping the tdf list?
His 2009 and 2010 blood tests were doped, so there was proof. Plus ten people were coming forward to testify against him, including lots of ex-teammates.
Whatever, Loser nOOb...
8/06/2012
“His 2009 and 2010 blood tests were doped, so there was proof.”
Why was he allowed to ride, then? And could you say something about the kind of doping, and how it was discovered?
that creep has all the makings of a democratic legislator.
Let's see....an anonymous poster that signed up a few days ago who makes claims of cheating against someone but offers no evidence these assertions are true or that they acually did ride with the winner.
I think that pretty well sums it up.
Are you a dog?
Because I think on the Internet, nobody is supposed to know.
Answer: Mr. Armstrong has described himself as "middle to left". He's pro-choice, "not keen on guns", against the Iraq war, and for separation of church and state. By standards of his home state of Texas, he would be considered a Democrat.
Read more: Lance Armstrong
I don't have much sympathy for Democrats who allowed these tribunals to be created and then get burned by them.
BTW-I'm not convinced that he didn't use steroids. Just because he never got caught isn't a good indicator. That being said, trying to police drug use in sports is crazy and will never lead to "fairness". Just ask Lance.
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