NY Times: Witnesses Made Case Against Armstrong Potent

[marmar]

Witnesses Made Case Against Armstrong Potent

By JULIET MACUR
Published: August 24, 2012


The morning after Lance Armstrong gave up his fight against doping accusations, Travis Tygart, the chief executive of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which brought the most recent drug charges against Armstrong, received an unexpected phone call.

He said it was from yet another person who was offering information about the systematic doping that the agency claims occurred on Armstrong’s Tour de France-winning teams.

“At the end of the day, a lot of people knew the truth, but they were silenced by the internal pressure from the team to keep everything secret,” Tygart said, adding, “This is the most witnesses we’ve ever had in any case come forward.”

Tygart would not divulge the names of any of the witnesses. But one thing was clear: they were the crux of the antidoping agency’s evidence against Armstrong. And in the doping world, that is known as a nonanalytical positive — an athlete implicated not by a positive drug test but by supporting evidence. ......................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/25/sports/cycling/antidoping-officials-move-to-wipe-out-armstrongs-titles.html?_r=1&ref=sports

[trumad]

1. A devastating piece against Armstrong.

I have no idea how the apologists can just blow by this.

[NoMoreWarNow]

3. are there apologists?

by now, even the blind should be able to see how rampant doping was in this sport.

[trumad]

4. Check the sport forum---we gotta a couple.

[Nye Bevan]

5. Agreed. If it was only one or two people throwing out allegations, that would be one thing.

But we are supposed to believe that many, many people who have been in Armstrong's circle over the years have suddenly decided to make stuff up about him? Why would people do this to a popular, successful, cancer survivor? And risk being sued for slander? Why would people do this to Armstrong and not Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning or Michael Phelps?

This is one of the clearest applications of Occam's razor that I have ever seen.

[NoMoreWarNow]

2. thought this might be about Neil

first Lance went down, then Neil...