Dear Readers,
Due to the continuous allegations that Texas-native Lance Armstrong has been using performance enhancing drugs since 1999 to help him achieve his accomplishments, has come into the spotlight recently, only to have a final ruling on all of these claims made against him. Potentially strip all of his medals from him (this action hasn’t been officially ruled as final), only based on a statement that Armstrong released, which stated:
” There comes a point in every man’s life when ‘enough is enough.’ For me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999… The toll this has taken on my family and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today — finished with this nonsense.”
The reasoning behind the actions of the USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) was that they believe the statement Armstrong made was an indirect admission that he has been using performance enhancing drugs and interpreting, ‘Enough is enough. For me, that time is now,” as further evidence that he’s been feeling guilty about hiding the truth. However, Armstrong never admitted anything, so is this just an over-reactive measure on USADA’s behalf before there was even any full-given admittance on Armstrong’s part? besides, for me, when I read that statement, I interpreted it as a man being fed up with USADA breathing down his neck every two seconds. It also seems to me like a man who’s standing up for his privacy and his family.
There are many athletes that have been threatened by USADA to lose their respective titles and have come out clean, but at the same time, every individual they point a finger at, of course they have the full right to be nervous. There are legitimate cheaters, and then there are the ones that do everything cleanly. For Armstrong, the motivation to create a legacy even when his life seemed to hang in the balance, would have been enough of a drive for him to win all of those events. Even if they do decide to take his medals in the end, I think his determination and his drive to succeed and beat cancer, is enough of a legacy in itself. Ultimately though, I truly believe that Armstrong is an individual who is courageous and true to the core who does not deserve to be up against such harsh consequences being carried out by USADA. Really, if the guy has come clean all of these years prior to this most recent claim against him, what makes this any more different from any other charge? I have never seen Armstrong back down from any other impediment before, so for me, this is hope enough.
Any readers interested in reading the full statement released by Armstrong, you can do so here on his official website at http://lancearmstrong.com/news-events/lance-armstrongs-statement-of-august-23-2012.
All the best,
R.Q.
Real With Rick 