New Doping Allegations Against Lance Armstrong

By Jeralyn, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Thu May 19, 2011 at 08:51:34 PM EST
Tags: Lance Armstrong, Tyler Hamilton (all tags)

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Tyler Hamilton, former teammate of Lance Armstrong, and a cooperator in the Government investigation into Armstrong's use of steroids, tells "60 Minutes" tonight that Lance Armstrong injected steroids many times. He said they all did. Lance Armstrong's lawyer replies:

Every cyclist who appeared on 60 Minutes has in the past sworn that they never doped. Now, their stories have suddenly changed out of desire for money and the need for attention. Just as eager for money and attention, 60 Minutes has embraced these falsehoods uncritically and enthusiastically. But greed and a hunger for publicity cannot change the facts: Lance Armstrong is the most tested athlete in the history of sports: He has passed nearly 500 tests over twenty years of competition. The time has long passed for this nonsensical investigation to stop, and for the enormous wasted resources to be re-directed to investigations that might actually protect Americans from wrongdoing.

Hamilton says Armstrong took the blood-booster EPO. He reportedly is writing a book. For more information from Lance's point of view, visit Facts for Lance.

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New Doping Allegations Against Lance Armstrong | 25 comments (25 topical)

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Armstrong is a really pitiful guy (5.00 / 2) (#4)
by Dadler on Thu May 19, 2011 at 11:36:05 PM EST

He did what EVERYone in that sport did, and he seems to have benefitted the most. A lot of guys doped and never got caught, that's what you never hear. Armstrong is not alone in being lucky there. He is alone when it comes to egos that are malignant. Guy lives in denial like Egyptian silt. That said, I am sick of the government going after roid ragers and NOT after the financial criminals who continue to thieve from and destroy the nation. Enough already, it's far past being a joke

: Out of curiosity (none / 0) (#25)
by CoralGables on Fri May 20, 2011 at 07:34:30 PM EST

Are these your same thoughts on Barry Bonds?

Hypocrites (5.00 / 1) (#10)
by mmc9431 on Fri May 20, 2011 at 07:50:44 AM EST

I wish Washington had spent as much time and effort in investigating Abu Grah, the Iraq War or the illegal wiretapping as they seem to spend on doped athletes.

Why are athletes subjected to a higher moral standard than anyone on Wall Street or DC?

If Armstrong really did use drugs, it didn't result in the death of thousands of people or bankrupt the nation.

With the problems facing the nation there are a lot of things much more important to occupy their time and energy.

Just reading about this (none / 0) (#1)
by Big Tent Democrat on Thu May 19, 2011 at 09:17:52 PM EST

For most, the idea is not a surprise.

Hamilton has testified before a grand jury as have others, including, Floyd Landis, Frankie and Betsy Andreu and others.

The big one will be George Hincapie. If he turns on Lance, that will be all she wrote.

I think Armstrong may very well be indicted (on fraud charges of all things against the US Postal Service, the sponsor of his Tour de France winning teams.)

Is there a statute of limitations? (none / 0) (#2)
by magster on Thu May 19, 2011 at 10:57:43 PM EST

It's been what, 6 years, since Armstrong was on the Postal Service team? As long as Armstrong doesn't point his finger at a Congressman under oath or lie to a grand jury, I don't see how any charges could stick after so much time based solely on the testimony of cyclists easily portrayed as unsuccesful jealous cheaters.


: Pretty sure (none / 0) (#3)
by Big Tent Democrat on Thu May 19, 2011 at 11:01:46 PM EST

the prosecutors no the bar date for whatever they have in mind.

From Twitter (none / 0) (#26)
by Natal on Fri May 20, 2011 at 09:28:41 PM EST

CBS release says Armstrong teammate George Hincapie testified he and Lance supplied each other with performance enhancing drugs.


There is a big difference! (none / 0) (#8)
by Gerald USN Ret on Fri May 20, 2011 at 02:39:56 AM EST

Cycling has always had tests, and Armstrong has passed all of them. Some of these other people haven't.
If someone under suspicion (a government "cooperator") himself says "well the 500 tests were wrong, and Armstrong used illegal stuff just like me," I have to take his testimony with a pound of salt.

Baseball wasn't having tests, and so witnesses really mattered there because there wasn't much else.

In cycling we have impartial witnesses, that aren't trying to get a deal. They are called "tests" and if you follow cycling at all, you will have noticed that the testing people and especially the French authorities have been on Armstrong like ticks for years.
Now sure maybe you can fool a test, or a few tests, but 500!!

I have to wonder at what is driving this deep look into the past.

Is Armstrong next going to have to give his DNA like the Una-Bomber just did to see if he is connected to the Tylenol poisoning?

: Ha! (none / 0) (#9)
by Big Tent Democrat on Fri May 20, 2011 at 07:07:53 AM EST

I think he most likely doped... (none / 0) (#11)
by kdog on Fri May 20, 2011 at 07:52:39 AM EST

there was a very damning piece in S.I. awhile back that was very convincing.

But I also don't give a damn...get a clue Uncle Sam! As others have noticed, we're fresh off a multi-trillion dollar confidence scam going down...who gives a flying f*ck if Lance Armstrong dopes or drinks Drain-O.

What article is that? (none / 0) (#20)
by lilburro on Fri May 20, 2011 at 10:19:57 AM EST

If you can remember the name let me know kdog.

So the consensus is that he doped?


Found it... (none / 0) (#21)
by kdog on Fri May 20, 2011 at 10:35:06 AM EST

published back in Jan.

Linkage
Haven't read it since Jan., but the impression I got is he was drug-enhanced at some or various points in his career, as well as the majority of his fellow big-time cyclists. I just can't figure out why anybody really cares outside of cycling...especially why the government cares.


: so if a majority were doped . . . (none / 0) (#27)
by nycstray on Sat May 21, 2011 at 12:11:35 AM EST

what's the prob? Sounds like a level playing field to me :p

He doped (none / 0) (#12)
by kdm251 on Fri May 20, 2011 at 08:01:21 AM EST

He doped just liike every other cyclist in the past fifteen years that managed to win anything. In Armstrongs case it's a little offensive that he probably contributed to his own cancer and now makes money from it. With that said the government should leave athletes alone, we love them when they win and then punish them for how they did it.

That is the sad part (none / 0) (#13)
by nyjets on Fri May 20, 2011 at 08:34:09 AM EST

A part of me has often wondered how widespread doping exists among the sports world. The cynic in me says that most sports players take dope if the dope gives them a competive advantage. And that is sad if that is true.


: If there was a brand of dope... (none / 0) (#14)
by kdog on Fri May 20, 2011 at 08:46:51 AM EST

that would increase my job performance and double or triple my salary, I'd be on that sh*t...thats a tough offer to turn down.
It is up to the governing bodies in sports and athletes unions to sort it out and set a standard, if they even wanna sort it out. And the fan can choose to follow that sport or not.
The government should have no place in any of it...Lance Armstrong or anybody else has the inalienable to put whatever they please in their body.

how might his cancer (none / 0) (#16)
by observed on Fri May 20, 2011 at 09:24:35 AM EST

have been related? Steroids?


Do we have info to support (none / 0) (#17)
by smott on Fri May 20, 2011 at 09:31:47 AM EST

That Armstrong's alleged doping contributed to risk for testicular cancer?

Trauma is an unproven risk factor - so you do wonder if the riding itself on those uncomfrotable seats could have had an effect.

In any case I always wondered if Armstong learned to use the bone-marrow stimulants they give chemo patients (leukine, neupogen) to help himself.

They are volatile and fast-acting based on dose - and give you a surge of red and white cells for a short period of time - obviously the extra reds improve your O2-transport - that is the advantage over non-dopers and why people train at high altitudes, to naturally build more.... Anyway I wonder if he got good enough at timing/dosage that he got a decent burst of extra cells merely for the few hours of the race...as the effect is quite transitory...


wow, that's a wild scenario (none / 0) (#18)
by observed on Fri May 20, 2011 at 09:47:27 AM EST

I'm just curious if his heart is healthy for the long term. he is WAY out of the norms.


: DUnno but I imagine (none / 0) (#19)
by smott on Fri May 20, 2011 at 10:06:24 AM EST

His heart is enormous and efficient.
I do not believe bone marrow stims affect the heart.
However Chemo can have long term damaging effects cardio wise. So who knows.

kdm251 (none / 0) (#24)
by Jeralyn on Fri May 20, 2011 at 12:45:36 PM EST

Can you please wait for a jury decides before proclaiming he did it? Your opinion is one thing. Stating it as fact is another and potentially libelous. Please rewrite and rephrase so I can delete this comment.


Hold on now (none / 0) (#15)
by AngryBlackGuy on Fri May 20, 2011 at 08:48:24 AM EST

I am into the legalization of a whole lot of banned drugs, and although I probably haven't thought much about it, may not be to worked up about steroid use as a general matter, but this case is a little difference.

This is a guy who told everyone from cancer survivors to kids that all you had to do was work hard to win and survive. When Greg Lamond called him a cheater, he denigrated him and called him every name in the book. He sued a newspaper for libel and forced them to apologize. He earned millions and millions of dollars on the basis of his clean doping record. He sold the idea that cancer could be overcome through hard work and now it may be confirmed that he had a little illegal assistance to triumph.

Add onto that the scorn heaped on Barry Bonds and other less "golden" sports figures (which always ticked me off), and you get a big pile of karmic payback.

Normally I wouldn't care but I hope he goes down.

Hard.

gotta say, I think he did dope. (none / 0) (#22)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri May 20, 2011 at 11:52:57 AM EST

I don't think it's possible for anyone to perform at the rarefied levels he did, for as long as he did, without doping.

It's very disappointing, although Marion Jones cuts closer to the bone for me.

: Marion Jones (none / 0) (#23)
by AngryBlackGuy on Fri May 20, 2011 at 12:27:47 PM EST

hurt. Agree on that.

CBS! (none / 0) (#28)
by Gerald USN Ret on Sat May 21, 2011 at 07:23:31 PM EST

Hey a thought!!

Did this CBS exposure on Armstrong involve Dan Rather of Bush exposure fame?