gobbledonk Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 Didn't care a great deal about the Armstrong saga until I saw an interview with two of the whistleblowers. They detailed some really grubby attempts by Armstrong's camp (and the man himself) to discredit them. If celebrities can get away with murder and child abuse in the US, I doubt that Armstrong will do jail time, but I do want to see him finally admit that he systematically rorted a system where the teams were all given forewarning of any testing. The sport needs to be cleaned up, and Armstrong needs to show some backbone and publicily apologise to the world for being a complete scumbag. http://www.news.com.au/sport/more-sport/law-professor-warns-lance-armstrong-he-could-be-jailed-if-he-confesses-to-doping/story-fndukor0-1226552911000 LANCE Armstrong could lose more than his ravaged reputation if he confesses in a TV interview with Oprah Winfrey to doping, he could end up in jail. The disgraced Texan's decision to talk to Winfrey has divided opinion, as some say he needs to do something radical to rehabilitate his public profile, while others say speaking out will only make matters worse. The crux of the matter is whether Armstrong, having been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, will finally admit that he was a drugs cheat. Such a confession would overturn more than a decade of strenuous denials. "If I were his lawyer, I'd be telling him not to do it. I think he's crazy," said Peter Keane, law professor at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, of the cyclist's decision to give the interview, which will be aired on Thursday. "He's in considerable jeopardy of some sort of criminal prosecution ... for which he could go to prison," Keane said. The threats to Armstrong's liberty stem from the fallen icon's role in the US Postal Service team, where he spent his most successful years in the saddle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pasathai1 Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 He is just an entertainer ( working for money) trying to enhance his performance, might as well as go after celebs that get boob jobs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCorinthian Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 I guess I dont see your logic Gob. I cant think of anything he did being really illegal in the USA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted January 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 He was employed by the US Postal Service - as part of their cycling team - making him a federal employee. A federal employee who lied to authorities about his drug use over many years, defrauded the sport, its sponsors and the sporting public and dragged the name of cycling worldwide into disrepute. A federal employee who openly referred to one of the whistleblowers as a 'whore' in interviews and his own team-mate as a pathological liar when he confessed to their side-by-side injections in the team bus metres from the very officials who were supposed to be keeping the sport clean. http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/whistleblower-reveals-armstrong-threats-20121015-27mzu.html http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/armstrong-accused-of-intimidating-potential-witness-tyler-hamilton-in-aspen-restaurant Let's assume for a moment that the people making claims against Armstrong *do* have an axe to grind, and he is just an innocent man caught in a very unfortunate situation. Why go into a restaurant and, in front of witnesses, threaten to make a former teammate's life 'a living hell' ? I know that the US Postal Service has had problems with certain employees in the past (!), but this is hardly the image they would be looking to project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCorinthian Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 He was employed by the US Postal Service - as part of their cycling team - making him a federal employee. As I understand it, he and his team were sponsored by USPS. That is way different than being an employee. And either way, I think the statute of limitations is way past for any criminal charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbaron Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 I'm inclined to agree with Corinth, they sponsored him, not employed him. I get a feeling Armstrong would have received some good legal advice before "coming out". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted January 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 He hasn't 'come out' about anything, and I doubt that he will. The interview will be broadcast on the Oprah Winfrey Network on Thursday, US time. I don't recall Michael Jackson ever admitting to abusing children. Wes Snipes should have sought the 'good legal advice' you refer to ..... hopefully, he'll be out of jail by July this year. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Snipes#Tax_conviction I doubt that the talk shows will be lining up to interview him, but anything is possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaiRai Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 It's all about ratings more than Armstrong's sincerity or lack thereof. We shall see how it goes. I'm curious to see his input, but also cynical to the fucking max - we're talking about a guy who has proven to be adept at deception and manipulation - which is kinda sad because he is a great athlete But I don't think people like that change. IMHO. Whatever he puts out will be a calculated move. .02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 The question in my mind will always be ... could he have won them without enhancement drugs? It is something we will never know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted January 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 The wits are claiming that Armstrong is just a guy who has to be 'the best' at whatever he does - when it became apparent that others were cheating, he was determined to be the best damned cheat of the lot. Aided and abetted by team doctors who only cared about one thing - winning. Really have to wonder how the clean athletes from that era look back on their own careers, knowing that there is a very good chance that everyone on the podium was a drug cheat. Fucked up, IMO - we wouldnt take it from the Chinese swimmers, so why should we accept it from Mr Whitebread USA Armstrong ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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