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Subscribe to RSSA member of the International Olympic Committee said cycling could be dropped from the games if Armstrong implicates those who oversee the sport. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.
Oprah Winfrey says Lance Armstrong was "forthcoming" in their 2.5 hour interview, a session during which the disgraced cyclist admitted using performance enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France, NBC News has confirmed.
"I think the entire interview was difficult" for Armstrong, Winfrey said. “He was pretty forthcoming.”
“It was surprising to me," she said of his approach to the interview, adding that "we were mesmerized and riveted by some of his answers.”
Winfrey appeared on CBS Tuesday morning to discuss her sit-down with the disgraced cyclist. When asked if Armstrong was contrite, she demurred.
"I feel that he answered the questions in a way that he was ready," Winfrey said. "I choose not to characterize. I would rather people make their own decisions about whether he was contrite or not."
The interview will be aired in full over two nights, Winfrey said.
Armstrong, 41, had for more than a decade denied doping. He was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles in 2012, and was banned for life from competing in Olympic sports after a scathing 1,000-page report by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
6 questions Lance Armstrong really needs to answer
“I have never doped,” Armstrong said in a 2005 interview with Larry King. “I can say it again … but I’ve said it for seven years. It doesn’t help.”
Those years of denial followed him Monday to a Four Seasons hotel in Austin, Texas, where Armstrong, accompanied by friends and family, sat down for his revelatory interview with Winfrey.
Before the session, Armstrong shared a personal apology with staffers at the Livestrong charity he founded, Livestrong director of communications and external affairs Rae Bazzarre confirmed in a statement.
"Lance came to the Livestrong Foundation's headquarters today for a private conversation with our staff and offered a sincere and heartfelt apology for the stress they've endured because of him and urged them to keep up their great work fighting for people affected by cancer,” Bazzarre said in the statement.
As news of Armstrong's admission emerged, critics blasted the one-time role model on Tuesday.
New York Daily News columnist Mike Lupica talks about Armstrong's revelation that he did take performance-enhancing drugs after years of denials, calling it a "giant athletic Ponzi scheme," and attorney Lisa Bloom discusses the legal implications.
“People just fell in love with the legend. They like that story better than the reality,” columnist Mike Lupica said on TODAY. “Most reasonable people think that … this is like an announcement saying that the ocean is deep.”
“I believe that he’s completely insincere except for this,” Lupica said. “He is starting to repair his own brand. People have overlooked the real story here – lives that had to be destroyed to keep the lie going. To me this is like some giant, athletic Ponzi scheme that went on and on and built and built.”
Depending on the precise nature and scope of Armstrong’s admissions, he could be subject to defamation charges as well as suits from former sponsors seeking to recoup some of his fortune, attorney Lisa Bloom told TODAY. Armstrong has been reported to be worth as much as $100 million.
“This could keep lawyers in business for many, many years,” Bloom said. “I’m sure that all of his attorney were against it. Legally, confession is a bad thing to do. Morally, it’s a fabulous thing to do.”
Despite the controversy over his use of performance-enhancers, Armstrong’s charity work is still drawing praise from some. ESPN anchor Stuart Scott tweeted on Monday that he remains “grateful” as “1 of millions of (cancer) survivors he’s helped.”
The full interview with Armstrong will air on Winfrey's OWN network starting on Thursday evening.
“Just wrapped up with @lancearmstrong More than 2 ½ hours. He came READY!” Winfrey tweeted after the taping. She said Tuesday morning that it was the "biggest" interview she has ever done in terms of exposure.
Joel Saget / AFP - Getty Images
The cyclist's historic run of Tour de France championships made headlines, as did his fall from grace after being stripped of the titles in 2012.
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DrugStrong........
LieStrong
What a disgrace Armstrong is...
What a jackass. He should be stripped of all endorsements and winnings of any kind.
the saddest part about all of this isn't that armstrong lied and cheated, it's that the government was right all along...
Hey, we're liberal! We can just ignore the facts & pretend he didn't do it!
He cheated and he lied about it. And now we find out that Super Man is just a pathetic little boy with smoke and mirrors. Putting him on Ophra gives him more credibility than he disserves.
He's a lying sack of @!$%#. This is all about ego and money. Hmmm, sounds like Mitt Romney. Shake that Etch-a-Sketch Lance!!
It was cycling, who cares.
It is difficult to decide which is more distasteful: Armstrong's use of illegal performance enhancers OR Winfrey's transparent attempt to package his confession for sale.
Why would I want to watch Oprah now, I know the answer. Of course I always knew the answer as you don't beat dopers unless you are also doping.
On the other hand I wouldn't watch Oprah anyway, just read the story the next day. Not needed now ,,,,,,,
All the cyclists are doing the same things, using the same drugs. I hope Armstrong talks about that.
Lance is the Jimmy Swaggart of cycling.
As much as media personalities, television stations and magazines will kiss his @ss over the next several weeks with the "aw shucks, give him a second chance guysss" (see Michael Vick), ignore it!
It's a blatant effort to butter him up so he'll do their sit-downs and interviews to reap massive ratings/sales, I have zero, ZERO respect for this guy.
And you should to. He lied through his teeth for over a decade, and threw every single one of his teammates under the bus. Oh, and dumped Cheryl Crow when she announced she had breast cancer. Oh, and cheated on his first wife. Now that he's been stripped of his titles and shunned by his family, charity and teammates, NOW we're supposed to accept an apology?
For everyone that champions the "well he beat cancer!" tagline, keep in mind, he was pumping crazy chemical cocktails into his body for years. Combinations of drugs that no one had any idea what they would do to a human body.
Jim Lace - Stupid comment. I'm liberal. I care very much. I couldn't care less about the sport, but his reaction and viciousness when accused are unforgivable and show him for the cretin he is. I have no idea why you would associate those having liberal views with being OK with this sort of thing, but it is obviously the way your mind works, which is more than a little creepy. Even if some/a liberal was OK with it as a result of their being liberal, painting around 1/3 of the American public with one broad brush shows that your are a bigot of sorts. Perhaps you should consider becoming a bit more liberal, maybe even regarding individuals as individuals.
Frankly most of the hard core supporters I've seen seem to be more conservative, but that is a guess. Regardless, I'm sure most people of whatever views find his actions reprehensible. Your comment, as well.
I can forgive him for doping if everyone he was competing against was into it too. I can't forgive him for being such a bullying ass to anyone and everyone who was going to expose him. He was on an enormous power trip and I won't give him a pass on how badly he treated people.
jake2247
What I would like to know is how he was able to pass seven consecutive tour de France drug test, the Olympic drug test, and many others. It sounds more like there is a gaping hole in the testing process that allowed him to pass. Personally all of the retest are tainted and the samples have been handled many times. I sure if I gave a sample today in five years after repeated test yearly I'm sure they would find something. I'm not defending Lance, I'm saying a strong hard look needs to be taken by the agencies that do these test. Or was he using a new form of enhancement drug that they were not testing for? There are too many years, too many agencies, and too many test for him to have been able to do a cover-up solo, even throwing his old teammates under the bus like he did. No, the sport (and all sports) need to re-evaluate how these tests are done if a single person was able to fool them for so long.
@JerkinCoolClothes: No the saddest part is that he played the whole system like a fiddle. Not only did he cheat, lie, and committed fraud and a number of other possibly and probably felonies and misdemeanors , he is admitting to something that would have put him in prison for a number of years, but he most likely wont spend a day in jail, because he is admitting to these things beyond the 7 year statute of limitations. Awww shucks Bernie,.. you almost had a new room mate, his name was Lance.
Guy has cancer....... beats cancer....... then wins SEVEN Tour de France titles..... Why is this stuff not on the market? Lance doesn't demonstrate any ill-effects from whatever it is.......
Get this stuff on the shelf NOW...........
it was all over the news about him getting and beating cancer - that's where live strong comes from, does it not?
i've always wondered if the cancer was a direct result of cheating.
What a national disgrace. Please apologize to the children especially who looked up to you and give back your millions or donate them to charity. Then maybe you'll regain some measure of respect...
I, like so many others, feel suckered punch by Armstrong's admission. His story was so heroic, recoverying from cancer and the 7 tour victories, to bad it was a lie about his victories.
Decisions , decisions......
1. Armstrong
or
2. Oprah
Which one to care less about, they both just keep coming back. And the scary fact is that people find either one of them in the slightest bit relevant to their everyday lives.
Decisions, decisions......
Oprah, said she was mesmerized by his answers, will I guess the bar was not set to low for Winfrey. I'm not going to waste two nights of my life, that I will never get back, watching Oprah Winfrey sit there looking like some halfwit with drool coming out of the corner of her mouth. Armstrong is a disgrace to his country and anyone that gives him a platform is as well. If one of the shooters from the mass killings of past few months,was willing to talk the liberal Oprah who is so desperate to get her mug on TV, she would be trying to book them for an interview. That's how disgusting this interview going to be from the liberal entertainment industry the same industry that gives you mass killing in the first 5 minutes of a movie. The same liberal entertainment industry that will give millions to campaigns that is willing to destroy this country. This interview will be the blue print for entertainers, who use drugs get caught, deny it and then go on national TV and say their sorry and all is forgiven. This is due to a majority of you out their are uninformed and if Oprah tells you it okay most of you will believe her because she is the all Mitty Oprah who tell no lies.
ok his 15 minutes were up years ago. no one cares about lance armstrong and this isn't news. Please nbc know when a story has run its course and no cares about it anymore.
I say it really took ball for him to admit doping after all the years of denial.
Say what you will, Armstrong has big ball to come out and admit he cheated.
It's sooooooo much funnier the way you tell it!
As mentioned above. It's cycling and the French love it, who the F cares? This interests me about as much as if he was some great soccer player busted for drug use.
I really don't care that Lance doped or cheated.
But giving an exclusive interview to Oprah?.......what an idiot.
Man you people suck. I think it's easy to sit at your computers and talk about what a liar and a cheat Lance is but none of you could do what he did, no matter how many drugs you took. EPO, the drug in question simply causes you body to produce more red blood cells. This carries more oxygen to your muscles which gives you better performance. It does not push the pedals for you. It does not take away the need to train for several hours every day for years on end. It does not cure cancer. What Lance did was wrong, there is no question. It should be more of a comment on sports in general than on Lance himself. These guys can't just do this stuff alone. They need trained doctors, coaches etc... all to be in compliance. I wonder how many of you would react, you have been training for years, you have beaten cancer, you have the potential to make millions, then your coach comes to you says, Hey, if you want to race, you have to take this shot. If you don't, we won't even bother to let you compete. That is essentially how this stuff goes down. It's true, he could have said no, but if he had, none of you would even know who Lance Armstrong is today. Unfortunately that is what integrity buys you in this day and age. That is why that last 12 great cycling champs have now all been convicted on doping charges. It's sad. It breaks my heart. But lance is as much a victim here as anybody.
herp derp in the herp herp.
I hate lawyers.
Dafuq is wrong w you?????????
Sirlafalot
Nice! Simultaneous uni-ball jokes.
Grumpy61 said:
"What I would like to know is how he was able to pass seven consecutive tour de France drug test, the Olympic drug test, and many others. It sounds more like there is a gaping hole in the testing process that allowed him to pass. Personally all of the retest are tainted and the samples have been handled many times. I sure if I gave a sample today in five years after repeated test yearly I'm sure they would find something."
How he was able to pass all of those tests was by always keeping ahead of the tests. They would use substances that were not being tested for, as they were too new to be known by the testing agencies. Their tests do not magically find something that they don't know to look for - they can only look for specific chemicals or classes of chemicals that they have designed a test to detect.
By making sure that they were using drugs that were not yet being tested for (like EPO back in the day), he was able to cheat and get away with it. That's why they save the samples in a freezer, so that later on after they know to look for certain drugs, they can test the samples again and detect them. Lance was busted across the board once they used the modern tests on his old samples. He tested positive for all sorts of different drugs over the years.
Beyond that, it's well documented that Lance and teammates would refuse to answer the door when being spot tested (they'd pretend nobody was home) to avoid testing that day when they would have tested very hot. Additionally, in between the racing seasons they had several months where they weren't being tested - and during that period he could juice up heavily (including with chemicals that could be detected at the time) and by the time he was tested again they wouldn't be able to detect what he had taken.
People always seem to feel sorry for him for having had nut cancer. I don't... not one bit - his cancer is the direct result of the exotic and strange hormones and other chemicals that he was pumping into himself.
Considering all of the fraud, perjury, and bashing of former teammates (simply telling the truth) he has committed - I expect that he's going to have to get ready for some prison time. That 100 million that he's racked up will go away in an awful hurry after all of the people who he's sued for libel get their money back, as well as all of the sponsors who entered into a good faith endorsement contract with him - and due to his cheating he would almost always be considered in breach of said contracts.
It's good that he finally came clean - but it's too late for him to get off with just fines.
Also: to all of the people on here who kept sticking up for him, and refused to read the USADA report... HA-HA!!! Suckers!
I agree with Rhino:
They have stripped him of his titles. Have they given the titles to the 2nd place finisher? NO. Because he is also suspected of doping. Along with the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and so on.
Name one participant in the last ten years of the Tour de France who you are absolutely positively sure has not doped.
And besides. It's bike racing. Boring until the last 10 sec. Who cares.
@Kimposible: I don't know whatdfuq is wrong with you? If you don't agree with my comment that's fine but you should atleast explain why.
here is an article for you. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/08/24/sports/top-finishers-of-the-tour-de-france-tainted-by-doping.html
he's a tool. people need to stop defending him.
I agree rockme. People need to stop defending him. It's not like he just happened to get caught but he vehemently denied the accusations for many years. My impression was that he was so good that others out there were jealous and were conjuring up anything to taint his success.
At times I was suspicious but I believed him when he said that he never ever doped. Boy don't I feel like an idiot now. I am totally disappointed in him and have lost respect for him. Crocodile tears won't save him in my book. It's too late for that.
Jacoboo, he will be writing that book first.(Or getting it ghost written for him). What happens to the charities that got money....will there be a trail of lawyers at their door trying to get it back?
Shame. He stuck to his story for so long, and most of his loyal fans believed him. I think he almost owed it to his fans at this point to keep lying.
The time to "come clean" would have been ~10 years ago.
why is this news? It's high time we quit giving cheaters the media spotlight when they "confess" to something that 90% of the planet knew anyway! He's scum, period, get him off the news/air!
because they mentioned Oprah, and her "herd" stampeded to the airwaves.
Oprah is better than Barbara Wha Wha........
lol, BabaWaWa rocks
Why on earth anyone will watch this interview is beyond me. And anyone who can look at Oprah for 2.5 hours could no doubt stare Medusa in the face as well
Oooo, Ken, better be careful, your hatred is showing - and that's pretty ugly to look at as well.
oh lighten up, loveblue2. Or are you part of the Oprah cult?
He has lied to all of us for so many years. Why would I care (or believe) anything that he has to say now? He is a liar, a doper and a FRAUD. No one should waste their time watching him on Oprah or anywhere.
Yep and it has so far been extremely relevant in my life. Why every time i get on a bicycle and race it i think of him. Oh the horror and disappointment i feel....oh worry...oh fret....
Just another hypocrite republican.
I went after someone earlier for saying that liberals wouldn't care that he cheated. It was a dumb statement and this has nothing to do with politics. Yours falls into the same camp, just the other end. The whole "all liberals are the same/all conservatives are the same" is ignorance and bigotry personified. I'm somewhat liberal. I have lots of conservative friends and a few conservative acquaintances I can't stand. Also have liberal acquaintances I prefer to avoid. We're all people. Seems like a simple concept.....
You misspelled "Republocrat." Don't forget that the "two parties" are really just the same thing.
Lost ? ....psst...this isnt first read.
Armstrong's a republican?
All this time Lance?
All of those People Lance?
Lives, Careers ruined Lance?
And Oprah talks about being "contrite" and "demure"?
Why are We even reading this?
What is Fame and Fortune in America today?
Empty Hollow shell in the end
Right on. What about the teams that did not use drugs and competed at the highest levels? Where are their accolades?
They all dope....that's the point.
You are so right, I didn't read it, just went straight to the comments and so glad to see that most the folks here think the same thing, Lance is a crooked liar and Oprah is using him for ratings. Money talks and I'm sure Lance made a big chunk of money for the interview too. He probably needs it now that he has to give back a lot of the money he's being sued over.
So now he should go to jail for fraud.
How SPAMMY.
We don't care about LA, quit trying to sell this story to us, NBC.
Will Oprah get his "stench" off?
Because she's clearly getting some!
Only one good thing has come from all of his wins - ill-gotten as they are - The Livestrong Foundation. Make no mistake that this organization he started does many good things. Don't judge their works by his poor judgements. I will forever support the Livestrong Foundation!
lsrider4 - I haven't noticed one person saying anything bad about the Livestrong Foundation.
But that does allow him a free pass on the distruction he caused in other people's lives, when all they did was tell the truth.
It does not allow him to lie, cheat, deceive, etc...and steal - as he stole from the American taxpayer riding for the US Postal Service Team, which your tax dollars supported and paid for, especially considering the state of the US Postal Service.
For all you know, the Livestrong Foundation may have been the brain-child of someone else and he was just a good face for it - plus, he made millions off it and the sponsorship of it, gathered fame and fortune.
what does oprah mean the biggest interview as far as exposure. Give me a break. Everybody knew he was lying he was exposed a long time ago. Just a lot of hype to help two people that are leaving the spotlight. Oprah and Armstrong
So it is okay to lie, cheat and steal if you start a foundation to help others?
Tad Wolfe, it's better to lie, cheat, and steal and start a foundation to help others than to lie, cheat, and steal and NOT start a foundation to help others.
Well R.M Fields - let's not forget about the lives he ruined by suing for libel and such.
He sued the US Postal service team massuse (and won) and said she was also a prostitute while working for the team. He crushed Greg LaMond and others. Hell, his foundation probably paid for the lawyers.
So, if Bernie Madoff had started a foundation, you'd give him a pass? Governor Corzine in NJ? AIG does a lot of charity, are they ok with you?
If I can find OWN on my cable I will watch the first part of the show for sure. All I hope for Armstrong in the future is that he is cutoff from future events.
He spent so many years lying, I'm sure he believed it. Now, he has to live with this. Sometimes your past really does catch up with you. I'm glad his titles were taken away. This should be a big wake up call to others out there that think they can chump the system.
Oprah did NOT say he was "contrite and demure"; read the article more closely. "When asked if Armstrong was contrite, she demurred. "I choose not to characterize. I would rather people make their own decisions about whether he was contrite or not."
He lied. And if he tells the truth, there might be some awareness on the part of Americans, many who have refused to believe that he doped and that the entire cycling upper echelon seems to be doping. It might help fix a warped and corrupt system.
Is lance Armstrong a republican or democrat ? I makes a difference.
Obviously, he's either a Me-ocrat or an I-publican.
He's a Sociopath.
The Tour de France should let all of the riders dope as much as they want one year. That would be a fun race to watch!!!
They do already.
What? This can't somehow be warped into a debate about gun control or the economy? We're waiting...
In 3 - 2 - 1...
I always found Armstrong to be an arrogant twit - even before the steroid thing. It only took him years to admit it when it has been years that he was under suspicion. I generally think people deserve a second chance but he made millions off of his fame and I believe the only reason he has admitted guilt is so that he can make millions more. The guy is a creep as far as I am concerned.
Totally...I never liked him. Very early on, we found out he cheated on his wife. From that point, I hated all the "hero" yellow bracelet crap. Is it so shocking when he lied and cheated in his personal life, that he'd lie and cheat in her professional life, as well?
Ought to be "Branded" like Chuck Conners was in that sitcom.....lol
It's difficult to believe how he could have lived with himself all of these years, knowing he was doping. I'm particularly struck by how the men who came in second to him in the Tour races all of those years must feel. They were the true winners for each of those races, but the entire experience of their win in that moment has been forever stolen from them. I feel sorry for his children; I can imagine the comments they're going to get now.
The truth always floats to the surface sooner or later. I just don't understand living a lie like that.
"I'm particularly struck by how the men who came in second to him in the Tour races all of those years must feel. They were the true winners for each of those races"
Well based on some reports I've seen recently, the second place (and the rest of the leader pack) person was also doping in most of those races... there have been a huge amount of fined/penalized/banned riders in the last few decades for PED use - but yeah if you went back to perhaps 10th place (or perhaps 30th) there would have eventually been a real athlete who didn't cheat and really was the winner.
It's too bad they don't retroactively give them the jersey and title, even if there's no money prize.
I'd still have a gay relationship with him, he's a babe.
Lance Armstrong conforms to the classic definition of a psychopath.
He can be charming even charismatic and because he has no conscience he can lie and be absolutely convincing. It's what enabled Bernie Madoff to rip off billions of dollars from people who thought he was a "great man".
His biggest crime is perhaps not the doping itself, but the fact that he has disillusioned so many people young and old who believed in him heart and soul.
Let there be no doubt, his admission of guilt is not because he has a guilty conscience or is truly remorseful, rather it is a calculated attempt to hold on to whatever ill-gotten monetary gains he still has and to preserve whatever "prestige" he still thinks he has. This is what psychopaths do. They can't help themselves.
I can only hope that the media do not try to minimize what he has done or try to "resurrect" him as CNN shamefully did with Marion Jones during the Olympics.
If anyone needs some positive PR atm, it is Lance Armstrong, and Oprah is the best at giving her guests great PR. How do you think the interview went down? Here is a preview at
What a loser... I dont watch many sports because of all the doping. Its rampant through all of the major sports, and anyone who says different is lying. I dont watch cheaters, and I wont support an industry that covers it up.
Steroid monsters are nothing to look up to. And their records have only served to ruin sports forever. How can anyone legit ever beat Barry Bonds records? Or any of the other records that have been blown out of the water by cheaters. They should just close them all down, and erase the last 40 years. Then start over with so much testing the players cant possibly cheat.
I wont allow my kids to watch pro sports. Not until they clean it all up. Theres a reason the US is going down the tubes, because ethics are gone and cheating is treated as acceptable. And sports is a prime example. Even the penalty system supports cheating. Any penalty should be a major deal, and 3 in a career should end that career. Not 15 yards, 2nd down. IT'S CHEATING!!!! No wonder there are so many liars and con artists running around. Kids are trained from birth by watching it, and the sports pros are made heroes for it.
I agree with Mike Lupica. Armstrong is insincere. Armstrong is admitting guilt because he has been completely banned form the sport - the sport he made millions on and he has no prospects to make millions again unless he is allowed to be involved in the sport in some way. Armstrong is a calculated horse's a%% as far as I am concerned. I don't believe him. Just like I never believed he wasn't taking performance enhancing drugs. Let him go get a job at a Walmart and fade way.
The thing I don't get is why everyone is shocked that he lied about using performance enhancing drugs. Who will not lie to protect himself? Only a fool, in my opinion. There are people who would like to believe that they would take the high moral ground and tell the truth in such a case, but I think they are just deceiving themselves. Such people are few and far between, and we generally call them "saints". There is a saying in the law that goes, "Never be a party to your own undoing". If you are caught with your pants down, your first instinct is to grab something with which to cover your nakedness. Lance Armstrong was just caught with his pants down.
I just realized, I don't care about this story.
I agree ..... 100%.
I was about to say, did anyone else notice that this country is in the toilet,,,,