Lance Armstrong Might Admit Doping

Reports say he's considering a confession to reduce lifetime ban
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 5, 2013 5:53 AM CST
Lance Armstrong Might Admit Doping
Lance Armstrong pauses during an interview in Austin, Texas, in 2011.   (AP Photo/Thao Nguyen, File)

Lance Armstrong has spent the last decade swearing up and down that he never, ever, used drugs to boost his performance, even as the evidence mounted and he got stripped of his titles and glory. Now, he might just fess up, reports the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Both quote anonymous insiders as saying that Armstrong is moving toward a confession, which could result in his lifetime ban from cycling and other sports being reduced.

The move raises all kinds of thorny logistics involving potential perjury charges, a federal whistleblower case, and lawsuits over previous winnings. But Armstrong has reportedly been talking to world and US anti-doping officials about the possibility. If he can get the lifetime ban reduced—in exchange for details on how he doped—he would be able to compete in cycling and triathlon events again, though he'd still probably have to wait years. (More Lance Armstrong stories.)

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