I never wore one of those yellow Livestrong bracelets, but even I feel a sense of betrayal on behalf of Lance Armstrong’s supporters and defenders. At this point, Lance has been lying and building his web of lies for more than a decade, and he’s had some very high-profile supporters and defenders, people who really believed in his message and his talent. And now it’s all crap. The Associated Press, TMZ and other outlets are now widely reporting that Lance has confessed to doping to his Livestrong employees in an emotional speech, and he’s already recorded his interview/confession with Oprah, and that will air on Thursday on OWN.
Lance Armstrong ADMITTED to Oprah Winfrey … he DID use performance-enhancing drugs during his pro cycling career to win the Tour de France … this according to the Associated Press.
Lance wrapped up his one-on-one interview with Oprah just a few hours ago … and according to the report, Lance finally ‘fessed up to cheating … the first time he’s ever admitted wrongdoing during his professional career.
Earlier in the day, Lance apologized to the staff at Livestrong, choking up and saying he was sorry for letting down the organization.
The way Lance worded his admission could have serious legal ramifications — considering he’s facing possible criminal prosecution and civil liability for allegedly lying about his PED use in a number of legal proceedings.
The interview took place in Austin, Texas in a hotel room, and just before the interview, Lance gave a 20-minute speech to the 100 employees of Livestrong (Lance withdrew from the board months ago, but I guess he hopes to come back at some point). Radar’s sources say that Lance’s speech was “heartfelt and sincere” – do you buy that? I think Lance has been living with his lies for so long, he probably doesn’t even know how to tell the truth.
As for the legal ramifications – well, his “confession” to Oprah and to the Livestrong employees means that Lance could be charged with perjury – he lied to prosecutors during a deposition in 2005, and I would imagine he’s committed perjury several times since then too. But will he face criminal charges? A source tells Radar that Lance is “now talking with authorities about paying back some of the US Postal Service money from sponsoring his team… He is also talking to authorities about confessing and naming names, giving up others involved in illegal doping. This could result in a reduction of his lifetime ban, according to the source, if Armstrong provides substantial and meaningful information.” Lance is worth a reported $100 million… and I kind of think he should give EVERYTHING back.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
OK….I too think it is horrible he lied about doping but something to consider before we burn him at the stake:
1) all the elite cyclists were (probably) doping and lying about it at well (so are they gona give all their money back too?)
2) He did have cancer and recover and go on to do really amazing things and inspire many others who have fought cancer
I think as humans we want to crucify people.
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”
AMEN
Sorry, I don’t agree. He cheated someone else, someone who wasn’t doping and who instead was training his butt off trying to win, from achieving the title and everything that came with it. Someone who genuinely deserved it had it stolen from him because of a cheater and that person doesn’t get a do-over. He doesn’t get all the millions and the fame and recognition for all the hard work. Meanwhile Armstrong has been enjoying all of that for a long time.
I’m sure many of the top cyclists were doping, but I don’t think ALL were and it’s so incredibly unfair to all of those who were competing honestly. They didn’t stand a fair chance at all. It really makes all their effort, commitment and all the time they put in a waste because they couldn’t compete with someone with the advantage of doping. Plus no one knows now who could have HONESTLY won through their own work, effort and skill. Who really deserved it. That’s unfair for everyone because it’s all just a lie and a mockery of the true hard work involved by an athlete who wins through his own skill and determination.
I’m sorry he had cancer. It’s great he established a foundation to raise funds for cancer, but it doesn’t excuse what he did and frankly, seeing what a complete liar and fraud he was for so long, it makes me think he established Livestrong more to promote his own image as such a good guy, which in turn meant more speaking engagements and sponsorships for him which meant more millions in his pocket.
That picture he posted on Twitter a few weeks back lounging on the couch in front of his jerseys was, imo, just him giving everyone the finger. He lied to everyone and cheated to get what he got and now he thinks coming clean deserves some kind of pat on the back? Sorry, I don’t think so. I’ll save my sympathy for the guys who competed with integrity and had their chance to win stolen away.
Moreover, IF your going to burn him….then you might as well burn a ALL athletes (Olympic athletes too) because they are doping too. Touch downs, lightning speed, championships- it gets buts in seats. This is a business and money as it does in politics- run through its veins and creates chaos and corruption.
Ordinarily I would agree but I think he is a true disgrace. To say everyone else was doing it is no defence and surviving cancer does not make you a saint. This is a man who shamelessly and publicly lied, actively sought out and threatened his critics and those intent on exposing him. He took legal action against people and publications that printed derogotory comments about him and received huge payouts as a result. This is a PR move and he’s only coming clean now because he’s been caught.
+ 1. I don’t feel sorry for the guy.
When someone confesses after they’ve been basically convicted and punished, it really carries no weight with me. He’s basically telling everyone what they already know. He should have confessed a long time ago. Just like some of his teammates did.
+2
+1. You are absolutely right. I’m glad that he finally confessed, but he should not be praised for finally doing the right thing…
Bingo. He’s a dirt bag. This confession came after years of kicking and screaming.
I agree 1000% with Suzy From and Sub!!! He’s just “confessing” because he can’t get away with the lies anymore. I’m sorry he had cancer but so does millions of other people and from what I read Livestrong does NOT donate their money to research, this foundation was just a platform for Armstrong to he in the public eye in a positive light and get more endorsements and speaking engagements. He’s not only a disgrace to the sports community but to all surviving cancer patients. He should return ALL the money!!!
The whole “everyone was doing argument” is lame. He knew what he was doing, he was an adult and made a choice. Now that choice has come back to cost him.
Evidently the doping started before he was diagnosed with cancer. Leading to speculation that the doping may have played a role in his developing cancer.
Agreed. Since it was testicular cancer specifically, I’d bet a lot of money the doping agents played a part in the development of the cancer. This is a very reasonable conclusion to come to if you know anything about endocrinology.
I don’t believe in karma, but if I did I’d be pointing at that. I do believe in cause and effect, though…
I hear you but…I still don’t have an ounce of sympathy for the guy. Yes, others have cheated but their doping can’t compare to Lance’s entire campaign of fraud and intimidation, which ruined people’s livelihoods and lives.
As people have said, it’s not about the doping, it’s about the lying.
And yes he created a foundation to support cancer patients but if you believe the real cynics, he created it as a “smokescreen of goodwill” for his doping and lies. Hoping that the charity he generated would carry him through the scandal. It’s hard to fathom but not implausible given everything else that’s come out about him.
I’d like to believe that we as humans don’t really enjoy crucifying people. But I think Lance’s downfall is of his own making and seeing how much he profited from pure lies and utter meanness I’m glad it’s finally been exposed.
I guess what I’m saying is that he should pay the price for doping and lying. No doubt.
But it feels like when they used to put adulterers in the public square and stone them.
If feels wrong somehow to publicly stone someone and humiliate them. Heaven forbid we make bad choices one day.
I don’t know when I became so preachy 🙂
Lying like this, when literally everybody knows you’re lying, and holding onto your lies, is what disturbed nine-year-olds and Bill Clinton do. It’s terribly embarrassing for everybody. And then by the time you stupidly realize the jig is up and come clean, everybody’s already too disgusted with your stupid ass so you won’t get any credit for finally telling the truth. Ego-ridden idiot.
Momoftwo, it’s all good food for thought. Like I said, I hear you. This one case is just so egregious.
As far as us making bad choices…it’s hopefully examples like Lance — including the public humiliation — that will make people think twice before doing something illegal or immoral or both.
He cast the first stone by suing ppl who accused him of doping, impeaching the credibility of ppl whose conscience provoked them to come forward, forcing others on his team to dope and threatening them not to come forward, and even recently, accusing those whose job it is to mete out doping as having vendettas. If he is willing to cast stones at people who are blameless, why not hold him accountable when he is guilty?
Cancer doesn’t make someone into a saint. Even a-holes get cancer.
Livestrong is NOT for cancer research. It is to raise “awareness” and it has a huge overhead, most of it being spent on itself to advertise, the rest for lawyers.
Lance Armstrong ruined peoples cycling careers, tainted legends like LeMond, and sued anyone and everyone that told the truth.
Apology not accepted. Go away, Lance. You suck.
+1 well said.
wow you just hit the nail on the head
Agreed, momoftwo. I think he needed to be brought to this position, although what I read is that he did not actually confess anything to the Livestrong people. We’ll see what he said to Oprah.
But once he’s been disgraced and paid his penance, including all the legal ramifications, he’s probably suffered enough, given his cancer.
I agree. If he is couching is apology to avoid any words that can get him in legal trouble then you know he isn’t even .0001% sincere. Which we already knew anyway. He is a lyling sack of sh*t for all the reasons everyone on here has discussed.
Sure ‘everyone’ was doing it. The thing is nearly all the cyclists from that era who finished in the top 15 from those tours have confessed, failed tests, been suspended and had results taken away (and yes, some had to give back the race winnings)
So I think expecting the same out of someone that lied and lied and lied and pressured other people to lie is the least the SOB can do.
1. Surviving cancer and because everyone else is doping doesn’t give you a free pass to lie for so long and accept all that money, fame, and respect.
2. Suzy is right. Those athletes that didn’t dope do not get a do over. Their chance is lost.
3. And this is more of a personal pet peeve..His LIVESTRONG charity is for cancer awareness. Much like the Susan G. Koman Foundation. Cancer awareness does not necessarily donate money to actual cancer research. Just spreading the word and paying themselves well for doing it. Although, LIVESTRONG is better in the sense it’s a great resource for healthy living and training advice. That’s my rant.
Another misconception — the Livestrong site that offers training info/advice is separate from the foundation. Lance & Co licensed out the name. Greed wins again.
Thanks esmon. So, now there’s nothing i like abut that charity. It uses the word Cancer to open wallets and not much else.
That is my biggest pet peeve with a lot of these celebrity-driven trusts and foundations. U2 is another big offender there. Awareness does not mean any money is going into research and development or to treatment, or even to help those suffering or their families. It makes me crazy. And I have thought he was a big douche since he dumped his wife who saw him through his cancer for Sheryl Crow. Cancer and the “everyone was doing it” defence mean nothing to me in the face of the years and years of benefitting from lies and cheating.
“Let him without sin cast the first stone” is overused and misunderstood. Yes, forgiveness was the key. But the bible also talks about justice, i.e. for anyone who hurts a child, it would be better that they be bound and thrown in the sea. Plus, it doesn’t give license for people to do wrong things and think no biggie, I’ll be forgiven. As for Lance, I think he’s already gotten too much attention.
God’s, forgiveness or ours?
Sorry, but Lance Armstrong is borderline sociopathic. Read about the smear campaigns he launched to discredit journalists, athletes, and cycling professionals who inquired about his doping. He’s ruined careers to save his own skin and protect his multi-million dollar endorsements, not to mention strong armed reluctant cyclists on his team to dope as well. And he’s manipulated people like you into thinking he’s a sympathetic character.
http://www.sott.net/article/252714-Cyclopath-Is-Lance-Armstrong-a-corporate-psychopath
Thanks for the link. Reading that gives me the same feeling I get when reading about narcissim and thinking about Halle Berry. You feel that their picture is posted beside the definition in a dictionary. Same for Lance.
agreed, the doping itself is not that bad, it what he did to continue and cover up the doping. Unfortunately most people don’t take the time to read up on that and so they may “forgive” by an admission on Oprah. I’m sure if Oprah brought all this up this is something he will STILL deny.
Definitely BRE. I have sympathy for Ben Johnson but NONE for Armstrong.
He’s not borderline sociopathic, he is a fully-fledged sociopath. Fits the profile to a T.
One of the side effects of doping is TESTICULAR CANCER….I think this guy is a classic sociopath who is still perpetrating his sociopathy on the public at large. He belongs behind bars.
I can’t stand this asshole. The fact that my ex-husband has long been a fan should have tipped me off!!!
Yeah Minnie, that sounds about right.
Did you know that he sued, threatened and ruined future job possibilites for people speaking (what we now know to be) the truth? I hope they all now sue the hell out of him. Google Mike Anderson.
he got cancer because he was doping
Something you should know:
Doping CAUSES the kind of cancer he had. So it was totally ironic and very clever that he used the symptom of his doping, the cancer, to promote his brand.
It might be easier to forgive him if he hadn’t signed a contract stating he would not use performance enhancing drugs. He signed the contract so he would be sponsored by the USPS, so he basically took millions of taxpayer dollars for his sponsorship and signed a contract, and then wiped his butt with it. Then, he turned around and threatened people who wanted to be truthful about what they as a team were doing.
If it were Lance on his own, whatever, but he dragged a lot of people into this with him.
Not to mention, there is more than likely zero sincerity in his admission/apology since it is probably self-serving so that he may be able to save Livestrong, or whatever other financial endeavors are being effected by this scandal.
There are other people who deserve our approval more than this ass hat.
Sorry, don’t buy your reasoning.
Now whether he got cancer from doping or whatever is beside the point.
Many other people have cancer and get through it. That’s the point, and those other people don’t deceive millions of fans or companies paying significant sponsorship dollars. He is a liar and a cheat.
He is basically a disgraced professional athlete and he is trying to maintain his hold by gaining as much media attention possible.
What’s next? Probably a book and a zillion dollar advance.
His ego, wait, his narcissism cannot tolerate the idea of a life away from the spotlight.
This is the man who resorted to name calling a woman (telling the world that she was attractive enough, etc) names because she testified about his drug taking.
He is a loathsome man. I feel sorry for his children.
There is no justification for what he did and Oprah should not have really bothered, but her own colossal ego can’t handle it. She too needs the media attention for network. They both deserve each other.
I certainly hope that no one buys this aweful publicity ploy and that Lance is somehow forgiven for whatever reason. I believed in and defended this guy for years. I thought the French were anti-American for criticizing him. He is just evil- he has hurt and bullied so many people in his desire for dominance. I don’t believe for a second he is sorry, not even a little bit. He’s shocked and saddened that he’s being held accountable. But he’s not sorry. It’s the thief who is sorry for getting caught, not for the theft. Gross!
Exactly.
He didn’t just dope and lie about it. He bullied and pursued legal action against those who tried to expose his doping activities. He was successful in concealing his actions for so long because of his wealth and aggressive strategy. He ruined innocent (and truthful) people. And, it is obviously that he is only “confessing” because he has to and it is in his own personal self interest. I hope people don’t buy into his BS. He deserves the public condemnation. I used to be a supporter, because I didn’t think someone who was lying would go to such great lengths to defend himself. Now I realize how naive I was, and what a POS Lance Armstrong really is.
Amen to that. I understand people dope and lie about it and that he did a lot for cancer research. But he also tried to destroy and discredit his accusers over the years. He did do amazing things but he also did some pretty horrible things too. I don’t think one cancels out the other.
He actually didn’t do as much for cancer research as you might think. Research isn’t part of LiveStrong’s mission now and hasn’t been for years. Cancer “awareness” is their goal, and much of the $$$ raised by LiveStrong in recent years went toward marketing–of their mission, yes, but also of Lance himself. It’s a tangled web he wove.
Completely agree. Its not just the lying, its the bullying of innocent people and the ruining of so many lives in continuing his lies. Its incredible what he did for cancer research but he is a scumbag who walked over so many people.
agreed.
This! No way does he deserve a pass on this. He not only cheated and lied, he viciously attacked and maligned others! Incidentally, according to CNN, he is not liable for perjury because the statute of limitations has run out already but he will be open to civil litigation. The man is a sociopath and deserves to be punished, an empty apology is meaningless at this point.
He was a denial king. companies will start filing lawsuits against him then. it must have been a very heavy burden to carry, at least he took the courage to admit finally. he can start getting good sleep at least after this.
What courage does it take to confess when you are caught red-handed? None.
Yes. The ONLY reason he is confessing is because he’s been backed into a corner.
Exactly.
He’s safe from pergury prosecution since the statute of limiations in TX is three years, but he’s not entirely off the hook…
Is this where the perjury took place? This breaks my heart even more. I was hoping he had had a cathartic break-through and would atone for his sins but if what you say is true, it just means he waited until he couldn’t be punished in any real sense making his motivation for confession opportunism and not remorse.
I am so saddened by this entire thing. My brother, a cyclist, is destroyed.
Also, cheating when other people are cheating is still cheating. And, yes, everyone found to have won while cheating should have to return their prize money. I have also read that he ran people off his team because they refused to dope.
What bugs me is not that he doped, but that he was so adamant about how there was a witch hunt against him for no reason. I used to follow him on twitter and he would talk about getting woken up to do a drug test and flippantly saying that he had never failed one, all the while he new he was doping. It is the constant lies and arrogance about his “purity” that pisses me off.
And the fact was, he HAD failed tests that the team physician had to scramble to cover up. His entire career was a lie. And he just couldn’t shut up – he had to keep yapping out his lies. Ugh. SO disappointing.
Wonder how much he got paid to confess to Oprah on National TV?
I remember reading somewhere $10 million. I would love it if Oprah called him out on his crap rather than try to help redeem him. She tore into that author James Frey for falsifying stuff in his memoir and that is peanuts compared to what Lance has done.
But I have a feeling she will anoint herself as Forgiver in Chief. Plus he wouldn’t have agreed to an interview with a hostile party, I’m sure, lol.
Rumor has it Oprah did not even ask him if he had ever doped in the interview.
World’s biggest creep. He’s only confessing because he’s become a pariah and wants to salvage his ego.
Anyone who has interest in this story should read “The Secret Race” by Tyler Hamilton. He is another elite doper – ALL of the elite cyclists in the 90s/00s were dopers, apparently – but it does give a lot of perspective about what was going on at the upper echelons of the sport.
Also, Lance is apparently a grade-A douchebag who aggressively intimidates anyone who challenges him in any way. I don’t think it’s my part to “forgive” him – I mean, he didn’t hurt me personally and, frankly, I don’t much care – but I do think this interview is self-serving, like everything else he has done. But America loves a comeback story – this is step 1 to getting him there.
Second this. That is a very good account of elite cycling in the Armstrong era, and really brought home to me how much Armstrong’s teammates and competitors were pawns in the corrupt structure created by Armstrong and the governing bodies.
I had a much better understanding afterwards of how doping happens in sports and how athletes get involved in it.
Armstrong really is one of the greatest deviants in sporting history. It’s astonishing the influence he had and how callous his use and abuse of everyone around him. He has spent the past 20 years of his life, at least, hurting many people very badly.
He has always been, and will forevermore be, a lying, cheating, arrogant loser. If he really cared about cancer families, and helping them, he’d 1) never have cheated, 2) never have gone after people who accused him of cheating, 3) confessed earlier when it mattered, 4) never have put the people Livestrong was supposed to help at risk. Instead, he’s doing this now for the same reason he’s done everything: to help HIMSELF. He’s still the same selfish, cheating prick he’s always been. Cheated on his wife and girlfriends, cheated at work.
He strikes me as being an altogether horrible person.
1. He doped and denied it.
2. He forced his teammates under pressure to dope and deny it.
3. He cheated on his wife who supported him in the toughest fight of his life, cancer. Then dumped her.
4. When rumours started swirling around about the doping he blamed everyone else around him. He adamantly stated that it was a witch hunt. Once again he lied.
5. He took sponsorship money under utterly fraudulent circumstances, making himself a very rich man by lying.
6. He’s turned Livestrong into nothing more than a stage for his narcissism as I understand that much of the money has not gone into cancer research – mostly into his own pockets I imagine.
So his so-called confession to Oprah is basically “closing the barn door after the horse is out”, a shameless manouevre to garner some sympathy out of the mess he’s made of his life. What a rat.
Dude makes Tiger Woods look like a saint.
Lol I agree!
I read somewhere he is only confessing so he can compete again- not in cycling but in Triathlons. He wants to prove he is this star athlete again. This so called confession is a PR move. Cheryl Crow dodged a bullet
I don’t care that he doped. Straight up.
He still had to get his ass on that bike and ride it thousands of miles all over the place. And that is something that I and many of you could not do.
Millions of people get on their bikes and ride thousands of miles. Amateurs, pros, recreational cyclists. Many arguably work just as hard as Lance with zero recognition.
Lance pocketed millions and millions of dollars and made himself a household name…while self-righteously lying his ass off. I don’t care that he doped either. That is just the very tip of the very ugly iceberg.
+1
Sorry FeverDream, I would rather save my admiration for, say, the unsung heroes of Doctors without Borders, my dentist who spends his vacation providing free services to people in developing and third-world nations, my friend who became a paraplegic last year, but who still gets out of bed and goes to work everyday.
Yes, Armstrong was an elite athlete in a competitive sport, but he doesn’t deserve extra credit for doing what he clearly loved to do. Win. At all costs.
I guess we’re all just jealous.
Say what? You have got to be joking
Palermo, I guess sarcasm is hard to put into print! I was responding to FeverDream. lol
Yes, he did do that. That was HIS JOB. His career choice which made him millions in sponsorhip $$. And he did it while doping which is not allowed in the sport. Other cyclists like Ian Ulrich were banned from the sport for life…why should Lance be any different? Dude is a hyper-competitive athlete who wants to win at all cost. He also wants the money, fame and adulation that go along with it. He’s had a great ride which is now over thanks to his own crappy decisions. Poor Lance…he rode a bicycle for thousands of miles and others can’t…
I work with someone who is an avid cyclist. He cycles across Canada with a group every summer to raise money for a children’s cancer foundation (over $200,000 was raised last summer). So there are plenty of people who are getting their asses on bikes and cycling for less self-serving reasons than Armstrong.
And he destroyed the reputation of the sport, good on him. And what about the legions of fans who idolized him, what message did he send them? I don’t care how many hemorrhoids he has his lack of integrity is his undoing.
He had/has plenty of help destroying the sport. I’m not suggesting that EVERYONE who cycles dopes… but enough for it to be a major, major problem.
Nicole Cooke – a top woman cyclist – recently retired and spoke about the hugely damaging effect doping has had on the sport:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/jan/14/nicole-cooke-drugs-retires
Yeah, I bet he’s so, so sorry.
That he got caught.
wow…a pro athelete admitting to using PEDs?
shocker. and also? douche.
Plus I think he thought they were bluffing and that they would never take away his titles or that so many would turn against him. If it hadn’t come to this point I doubt he would ever have confessed.
Plus I think he’s only doing it now because people are telling him it’s his only strategy now to try to save face and remake his image. Personally I don’t think he stands a chance, but then again a lot of people will think he’s so brave for finally coming clean.
He has no integrity and I have no respect for him at all. I feel sorry for his children who have to live with that legacy.
So, are they going to declare new winners for all of his races?
All of the other top finishers were doping as well. I don’t think they will declare anything.
lol please! heartfelt and sincere?
hes a little sociopath! if not a total narcissist! his web of lies is falling apart, hence the desperate attempt at salvaging whats left of his image.
i fail to have any empathy for narcissists.
Someone said this in a number website and I thought it was very apt about Lance and the whole doping issue.
Number 23 was not flashy, he did not have the whole nation cheering him on, he did not have a Hallmark story of being a cancer survivor, he was not a golden boy for several brands. Number 23 was not a celebrity, he was not a hero, he was not a symbol. Number 23 was simply a guy who trained, who put in the time and effort, who paced himself and planned out how to bike the race. Number 23 was Number 23 because Numbers 1-22 were all using illegal substances, Number 23 finally quit yesterday.
Let’s just say when ‘everyone’s doing it’ the people who aren’t, who are actually accomplishig something, get treated like they’re nothing and move on from competitions they’ll never fairly win.
If anyone out there is a tax paying US citizen you should care, he recieved over $30 million from the US government for his USPS team, which mean we were funding high priced doping team, he also threatened other cyclists and members of the National Doping agency, 60 Minutes Sports had a great interview with the head of this agency, Lance and the team doctor also made sure that any cyclists that wouldn’t take drugs didn’t have a spot on the team. Absolutely no sympathy for the man.
If it’s any consolation I think the USPS is pursuing legal action against him, too.
The USPS does get some taxpayer support. Around $96 million is budgeted annually by Congress for the “Postal Service Fund.” These funds are used to compensate USPS for postage-free mailing for all legally blind persons and for mail-in election ballots sent from US citizens living overseas. A portion of the funds also pays USPS for providing address information to state and local child support enforcement agencies.
He’s past the statute of limitations.
I don’t feel bad for him at all…word in Austin (and from people I know who have met him) all say he is a narcisistic douche. Not to mention the fact that one of the side effects of doping is cancer. So basically, he is a lying jerk who cheated with drugs that most likely gave him cancer and then he makes millions off it. He really should go to jail for perjury and I think coming out with it now shows the kind of person he is. He is coming out with the hope that his reputation can be salvaged and he can compete again. That’s it. Not because it’s right or because he has defrauded people. Ugghhh! What a jerk!
Is it wrong that I find him kind of hot? He’s got really nice eyes.
Interesting question. Did you find him hot BEFORE the doping scandal?
😉
Lance Armstrong is the worst kind of liar. A megalomaniac doper who hid behind a charity and sought to destroy anyone that got in his way.
Now after being exposed as a fraud he’ll shed a few tears on Oprah’s couch prior to becoming a snitch.
He doesn’t deserve any kind of break. He has lied and cheated and bullied his way through the last ten years. Yes, his charity will suffer but that charity was built on lies because the whole thing is predicated on how he came back to win the Tour de France so many times after he beat the cancer. Yet he won those races because he was doping so it completely defeats the purpose. Michael Vick, despite his despicable crimes, was able to come back. Ray Lewis, despite being tried for murder, was able to come back. Lance Armstrong is done and should remain that way. He’s sorry ONLY because he got caught and he’s confessing now because every single prosecutable instance of perjury is beyond the seven year statute of limitations and he knows it.
He only admitted this because it’s to his advantage now. The man is a cheat, a liar and I don’t care if everybody else was doing it, doesn’t make your doing it right. He threatened to kill people who “told on him”. His first wife helped him through cancer treatment and he dumped her. He accepted millions of dollars that he didn’t deserve. He’s trash.
This x1000. He is a liar, a cheat and a bully. I’m disgusted by him and won’t ever support him again. I had his back all these years and said how the French were bullying him and to leave him alone. It’s a slap in the face to all his supporters, sponsors and fans.
The ones I feel sorry for are the athletes that worked their butts off & came in behind him when they deserved to win.
He’s gross.
He didn’t admit it cause he was sorry….he did it to repair his image. Check it out here….http://comfychairastrology.blogspot.ca/2012/11/the-myth-of-lance-armstrong.html
Agree! No one’s buying it. His image is beyond repair.
Lying, money grubbing bastard. I hope they clean him out with lawsuits, in particular those whom he sued for accusing him of doping and had to settle to avoid going broke.
He’s only sorry he got caught, that’s it. If he hadn’t been exposed he’d still be cashing in. As for casting stones, stones or no stones doesn’t excuse his behavior. YOu know when people are truely sorry when they amend the situation. In this case, it would be a public (real) apology AFTER giving back all the titles and money that came with those titles. I don’t think we’ll ever see that one. Perhaps Lance should hook up with Lilo for a lying, I did’nt mean it, it’s not my fauly LiLance party.
I don’t know that there’s anything he can do to redeem himself at this point. He’s a huge disappointment.
i wrote this guy off years ago as a scumbag after he left his first wife.
I did as well. However, people gave me such a hard time stating what a great role model he was, how fabulous that he won 7 TDF’s blah blah blah. I stood up for myself and insisted that he had to have some help. When he was nailed with the doping for the first time, I agreed. People refused to believe me. I could tell something was just not right with him. His arrogance basically spoke volumes. He was hiding it back then. I’m having the time of my life right telling people, “I f***ing told you so” to his worshipers. This man is a total disgrace, sleazebag, and liar. Suddenly Tiger Woods’ fiasco pales in comparison. Is he apologizing just because he got caught? 20 minutes of explaining himself is supposed to make up for a decade or more of lying, cheating and stealing people’s money and faith in him? (Buy stealing—I mean getting money in a law suit against a paper saying he was doping himself and he won) How many people had to stick up for him, only to now have egg on their face? And then..why Oprah for heaven sake? He should have done a 60 Minutes or had a press conference instead of speaking to her. She did it for ratings I’m sure.
That was my first big red flag, too. My cyclist husband acted like it was blasphemy to even question Lance’s story/motives. He defended him for WAY too long.
When my husband finally saw the light with the USADA findings I realized that shit had just gotten real for Lance.
I hope that his reality is more heat from various organizations. I do not know the whole story, but I am guessing he has his name (or had his name) attached to many products/businesses. I hope he gets dropped from every-single-one of them.
ME TOO!!! I can never believe that this awful scum bag that would leave a gorgeous young wife and three kids under the age of 7 could be a hero. I always saw him for what he was. the worst kind of man. so, a man that runs out on his wife and kids is a big hero becaue he can ride a bike really, really fast. well, karma is a bitch isent it? couldnt happen to a nicer guy.
What a pathetic role model. Lied not once, but many, many times. He represented so much to many. I cannot even look at this man anymore. I hope he feels shame. What a disappointment of a man he is.
Wonder if this was why he and Sheryl Crow broke up? I was always suspicious of the break up because they seemed perfect for each other, maybe she found out about the doping?
She knew about the doping and I don’t think she cared. He dumped her because that’s what he does.
shut it, douchestrong.
That is just awesome. Laughing out loud at my desk at work. Comment of the day!
Haha, I second the awesomeness of this post! I avoided this story for years, but the more I learned about it, the more disgusted I became. I knew he was preparing to confess when he “gave up” defending his name. Who stops trying to clear themselves if they are truly innocent? And it’s not like he doesn’t have the resources or the exposure to continue fighting. I have none of that, but I would go broke and in debt to clear my name if I was innocent. And I don’t know too much about Livestrong, but I am skeptical of orgs that have huge administrative costs.
Somewhere Sheryl Crow is breathing a sigh of relief…
You guys are giving Sheryl way too much respect. She’s a freaking miserable excuse for a human being.
She knew about it and believe me, Ms. Crow is not as nice as you ladies would like to believe. Also, she should shower more, she smells.
Watch this and then tell me how much you believe this guy. He’s been lying for years. No credibility and I think everyone should ignore him so he can fade into obscurity. What an egotistical asshat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zad68VOxr8g
This guy is so full of himself and a liar and I can’t stand him.
I’m not going to get into what I think if doping because it doesn’t matter here what matters is that he needs to go to jail for perjury.
Why? Because they sent Marion Jones to jail for the exact same thing. And I would like to think that a white man will be treated the same for the same crime as a black woman.
Period.
+1!!!!!
Lance-cheats on his women, and he cheats in his cycling. Total douchebag loser; don’t let the door hit you on the a– as you leave the trophy room, Lance!
Whatever. He raised more than $300M for cancer research. It’s hard to overlook that.
Not true. His foundation has been focused on “awareness” and has given very little to research. But he is happy to let you go on thinking that if it will help his cause.
Really????? Where did you get this information? Do you have concrete proof of this? Doubtful!
here’s one article I found. Before all of this came about it was questionable as to where the money was going…
http://ksj.mit.edu/tracker/2013/01/outside-where-do-donations-lance-armstro
This wouldn’t be happening if the athletes weren’t so overpaid,it would take away the incentive and it would be all about the sport!
@gekkca…thanks for the information. When I said the “doubtful” remark, I was directly replying to the infamous $300 million remark made by Adrien. I totally agreed with Esmom.
Until Adrien can show concrete proof that he raised $300 million I still call him a disgrace and a sham.
Gotcha. 🙂
His eyes are wonky…he is always looking at 2 different things at the same time! ;P
I am sorry but being a Christian I must even say … i have nooooo sympathy for him ….
I remember he gave an interview on whether or not he believed in God his answer was and I quote ” if there was a God i would still have both nuts”
Now anyone who knows anything about cancer and hormones knows that Steroids and synthic hormones for sure cause cancer ….. So saying that there is no God because you developed cancer by being horrible to your own body is laughable …
I am sorry anyone develops any disease this day and age without a cure … however I neither have much sympathy for chronic smokers or alcoholics who develop cancers or who’s bodies fail them because you knew better…..
He did an interview for Larry King and he admitted to knowing that steroids cause cancer and that is why we should believe he would never use because why would he do that to his body again… LIE LIE LIE ….. It is in fact about the LIE people not the doping …. Look anyone who knowingly puts a cancer agent in your body to win a few races and some millions is CRAZY …..
You can only do bad for so long as i always say .. God hears the cries of those who have been mistreated and wronged and believe me he can ALWAYS get them back better than we can ….
I remember I stopped caring anything about him when he was on Oprah and was totally against have any more kids .. he had been with Sheryl Crow 3 years … she desperately wanted children of her own .. he said no no no ….. he later dumped her and had 2 babies with another woman …. my thing is he is an all around BUTT … and everyone knows that … not only did he cheat and lie but he was just not a good person …. He is MORALLY CORRUPT … to say the least ….
intimidating witnesses and suing people for telling the truth about him …. I am all for forgiveness and such … however I respect people who come forward out of their own guilt not to serve themselves well ….
Like i said the Lord has his way of bringing you down to your knees … even if you do not believe in him … woe to anyone who exalts himself higher than he should …
Sermon over LOL *the doors of the church are now open*
LOL
Well stated. Although I’m not a Christian, I too am religious. Forgiveness is a virtue, but one who doesn’t truly repent doesn’t deserve forgiveness. Expecting to be forgiven by just saying “sorry” when 1) you’ve been forced to do it and 2) all of your actions and everything you’ve said have indicated the exact opposite demeans and cheapens the concept of forgiveness.
CHOOSING to dope so you can win fame and fortune and suffering from a well-documented ADDICTION such as alcoholism are two entirely different matters and should hardly be thrown into the same bucket of judgmentalism.
I’ve also seen LieStrong and LiveWrong.
And may I be the first to nominate Jamie Bamber for the role of Lance in the movie?!
This guy doesn’t get once ounce of sympathy or “forgiveness” from me. Yes, everyone makes mistakes, but he lied about his over, and over, and over. He tried to destroy Floyd Landis when Landis was caught doing the same thing and was forced to implicate Armstrong while being questioned. And he continually trashed and mocked USADA officials — who were, after all, doing their *jobs* in trying to expose him, even if they were “petty little bureaucrats,” as he called them.
I read a piece in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal describing his meeting with the USADA head, Tygart, that took place last week, I think? He was basically trying to get Tygart to agree to the possibility of no charges in exchange for Armstrong confessing. When Tygart wouldn’t play, Armstrong sneered at him and basically said “screw you.” I think his exact words were “I don’t need you to redeem me; I’ll write my own redemption story.” The way the story was written, it was clear either Tygart or someone very close to him gave the WSJ the story. The whole story made me sick, as it was very clear that Armstrong is still over-inflated with privilege and entitlement.
In any case, Armstrong not only cheated, lied about it, took sponsor and taxpayer money (through sponsorship of the team) under false pretences, he has and continues to be completely arrogant and truly unrepentent about it. So I hope they slam him to the wall for this.
Oh, and that “everybody else does it” excuse? Nobody who was truly repentent about what they did would say that, and that shouldn’t cut any ice with people. Those “everybody elses” are wrong and should be punished, too.
Interesting to read all your thoughts on this. I am married to an avid cyclist. My husband was neither surprised not really upset at the whole doping scam revelations that started coming out a few years ago with Tyler Hamilton and Levi Leipheimer and the rest. My husband sees cycling as a scapegoat for all other sports where drug testing is either sketchy or non-existent. His logic is that in a sport when EVERYONE is doping – which he and most cycling-aware people believe – it should just be assumed and people can either love or hate that fact. He is glad that more doping protocols are/will be in place as a result of all the scandals, but he and other savvy cycling fans will always question the legitimacy of the races/racers and outcomes. Fans of the sport will watch it regardless, and my husband is one of them.
I disagree with him. I can’t watch cycling anymore, and I used to love it. I think the whole sport is farcical at this point, and the only “excitement” is the daily testing results and seeing who stays and who gets caught.
Both my husband and I are heartsick for all those who so strongly believed in Lance and his personal mythology of being a hero. Neither of us believe in sports heroes, so we were not personally affected; however, from the cancer survivor standpoint it’s sickening to us and pretty much everyone. No one should look to human beings for their heroes. Only God and Christ are perfect. Even Ghandi and Mother Teresa were imperfect as every human is, and as every human forever will be.
One final thought: Both my husband and I think Lance is a huge egomaniac with a god complex and a level of narcissism that is so big it should be studied by scientists and therapists. He is capable of anything to protect his image. Look up Betsy Andreu and see what he did to her and to her husband, his former friend and teammate. Absolutely inexcusable.
I’m really interested in what he has to say to Oprah, but I have no expectations of anything but a rehearsed semi-admission of guilt carefully calibrated so as to prevent lawsuits. I WISH he’d go on there and admit everything, and say he was doing it because of his family and especially his children who need to know their Daddy screwed up, but tried his best to make it right, no matter the consequences. But that’s a pipe dream.
Forgot to add that a photographer friend of mine shot him for an ad campaign a few years back, and said Lance was… difficult. Raise your hand if you’re surprised. 🙂
http://turelillegraven.com/www/#/gallery/portfolios/commissions/7