Criminal investigation starts with Lance Armstrong, but he’ll keep £7.7m
THE problem with Lance Armstrong, now officially a cheat, is that he was tedious. If Armstrong had any discernible personality or was at all eccentric, all this cheating would’ve been really fun. He’s no Jacques Anquetil is he? There’s nothing about Armstrong that says ‘lovable rogue’ or ‘wild man of sport’. He just cheated so he could win.
And that is why everyone doesn’t like him. He’s tedious, ruthless and ambitious and little else.
So we can all take an interest in the fact that criminal investigations are starting up against him, however, his lawyer insists that the cyclist will be keeping the £7.7 million he earned in bonus money for winning the Tour de France.
The company that paid the endorsements, SCA Promotions, is launching a lawsuit this week in a bid to get the money back, but Armstrong’s lawyer, Tim Herman, doesn’t think that’ll be happening, saying: “My only point is no athlete ever, to my understanding, has ever gone back and paid back his compensation. Not [New Orleans Saints coach] Sean Payton (who was banned for one NFL season for his involvement in the ‘bounty’ scandal where rewards were doled out to those who injured opposing players) or anybody else. They were suspended, but nobody said you’ve got to give your paycheck back.”
However, Armstrong is going to be investigated for obstruction, witness tampering and intimidation. The investigation is also going to look at how Armstrong bullied and intimidated associates and, if Federal authorities want to prosecute, Lance could well end up in jail.
“Agents are actively investigating Armstrong for obstruction, witness tampering and intimidation,” a top level source told ABC.
This comes on top of the story that Armstrong failed to meet a deadline today where he was supposed to provide detailed evidence of his doping and the people who aided it to the United States Anti-Doping Agency. They’re going to throw the book at him aren’t they?
Posted: 6th, February 2013 | In: Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
