Lance Armstrong has never even come close to hinting at admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs in his pursuit of his Tour de France titles. Through it all — the physical evidence, the admissions of teammates, the accusations of teammates and his own decision not to appeal U.S. Anti-Doping Agency sanctions and the subsequent lifetime ban from all Olympic sports — Armstrong has maintained his innocence.
That charade could finally be coming to an end.
According to a report by The New York Times, Armstrong is considering publicly admitting using PEDs and blood transfusions during the years in which he won seven Tour de France titles. According to the report, the 41-year-old would do this in order to persuade sports’ governing bodies to restore his eligibility.
Later, the Washington Post followed up on the story, confirming that Armstrong had “authorized overtures” to the USADA about restoring his eligibility to compete. However, according to that report, those talks are now dead, and there is no current contact between Armstrong’s people and the agency.
Back in July, the USADA officially accused Armstrong of trafficking and using performance-enhancing drugs dating back to 1996. This was paired with a ban from all sports over which the organization has jurisdiction. After some legal wrangling, Armstrong decided not to appeal the decision, while still publicly professing his innocence.
The UCI, cycling’s governing body, requested information about Armstrong from the USADA, which produced a 200-page report on its finding. Based on that report, the UCI also banned Armstrong from all of its competitions and stripped him of his seven Tour de France titles.
After Armstrong’s fall from grace, most of his sponsors, most notably Nike, severed ties with him. Armstrong also stepped down as chairman of his cancer-fighting Livestrong Foundation, which also removed his name from its title.
