The head of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) lobbied the country’s Attorney General Eric Holder for the US Department of Justice to join a whistleblower lawsuit against Lance Armstrong on the same day the cyclist confessed in an interview to performance-enhancing drug use.
USADA chief executive officer Travis Tygart wrote to Holder on Jan. 14, urging him to join the civil case and telling Holder that “fraud and other crimes were committed” by Armstrong and other members of his former US Postal Service teams. It was not clear if Holder responded, but the Department of Justice has not yet announced it if will join the lawsuit filed by former Armstrong teammate Floyd Landis.
Landis, who was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title for doping, accuses Armstrong of committing fraud against the Postal Service, which sponsored most of Armstrong’s teams as the star rider won the Tour a record seven times.
Landis also was a key witness in a USADA investigation last year that exposed Armstrong’s doping.
He stands to collect a portion — potentially millions of dollars — of any possible financial penalties against Armstrong.
The letter is dated the same day Armstrong admitted his drug use to Oprah Winfrey in a television interview that was broadcast on Jan. 17 and Jan. 18.
USADA officials had been urging him to speak under oath with its investigators if he hoped to have his lifetime ban reduced.
The letter was first reported on Thursday by Velonews.com and The Associated Press independently obtained a copy from a person familiar with the case.
Armstrong and USADA officials talked on and off over a couple of months about the terms of the cyclist sitting down for a long interview to spill all he knows about doping in cycling, but Armstrong said on Wednesday he would not cooperate.
A person familiar with discussions between the two sides, who spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because they were private, said among the topics was how much protection USADA could provide Armstrong in the whistle-blower case and against possible criminal action. The cyclist and his attorneys ultimately were not satisfied with USADA’s offer, the person said.
Commenting on Wednesday on Armstrong’s refusal to talk, Tygart said that, “over the last few weeks he has led us to believe that he wanted to come in and assist USADA, but was worried of potential criminal and civil liability if he did so.”
In his letter to Holder, Tygart wrote that USADA “uncovered one of the greatest frauds in the history of sport,” but that his agency had reached the end of what it can do to punish Armstrong and other “non-sports” people involved with his teams.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was