Mendoza: Armstrong in a hole even he can’t fathom

WILL he or will he not?

Lance Armstrong is said to appear on the famous Ophra Show in America on Jan. 18 (PHL Time).

The reason behind Armstrong’s appearance at the popular TV fare is simple: Armstrong is expected to break his silence on the doping scandal that had crumbled not only his cycling career but also his legend.

It will be recalled that the United States Olympic movement had stripped Armstrong of his unprecedented seven-straight Tour de France cycling crowns.

This, after the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) found Armstrong guilty of using illegal performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) to help him win those seven titles from 1999 to 2005.

Although numerous lab tests did not conclusively pin down Armstrong as guilty of having taken drugs, the Usada based its damning decision on the testimonies of several of Armstrong’s teammates, who alleged that Armstrong forced them to also use PEDs under pain of getting hurt “if we refused.”

One said, in an exclusive TV interview aired by several televisions worldwide, including CNN: “A bullet in your head could happen” on non-compliance of Armstrong’s
directives.

Before he was stripped of his seven titles following the guilty verdict, Armstrong was given several chances to argue his case. Each time, Armstrong refused, insisting that he never used illegal drugs.

To boost his stand, Armstrong cited a case that he won against a newspaper that he had accused of libeling him in the not-so-distant past in the aftermath of the doping scandal.

So, now, the question again: Was Armstrong’s legend legitimate or not?
Pundits are divided.

What will happen if he confesses, finally, to his doping sins?

Will the public take it too kindly as to forgive Armstrong, or will Armstrong be crucified forever—given that he had repeatedly said he was clean of drugs from Day One?

With an admission of guilt, will it not mean that Armstrong will lose it all—refund his million-dollar Tour de France earnings, return endorsement fees, not to mention the legend behind his name?

I can’t peek at the hole he is into right now.

(alsol47@yahoo.com)