January 05, 2013 – Lance Armstrong, the retired American cyclist stripped late last year of his seven Tour de France victories, is considering a confession, reports the New York Times. Until now, Armstrong has always vehemently denied doping despite some 1,000 pages of documentation – including affidavits signed by 11 former teammates – assembled in 2012 by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
But Armstrong, 41, reportedly now wants his lifetime ban lifted so that he can resume his athletic career, presumably as a triathlete. He is rumoured to be in discussion with USADA and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) about a possible confession. Apparently a confession could potentially reduce his lifetime ban to an eight-year or possibly a four-year ban.
Among those supposedly pressuring Armstrong to confess are wealthy donors to Livestrong, formerly known as the Lance Armstrong Foundation which raises awareness about and funds to fight cancer. These donors want him to come clean and to limit further damage to the Foundation.
Complicating a possible confession are several lawsuits, including a whistle-blower suit launched by former teammate, Floyd Landis. This case could see Armstrong paying out up to $30 million for defrauding former team sponsor, the U.S. Postal Service, and potentially see Landis collect up to 30% of that amount.
As reported previously, Texas-based insurance company SCA Promotions is trying to recoup $12 million from Armstrong following a $7.5 settlement the company made in 2004. And the British-based Sunday Times is seeking to recover about $1.6 million from the cyclist following a 2006 legal settlement after the newspaper published allegations that Armstrong had doped.
Sunday Times chief sports writer David Walsh, probably the foremost journalist in exposing Armstrong – and whose allegations were at the core of the 2006 legal action – tweeted this today. “LA and the truth? Provided it is the whole truth, and comes with contrition, my instinct would be to say well done. 1st time for everything.”
Read the New York Times report here.