Armstrong: Once a cheater, always a cheater

To be stripped of dignity, pride, and every hard-earned medal achieved - and on top of all that banished from the world of cycling for eternity – just does not seem to send a clear message to some.

Once a man of seven Tour de France titles and an inspirational cancer survivor, Lance Armstrong is now labeled as a fallen hero, a disgraced athlete.  He has been forced to take the walk of shame after revelations of his use of illicit performance-enhancing drugs came to light. As a reminder for those who have forgotten, in February 2011, America‘s fallen hero announced his retirement from competitive cycling. However, that was also when he faced an investigation into doping allegations. It was only a matter of time before USADA would find all the skeletons in Le Boss’s closet, and they did so in June 2012, when they charged him with having used banned substances.

After revealing the true face behind the mask, Armstrong made an unforgettable interview appearance on chat show Oprah Winfrey, and it was there where he began to spill the beans; and who could forget that infamous interview. It was then when the disgraced athlete spoke of mistakes and remorse and admitted living a lie: “You overcome the disease; you win the Tour de France seven times. You have a happy marriage, you have children. I mean, it's just this mythic perfect story, and it wasn't true." He also admitted his failure to live up to expectations and apparently “It was win at all costs” situation for him. Was the whole world dealing with a misled man with a good heart or a monster in a delightful disguise?

Nonetheless, that was Armstrong then, and this is Armstrong now. Lance has managed to pierce through all of that. In his latest interview with BBC sports editor Dan Roan, the viewers are met with a different man. This time Armstrong comes back stronger, with a different rhetoric; this time he switches from regrets and remorse to justification. It’s imperative to include some of the questions and answers exchanged between the two so that you could judge for yourselves.

When Roan asked him about his interview with Oprah, Armstrong said ‘he wasn't ready to sit in that chair’ and that he should have ‘waited’. How could one wait when the whole world expects and explanation? Armstrong has been cheating his way to victory, and only came out of his closet when the reality behind his prolific triumph in tough races was exposed. Who knows if he would have ever admitted to such a sin, especially when he is not even ready to confess when he has to?

Roan also asked the disgraced athlete “how it was orchestrated”, but once again - just like on Oprah’s show - Armstrong avoided any direct answers:

DR: One of the big criticisms of your interview with Oprah, though, is that you didn't say how it was done, how it was orchestrated.

LA: "How what was orchestrated?"

DR: The doping.

LA: "But everybody knows that, don't they?"

DR: Well, we didn't hear it from you.

It appears strange for someone who has been exposed not to explain in his own words how it was done. He seems to be fond of keeping old habits. Is he a changed man after all?

It’s usually understood that when one makes a big mistake, one must accept their fault and face the consequences, especially when the consequences are explicitly known to all. WADA makes it quite clear that the use of any banned substances has its consequences. But in his interview Armstrong speaks as though he is the victim rather than the villain: 

LA:"But the tricky thing for them is they don't have real power to compel people to come, to compel people to answer certain questions. The reason we are in this situation is because - forget Usada - the Department of Justice, and the [Food and Drug Administration], and federal agents, forced, let's not say 'forced', compelled people with the threat of prison time to answer questions."

DR: Aren't we in this situation because you cheated?

LA: "Yes, of course, but I don't think anybody else from that generation had federal agents standing at their door with a badge and a gun, saying: 'You are going to answer my questions.'"

The question still remains: if he was not investigated, would he have ever come clean himself? He never did confess when he was accused by others. Armstrong had the chance to put an end to all the lies at any point in his career, but his passion to remain as the peoples champ prevailed; and now it has taken him from America’s prized possession to a pariah; he has lost the trust of everyone.

So should our man of mistrust be pardoned? Lance answers that question himself when Ron asks him ‘When it comes to the doping, would you do it again?’:

LA: "It's a complicated question, and my answer is not a popular answer. If I was racing in 2015, no, I wouldn't do it again, because I don't think you have to. If you take me back to 1995, when it was completely and totally pervasive, I'd probably do it again. People don't like to hear that."

Of course “people don’t like to hear that”. How can one justify such a crime? Two wrongs do not make a right. Cheating is cheating; it was not like his life depended on it, therefore his excuse is unacceptable.  Might as well have no winner at all rather than having a bunch of cheats racing against each other. Frankly, Armstrong does not seem to be sorry for what he has done, but rather seems to be sorry for getting caught. He has deceived the international community, and thank God the authorities have declassified such a deceitful and disgraced image. It would be a shame to see our children adopt this kind of “win at all costs” mentality.  The international community must claim the responsibility of not allowing such a mentality to become a part of the society’s standards. And if such a crime committed is to be pardoned that easily, then we are to blame. Trust must be earned, and Lance’s has not yet earned anything. All we see now may just be crocodile tears.

He has been stripped of dignity, pride, and every hard-earned medal achieved and yet he still speaks of pardon and takes part in interviews. Punishment means to be punished, not to be pardoned.

The people who know Armstrong may help the public judge America’s fallen hero. One of those would be Betsy Andreu, wife of former professional road cyclist Frankie Andreu. She blew the whistle on Armstrong’s usage of performance-enhancing drugs before his public confession. This is what she had to say:

"When the going gets tough, he turns on the charm. He thinks if he can show he's a changed man it might benefit him. The problem with that is that he has no credibility. His actions speak louder than his words."

Sunday Times journalist David Walsh was also another person who brought forth the issue of Lance Armstrong and doping.  He claims his book provides evidence of Armstrong’s use of banned substances. Does he think Armstrong is a changed man?

He said: "When I see an interview like he's just done with Dan Roan, I just feel this guy hasn't changed one iota.”

However, there are some who think that Lance should have his titles back: Former US Postal Service Pro Team rider Scott Mercie. Mercie maintains "this drug usage did not start with the Americans - it was part of the culture long before the Yankees invaded." He added, "In my mind… Lance Armstrong [is] the winner of seven Tours of France."

What is wrong with saying no to doping? This childish mentality to say ‘I should do it because others do it too’ has unfortunately become an excuse, and apparently some think it is pardonable.  Instead of putting Armstrong on the spotlight and giving him more publicity than ever - or even worse, giving back his titles or pardoning him - they should reward the true heroes who speak out against doping. Unfortunately, we are a long way from that and Christophe Bassons, a former French road cyclist, proved that quite well. He spoke out against doping in the 1990s, a decision that effectively ended his career. Why?

Where is virtue? How many Armstrong’s do we have in cycling? When will we see more Bassons’ rise up and put an end to it once and for all? The real heroes are those who say no to doping.

RG/HMV

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