Lance Armstrong says, “enough is enough.” He has declared that he would no longer fight charges and claims that he has cheated by using performance-enhancing drugs in winning his seven Tours since 1999. With this announcement, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency confirmed that it would strip the cyclist of his seven Tour De France titles, obliterate all his race results from his career and ban him from the sport for life. Armstrong will also have to give back his bronze medal from the 2000 Olympics and all other titles, awards and money he won since August 1998.
Armstrong wrote a statement on his website about the situation. He says he is “finished with this nonsense” and calls Travis Tygart’s investigations an “unconstitutional witch hunt.” Lance has provided all the blood and urine tests asked of him, but says there is no evidence of him cheating. Despite the claims made against him, Armstrong says, “I know who won those seven Tours, my teammates know who won those seven Tours, and everyone I competed against knows who won those seven Tours.” He will continue to work on serving people and families affected by cancer. He is moving forward.
Multiple celebrities shared their thoughts and voiced their support for Lance Armstrong via Twitter:
Sophia Bush: “Read @lancearmstrong ‘s heartbreaking statement. He’s passed all these tests, and they’re still digging? #WitchHunt lancearmstrong.com/news-event/lance-armstrongs-statement-of-august-23-2012”
Donald Trump: “I am very surprised that @lancearmstrong gave up. I never thought he was a quitter. @lancearmstrong should immediately reconsider or his legacy is ruined.”
Ricky Berens: “As an athlete, this Lance Armstrong thing really makes me mad. How do you punish someone who has never failed the system put in place?”
Fred Savage: “The world is a better place as a result of @lancearmstrong climbing on a bike. I will support him today and everyday.”
