By Jillian Martin and Chelsea J. Carter
updated 1:06 PM EST, Sat January 5, 2013
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The New York Times report cites unnamed associates and doping officials in its report
- Cyclist's lawyer says his client was not in discussion with U.S. or world anti-doping agencies
- Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life
- Cyclist has repeatedly denied using banned performance-enhancing drugs
(CNN) -- Lance Armstrong's attorney denied his client was in discussion with the U.S. or world anti-doping agencies following a report by The New York Times that the disgraced cycling icon was contemplating publicly admitting he used illegal performance-enhancing drugs.
Attorney Tim Herman in an email to CNN Sports late Friday did not address whether Armstrong told associates -- as reported by the newspaper -- that he was considering the admission as a way to restore his athletic eligibility.
Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life last year after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency found there was overwhelming evidence that he was directly involved in a sophisticated doping program.
Silence falls as Austin awaits Armstrong's 'last word'
Lance Armstrong over the years
HIDE CAPTION
<<
<
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
>
>>
Diving into trouble
HIDE CAPTION
Drug scandals in sports
HIDE CAPTION
<<
<
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
>
>>
Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong is the subject of annual Bonfire Night celebrations in the British town of Edenbridge. An effigy of Armstrong will be burned during the celebrations, which mark the foiling of Guy Fawkes' "gunpowder plot" to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill King James I in 1605. The Edenbridge Bonfire Soceity has gained a reputation for using celebrity "Guys," including Tony Blair, Jacques Chirac and Saddam Hussein.
Up in flames
HIDE CAPTION
Armstrong has repeatedly and vehemently denied that he used banned performance-enhancing drugs as well as illegal blood transfusions during his cycling career.
In the past, Armstrong has argued that he took more than 500 drug tests and never failed. In its 202-page report that detailed Armstrong's alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs and blood transfusions, the USADA said it had tested Armstrong less than 60 times and the International Cycling Union conducted about 215 tests.
The agency did not say that Armstrong ever failed a test, but his former teammates testified as to how they beat tests or avoided the tests altogether.
The New York Times, citing unnamed associates and anti-doping officials, said Armstrong has been in discussions with USADA officials and hopes to meet with David Howman chief of the World Anti-Doping Agency. The newspaper said none of the people with knowledge of Armstrong's situation wanted to be identified because it would jeopardize their access to information on the matter.
Under World Anti-Doping Agency rules, an athlete who confesses to using performance-enhancing drugs may be eligible for a reinstatement.
Armstrong has been an icon for his cycling feats and celebrity, bringing more status to a sport wildly popular in some nations but lacking big-name recognition, big money and mass appeal in the United States.
He fought back from testicular cancer to win the Tour from 1999 to 2005. He raised millions via his Lance Armstrong Foundation to help cancer victims and survivors, an effort illustrated by trendy yellow "LiveSTRONG" wristbands that helped bring in the money.
The cyclist's one-time high-profile relationship with singer Sheryl Crow also kept him in the public eye.
But Armstrong has long been dogged by doping allegations, with compatriot Floyd Landis -- who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title after failing a drug test -- making a series of claims in 2011.
Armstrong sued the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency last year to stop its investigation of him, arguing it did not have the right to prosecute him. But after a federal judge dismissed the case, Armstrong said he would no longer participate in the investigation.
In October 2012, Armstrong was stripped of his titles and banned. Weeks later, he stepped down from the board of his foundation, Livestrong.
It is unclear whether Armstrong would face criminal prosecution for perjury should he confess. Armstrong was involved in several cases where he gave sworn testimony that he never used banned drugs.
Armstrong and his publicist did not immediately respond to a CNN requests late Friday and early Saturday for comment on The New York Times report.
Armstrong's demise: How he fell from grace
Part of complete coverage on
Lance Armstrong
updated 1:21 PM EDT, Mon October 22, 2012
Lance Armstrong's feat of winning seven consecutive Tour de France titles was like the demigod Hercules achieving his "Twelve Labors."
updated 3:40 PM EDT, Mon October 22, 2012
The International Cycling Union announces hat Lance Armstrong is being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles.
updated 11:45 AM EST, Thu December 6, 2012
Forty days alone in the wilderness was enough for Jesus, but Lance Armstrong is facing an altogether longer period of solitude.
updated 4:43 PM EST, Wed November 7, 2012
Lance Armstrong's fall from grace has left one of the cyclist's former sponsors not only "sad" -- but also without one of its biggest marketing tools.
updated 2:15 PM EDT, Fri October 26, 2012
Lance Armstrong has been asked to return all prize money from his seven annulled Tour de France victories by the sport's governing body.
updated 2:57 PM EDT, Wed October 24, 2012
For years, as Lance Armstrong basked in the glow of an adoring public, his critics frequently were banished to the shadows, dismissed by the cycling legend and his coterie as cranks or worse.
updated 4:55 PM EDT, Sat October 20, 2012
Connie and Daniel Roddy did all they could to support Livestrong, raising tens of thousands of dollars for the cancer charity. Now they want their money back.
updated 10:59 AM EDT, Mon October 22, 2012
Lou Hablas has supported Livestrong for years and worn the iconic yellow bracelet in honor of his uncle, stepmother and friends who have lost loved ones to cancer.
updated 5:44 AM EDT, Mon October 22, 2012
For years, Lance Armstrong carried a growing burden of doping accusations up increasingly steep hills, accumulating fans, wealth and respect along the way.
updated 9:38 AM EDT, Wed October 17, 2012
Johan Bruyneel has become the first victim of a U.S. government investigation into Lance Armstrong and doping.
updated 8:45 AM EDT, Wed October 17, 2012
The 84 million bright yellow wristbands distributed by Lance Armstrong's cancer charity have become a well-known symbol of strength and perseverance.
updated 5:45 AM EDT, Mon October 22, 2012
The systematic use of performance enhancing substances within Lance Armstrong's former U.S. Postal Service team has been detailed by one cyclist who resisted the temptation to dope.
updated 9:57 PM EDT, Wed October 10, 2012
Cyclist Lance Armstrong was part of "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."
updated 5:53 PM EDT, Sat October 13, 2012
A former teammate of Lance Armstrong says there was no question why U.S. Postal Service team members doped during big races.
Armstrong's lawyer: No mea culpa talks
This article
Armstrong's lawyer: No mea culpa talks
can be opened in url
http://newsbotryose.blogspot.com/2013/01/armstrong-lawyer-no-mea-culpa-talks_6.html
Armstrong's lawyer: No mea culpa talks
