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Armstrong Resigns From Livestrong

Nike nixes contract, citing 'insurmountable evidence' of doping

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 17, 2012 7:51 AM CDT

(Newser) – Lance Armstrong is leaving his post as chairman of Livestrong, he announced today, in the hopes that he'll take the cloud surrounding his doping allegations with him. "This organization, its mission, and its supporters are incredibly dear to my heart," he said in a statement obtained by the AP. "Today, therefore, to spare the foundation any negative effects as a result of the controversy surrounding my cycling career, I will conclude my chairmanship."

Armstrong has never handled the foundation's day-to-day operations. His duties in guiding the charity's big-picture strategy will be handed over to vice chairman and co-founder Jeff Garvey. "My family and I have devoted our lives to the work of the foundation and that will not change," Armstrong said. "We will remain active advocates for cancer survivors." In another blow for Armstrong, Nike today announced that it was at last terminating its contract with him, "due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade."

This Sept. 30, 2000 file photo shows Lance Armstrong waving after receiving the bronze medal in the men's individual time trials at the 2000 Summer Olympics cycling road course in Sydney, Australia.
This Sept. 30, 2000 file photo shows Lance Armstrong waving after receiving the bronze medal in the men's individual time trials at the 2000 Summer Olympics cycling road course in Sydney, Australia.   (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan, File)
Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong   (PRNewsFoto/Oakley, Inc.)
Lance Armstrong speaks during the launch of the Livestrong Global Cancer campaign in Adelaide, Australia, Monday Jan. 19, 2009.
Lance Armstrong speaks during the launch of the Livestrong Global Cancer campaign in Adelaide, Australia, Monday Jan. 19, 2009.   (AP Photo/Aman Sharma)
In this Oct. 7, 2012, file photo, Lance Armstrong competes in the Rev3 Half Full triathalon in Ellicott City, Md.
In this Oct. 7, 2012, file photo, Lance Armstrong competes in the Rev3 Half Full triathalon in Ellicott City, Md.   (AP Photo/Steve Ruark, File)
In this July 25, 2010, file photo, cyclist Lance Armstrong stands on the podium after the 20th and last stage of the Tour de France cycling race in Paris, France.
In this July 25, 2010, file photo, cyclist Lance Armstrong stands on the podium after the 20th and last stage of the Tour de France cycling race in Paris, France.   (AP Photo/Bas Czerwinski, File)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 16 comments
vendetta
Oct 17, 2012 6:52 PM CDT
And not a shit was given.
DougMasters
Oct 17, 2012 2:59 PM CDT
How wonderful we busted a guy for doing drugs in a sport everyone else was doing. Bunch of who gives a bucket of shit.
Speedbird
Oct 17, 2012 2:07 PM CDT
I'm wondering why didn't the FBI/DoJ didn't pursue criminal conspiracy charges against him? From the USADA report it does seems that he was involved in a rather sophisticated doping enterprise. Perhaps they didn't have enough evidence but there's also a possibility that there's political pressure not to crucify an American hero who's doing good work with charities, and the DoJ can be easily influenced by politics as seen during the Bush days. I can also see the Cycling federations being defensive as they don't want to destroy their biggest star and ruin the reputation of the sport completely. This also reminded me of the scandal that's happening right now in the UK with the celebrity Jimmy Savile being accused of paedophile behaviour after his death. His celebrity status and his work with children's charities made him completely untouchable to the British police, the BBC (His employer) and even to the tabloid media, and he used it fully to his advantage by creating a paedophile sex ring and sexually assaulting up to 60 under-aged girls, many of them vulnerable children from the care homes that his charities sponsor. Only after his death did the victims came out and talk, perhaps because they were so scared of him.

 
Lance Armstrong • Lance Armstrong doping • Livestrong • Livestrong Foundation

 
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