Lance Armstrong

[Landshark]

Not sure why he is giving up fighting these charges.  Any thoughts?

[Phishfan]

I'd say he isn't fighting it because he is guilty.

[CF DolFan]

I'd say he isn't fighting it because he is guilty.

I don't get that at all. In fact I have said before that I was surprised he continued to fight it. Even if he is guilty, I really don't care anymore. I mean he never failed a test in almost 15 years yet he was constantly defending himself. He was in a no-win situation even if he is found innocent as they just keep coming back with something else. 

"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," he said in a statement released Thursday. "I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair."

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

[Pappy13]

Because he can't win. Even if he ended up winning, no one will believe him anyway just like Clemons. People have already made up their minds. Besides, the USDA can't really take his 7 tours away from him, they don't have the authority. I think the tour organizers want this to go away as much as Lance does and they won't take his tour wins away.

[mecadonzilla]

After a dozen or so people came out to testify he had been cheating, he had to give up the fight.  Charade over.

I wish they could take more from that classless cheater than his medals and victories.

[Landshark]

After a dozen or so people came out to testify he had been cheating, he had to give up the fight.  Charade over.

I wish they could take more from that classless cheater than his medals and victories.

He passed every drug test.  Word is some of those supposed "witnesses" are doing this out of spite and nothing else

[Pappy13]

He passed every drug test.  Word is some of those supposed "witnesses" are doing this out of spite and nothing else

And the ones that aren't are being blackmailed into testifying because they have all been caught on drug tests. The whole thing is a total sham.

[Spider-Dan]

This is an admission of guilt.  What, he doesn't have time to defend himself from these charges because he's busy training... for the future cycling events that he's now banned from?  Or maybe he's too busy doing all the endorsements that he has now lost.

This is his legacy and his livelihood.  You don't just get bored of keeping your name, legacy, and reputation out of the trash.  This pronouncement will affect not only his cycling career, but his charities and any other public involvement that he has for the foreseeable future.*  He will be the Barry Bonds of cycling.  But he's tired of defending himself?  Come on.

*unless he 'fesses up, in which case America will forgive him like we have forgiven all the other cheaters that 'fessed up, because that's what we do

[Cathal]

^^^ Anyone on the outside of this could easily say that and I am in full agreement. I don't know what it would be like to be the actual guy who the world is constantly after you and you have no way of convincing people after all of these years. Every final drug test being negative, but people coming out and saying you're guilty. I'm sure it gets tiring after doing this for over a decade and maybe he's been convinced that even if he kept on fighting, he feels that everyone would continue to believe he doped and cheated his way to 7 Tour victories. I don't know if he doped or not, but passing all of your drug tests should be a big reason to believe he was clean and most everyone is doing this out of spite.

[CF DolFan]

In all honesty I think people had made up their mind about him long ago. It's not like he would have accomplished anything by continuing to waste his resources. At this point Nike is standing behind him as well gifts to his charity have increased so it isn't like everyone is believing he is guilty. He is far from being a Casey Anthony or OJ Simpson and they were both acquitted.

[BigDaddyFin]

The question I have is based on what I heard on the SportsTalk Radio while I was driving the other night.  Supposedly the USADA can't strip him of his titles, only the ICU can.  And if they do, the guys that finished second and third were already caught doping, so what do they end up doing giving the title to the 4th place guy?  Do they vacate it?  I know little about cycling other than you ride a bike over a course as fast as possible, and aggregate time wins in Tour De France.

[Pappy13]

This is an admission of guilt.  What, he doesn't have time to defend himself from these charges because he's busy training... for the future cycling events that he's now banned from?  Or maybe he's too busy doing all the endorsements that he has now lost.

This is his legacy and his livelihood.  You don't just get bored of keeping your name, legacy, and reputation out of the trash.  This pronouncement will affect not only his cycling career, but his charities and any other public involvement that he has for the foreseeable future.*  He will be the Barry Bonds of cycling.  But he's tired of defending himself?  Come on.

*unless he 'fesses up, in which case America will forgive him like we have forgiven all the other cheaters that 'fessed up, because that's what we do

The public will completely forget all about this in 3 months. Lance did the right thing. If hundreds of clean tests won't do it, then nothing will ever prove you're not dirty.

[masterfins]

I don't get that at all. In fact I have said before that I was surprised he continued to fight it. Even if he is guilty, I really don't care anymore. I mean he never failed a test in almost 15 years yet he was constantly defending himself. He was in a no-win situation even if he is found innocent as they just keep coming back with something else. 

"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," he said in a statement released Thursday. "I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair."

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

+1

The USADA was going to find him guilty regardless of the "arbitration".  It cost legal fees of $100's of Thousands of dollars to fight the accusations, why throw your money away when you already know the outcome.  Other cycling associations have backed Lance in this "investigation" by the USADA. 

[EDGECRUSHER]

The question I have is based on what I heard on the SportsTalk Radio while I was driving the other night.  Supposedly the USADA can't strip him of his titles, only the ICU can.  And if they do, the guys that finished second and third were already caught doping, so what do they end up doing giving the title to the 4th place guy?  Do they vacate it?  I know little about cycling other than you ride a bike over a course as fast as possible, and aggregate time wins in Tour De France.

To me, it doesn't even matter who they give the titles too. I mean, if someone walked up to you and said "Congratulations, you are the 2009 Heisman Trophy Winner", does it even matter? It's just a title from years ago that doesn't mean anything anymore because you didn't earn it. Sucks for the 4th place guy because he played by the rules, but the win is just on paper. No champagne.

[bsmooth]

This is an admission of guilt.  What, he doesn't have time to defend himself from these charges because he's busy training... for the future cycling events that he's now banned from?  Or maybe he's too busy doing all the endorsements that he has now lost.

This is his legacy and his livelihood.  You don't just get bored of keeping your name, legacy, and reputation out of the trash.  This pronouncement will affect not only his cycling career, but his charities and any other public involvement that he has for the foreseeable future.*  He will be the Barry Bonds of cycling.  But he's tired of defending himself?  Come on.

*unless he 'fesses up, in which case America will forgive him like we have forgiven all the other cheaters that 'fessed up, because that's what we do

It is not a fair hearing. Even the judge noted that this seemed fishy the way the USADA was coming after him. The so called big evidence they had was two positive tests from 2009 and 10, plus the testimony of other cheaters who were actually caught cheating to win.
Oh yeah lets not forget the ICU was backing Lance's suit to stop this hearing...you know the actual international body in charge of cycling.
This is not an admission of guilt. This is a wasted witch hunt to try and establish the renown of the USADA.