Clemency for Lance?

[sales guy]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cookson-hints-at-clemency-for-armstrong


I am not and never been a fan of LA. I have reasons for this beyond the doping thing. But this, i would be pretty shocked and pissed if he was given a full pardon after everything the guy did to the real people around him. The people who told the truth and got smashed time after time for telling the truth. LeMond, the Andreaus, Emma Oreilly and others.
I would like to see the WHOLE truth come out. But I don't think the guy can even ever do that given all the skeletons and who they affect.

[FlashUNC]

Lance's doping never bothered me. Its the fact he ruined people's lives to try to keep the secret.

He's a jerk and shouldn't be let off the hook.

[Fishbike]

Clemency mandates a certain amount of contrition. I've seen none.

[sales guy]

I always knew he doped. What bothered me was the way he treated people.

In 1999 at a trade show, he laid into his wife in public and that did it for me. He was trying to load the car, people wanted autographs and she started to load the car and he went off. That was it. Never really cared for him before then but come on. You don't treat women that way in general and you sure as f*ck don't do that garbage in public!

Every thing he did was for himself. No one else. And how he treated those around him like LeMond and how just just brutally attacked people, he should never be granted clemency. I would love to know the whole truth. But I don't believe he wants to give it.

[weiwentg]

You have to get all of the rot out. Lance wasn't at the top. If he confesses, I don't care whether he's contrite or not.

[bostondrunk]

Another poorly written article IMHO. All he said was that LA was treated more harshly, but seemed to point out several times that he wouldn't want him back in the sport. Doesn't sound like clemency.

[bostondrunk]

You have to get all of the rot out. Lance wasn't at the top. If he confesses, I don't care whether he's contrite or not.

The rot included all his teammates that chose to dope, along with the rest of the pro field. I'm cool with a lifetime ban for him, but the others should get the same. And being a total a-hole, calling other rider's wives fat, etc., is not breaking the rules.

[charliedid]

No law against being a dick.

[PQJ]

If he spilz da beanz, why not? Fraud's been exposed and if he wants to 'race' in a speedo against 40 or 50 somethings, big effin' deal. He's already lost that which he probably cares most about - ie, 7 yellow jerseys and fame/adoration/adulation.

[jpw]

a fish rots from the head, and the UCI election is coming soon.

Lance just did it 'better' than anyone else. They're all cheats.

[bikemoore]

What I think Mr. Cookson doesn't realize is that Lance Armstrong's problems are now in a legal realm that is far beyond cycling. With the various lawsuits he is and will be dealing with, a small amount of clemency from cycling is of no concern to him. He still has a lot to lose by talking too much.

[oldpotatoe]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cookson-hints-at-clemency-for-armstrong


I am not and never been a fan of LA. I have reasons for this beyond the doping thing. But this, i would be pretty shocked and pissed if he was given a full pardon after everything the guy did to the real people around him. The people who told the truth and got smashed time after time for telling the truth. LeMond, the Andreaus, Emma Oreilly and others.
I would like to see the WHOLE truth come out. But I don't think the guy can even ever do that given all the skeletons and who they affect.

Being an ass-hat isn't against the 'rules', doping is. Lots of others ran a sophisticated doping program, as sophisticated as his and Bruyneel's. Other doped as much as LA did, but then came clean..and everybody admires them for that...

LA did too, come clean, but since he's a prick, he got hammered like none of the others.

His doping wasn't any more extensive nor systematic that a lot of others, riders, team captains or team directors(Riis comes to mind).

You said you 'knew he doped', did you 'know' all the other did too?

I think you should hammer them all, financially. Hincapie is wealthy as are some of the other admitted dopers..they became that way because of their riding skill, whilst doping..does that make sense? Doesn't to me.

[T.J.]

I think you should hammer them all, financially. Hincapie is wealthy as are some of the other admitted dopers..they became that way because of their riding skill, whilst doping..does that make sense? Doesn't to me.

eggssactly:banana:

[Vientomas]

F-Lance.

[texbike]

LA did too, come clean, but since he's a prick, he got hammered like none of the others.



F Lance!!! He didn't "come clean". Probably the entire peloton was doping to a certain degree and personally I'm not bent out of shape about it. The doping needs to be corrected, but it is/was what it is/was.

However, the final straw for me was the Oprah/Lance PR episode disguised as a "confession". He had a chance to REALLY come clean and make a difference but he didn't. It was just more of his incessant, self-serving BS. So in closing, F Lance. There should be no quarter for the turd.

Texbike

[oldpotatoe]

F Lance!!! He didn't "come clean". Probably the entire peloton was doping to a certain degree and personally I'm not bent out of shape about it. The doping needs to be corrected, but it is/was what it is/was.

However, the final straw for me was the Oprah/Lance PR episode disguised as a "confession". He had a chance to REALLY come clean and make a difference but he didn't. It was just more of his incessant, self-serving BS. So in closing, F Lance. There should be no quarter for the turd.

Texbike

Nor should they be for any of the others, regardless of how nice they are. None of them have come completely clean, and many current riders are dirty today.

[William]

Who we talking about here?







;););)
William

[54ny77]

Dude needs to get on the bike, maybe he'll buy a new Time / Le Mond next year.

http://www.freakingnews.com/pictures/90500/Fat-Lance-Armstrong---90643.jpg

[Lewis Moon]

I guess my frame of reference is: “What would be good for cycling?”

Was/is Lance a complete prick? Yes.
Was/is doping systemic in professional cycling? Yes.
Did the UCI enable the doping culture? Yes.
Did the press also enable doping? Yes.
Did fans enable doping? Yes.

There is blame enough for everyone. As someone said; “sunshine is the best disinfectant”. Probably the quickest and most efficient way to get everything out into the light would be to give everyone who comes clean “amnesty and asterisks”, as long as riders believe they or teammates/friends will be hammered, no one will talk. Also, start a better (aka: more invasive and pissafying) monitoring program, dump the UCI (or at least seriously tear down and rebuild), and form a body that represents all the riders. I firmly believe that it'll take a cultural shift to defeat doping and it needs to come from the peloton. It has to be desperately uncool to dope.
As long as everything just trickles out it’ll be a death of a thousand cuts. The sickness is systemic and cycling needs a fresh start.

[bostondrunk]

F Lance!!!.....He had a chance to REALLY come clean and make a difference but he didn't. It was just more of his incessant, self-serving BS. So in closing, F Lance. There should be no quarter for the turd.

Texbike

Why don't you feel the same way about all of his ex teammates that are back riding now, and/or that faced essentially no punishment?? The only reason they 'came clean' was because not only were they offered better deals, they also had MUCH less to lose by coming clean. But make no mistake, they all made their millions because they doped just like Lance.

[FlashUNC]

Why don't you feel the same way about all of his ex teammates that are back riding now, and/or that faced essentially no punishment?? The only reason they 'came clean' was because not only were they offered better deals, they also had MUCH less to lose by coming clean. But make no mistake, they all made their millions because they doped just like Lance.

None of those guys labeled Emma O'Reilly as a "prostitute" or "alcoholic" for disclosing what he said in that Indiana Oncology Ward.

None of those guys spent the better part of a decade trying to intimidate Betsy and Frankie Andreu into silence. Including have one of Lance's personal spokespeople leave a voicemail for Betsy saying that she hoped someone broke a bat over her head.

None of those guys made their personal assistant's life so miserable that he moved to New Zealand to get the heck away from Lance.
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/biking/road-biking/My-Life-With-Lance-Armstrong.html

Never mind what he's said publicly about Paul Kimmage.

Lance was and is pretty much a regal turd.

The doping I can understand, but that kind of behavior -- trying to ruin people for speaking, well, the truth -- is inexcusable.

[texbike]

Why don't you feel the same way about all of his ex teammates that are back riding now, and/or that faced essentially no punishment?? The only reason they 'came clean' was because not only were they offered better deals, they also had MUCH less to lose by coming clean. But make no mistake, they all made their millions because they doped just like Lance.

The reason I don't feel that same about the others is because they DID come clean. At some point (for whatever the reason) they all said, "enough is enough, I did it".

I believe that Lance was offered NUMEROUS opportunities to strike a similar deal. However he chose a public forum to make his "confession" which was a complete BS PR campaign instead of something valuable to the sport.

Texbike

[laupsi]

I want beer and dark chocolate

[wallymann]

this. +1.

Lance's doping never bothered me. Its the fact he ruined people's lives to try to keep the secret.

[54ny77]

All those confessors came clean because they got squeezed and faced perjury and jail time. The impact of cycling's self-policing organizations (USADA, WADA, UCI, etc), eh, whatever--worst case, rider walks away banned and/or stripped of titles. Big deal. No jail. But when "The Man" is breathing down your neck with a grand jury subpoena and the power of big gub'mint, with jail time a very distinct possibility, everyone's cajones shriveled. Big difference.

In other words, criminalize doping in sport. Otherwise, it's a farce, and a battery of $750/hr. lawyers will keep the wheels turnin' as usual.

[jr59]

yawn.....

This is very tired!

Who really cares at this point? And if you really do care, why? It's over, or in the legal courts. LA isn't going to mount a come back.

he was a Jerk, so what? A lot of driven people are.


yawn

[malcolm]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cookson-hints-at-clemency-for-armstrong


I am not and never been a fan of LA. I have reasons for this beyond the doping thing. But this, i would be pretty shocked and pissed if he was given a full pardon after everything the guy did to the real people around him. The people who told the truth and got smashed time after time for telling the truth. LeMond, the Andreaus, Emma Oreilly and others.
I would like to see the WHOLE truth come out. But I don't think the guy can even ever do that given all the skeletons and who they affect.

Lance hurt very few innocents excepting Emma and Betsy. Frankie and the rest of them never told the truth themselves until they had no choice. Lance did not twist any arms. They were standing in line to get on board until the house of cards collapsed. Lance was/is a monumental ass and he hurt more people mostly because he had the power to. Many others most likely would have done the same if they only had the opportunity. I'm more disgusted with those that gave and kept Lance in power then covered for him.

It was a dirty era in a dirty sport. Let it go.

[mcteague]

Lance hurt very few innocents excepting Emma and Betsy. Frankie and the rest of them never told the truth themselves until they had no choice. Lance did not twist any arms. They were standing in line to get on board until the house of cards collapsed. Lance was/is a monumental ass and he hurt more people mostly because he had the power to. Many others most likely would have done the same if they only had the opportunity. I'm more disgusted with those that gave and kept Lance in power then covered for him.

It was a dirty era in a dirty sport. Let it go.

So, unless you are 100% pure it is open season on your reputation and livelihood? Quite the standard there. Sadly, it seems quite common for Lance fans.

Tim

[bostondrunk]

So, unless you are 100% pure it is open season on your reputation and livelihood? Quite the standard there. Sadly, it seems quite common for Lance fans.

Tim

Irrelevant. Does it make him an a-hole? Probably.
But as has been stated many times, it has nothing to do with doping suspensions.
And again, as was just stated, the others didn't come clean because of their wonderful attitudes...

[malcolm]

So, unless you are 100% pure it is open season on your reputation and livelihood? Quite the standard there. Sadly, it seems quite common for Lance fans.

Tim

Not what I'm saying either I wrote it wrong or you interpreted it wrong.

I've not heard of anyone coming clean until they basically had no choice. Including Frankie Andreau.

Lance's behavior especially with Betsy and Emma was/is despicable as was his behavior toward many others. I'm just saying he didn't force anyone to partake and there are no knights in shining armor. They tell the truth only when it's beneficial to themselves or they have no choice at least that has been the pattern for the overwhelming majority.

If you've ever read anything I've written about Lance I don't think the term fan would come up even during the fabulous 7. I've never been nor will I be a Lance fan.

[professerr]

No law against being a dick.

True, but when you break the law a person's character can definitely be taken into account in terms of sentencing leniency

[Hawker]

None of those guys labeled Emma O'Reilly as a "prostitute" or "alcoholic" for disclosing what he said in that Indiana Oncology Ward.

None of those guys spent the better part of a decade trying to intimidate Betsy and Frankie Andreu into silence. Including have one of Lance's personal spokespeople leave a voicemail for Betsy saying that she hoped someone broke a bat over her head.

None of those guys made their personal assistant's life so miserable that he moved to New Zealand to get the heck away from Lance.
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/biking/road-biking/My-Life-With-Lance-Armstrong.html

Never mind what he's said publicly about Paul Kimmage.

Lance was and is pretty much a regal turd.

The doping I can understand, but that kind of behavior -- trying to ruin people for speaking, well, the truth -- is inexcusable.

Yep, what he said.

[Elefantino]

And still his name is in the headlines (http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/09/news/armstrong-on-truth-panel-lets-get-it-all-out_303356).

He wins again.

:no:

[Mikej]

I'm guessing pretty much every CEO out there has done things that make LA look like a Girl Scout -so he messed with like 20 people, big deal, he didnt exactly cause the financial meltdown - Just wait till the twerking photos surface....

[#campyuserftw]

Irrelevant. Does it make him an a-hole? Probably.
But as has been stated many times, it has nothing to do with doping suspensions.
And again, as was just stated, the others didn't come clean because of their wonderful attitudes...

Here's what a teammate confession looks like, as written by his lawyer for him lol...each of these we've read sound like they were plagiarized:

http://www.georgehincapie.com/news/Statement-from-George-Hincapie/

The things LA did to others with words, is a separate issue from illegal doping, cheating, and lying. Mean words...Ryan Braun called the urine collector, "anti-semitic":

http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2013/8/18/4635120/ryan-braun-urine-collector-anti-semitic

Betsy's husband lied to her and that's none of our business. LA said some horrible things to, and about people. He may have apologized to all of them. They may or may not accept his words. USADA/UCI went after his blood, not his brain, or sense of morality within his soul. He's gotta tackle that. Being a DB isn't against Pro Rules, and as we see above, many athletes are willing to shoot any/all messengers, or like Big George: admit, only when offered "a deal". Reading George's lawyerish "statement", where is the apology, accountability and three words, "I am sorry"?

[firerescuefin]

Don't quit your day job.



I'm guessing pretty much every CEO out there has done things that make LA look like a Girl Scout -so he messed with like 20 people, big deal, he didnt exactly cause the financial meltdown - Just wait till the twerking photos surface....

[bironi]

I saw this video discussion and I think it debunks some of the arguments repeated over and over when anything Lance comes up.

The discussion begins at 12:00 on the video. The best comments are near the end.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/09/video/watch-live-panel-discusses-the-armstrong-lie-film_302236