Lance to confess??

So the big cycling news over the weekend was the New York Times article stating Lance Armstrong was considering a confession.  While I think its a possibility Lance could confess, the confession would certainly be rife with passing the buck and self-victimization.  His confession would also need to include some serious apologizes to a number of people.  See, over the past few months, my opinion of LA has changed quite a bit.

I used to be very pragmatic over the whole "did he or didn't he dope" argument.  I figured if he did dope, then good for him, he was the best of all the dopers, since nearly everyone at the top of the spot during that time.  If he didn't, and somehow he was the only clean one, then even better for him.  So when USADA came out with their decision to ban LA for life, it really wasn't a surprise.  But after reading the decision and some of the evidence and combining that with some of Tyler Hamilton's revelations, I decided it wasn't just that LA doped, it was that he was the ring leader, the bully, the mafia boss that would destroy anyone who dared speak against him.  He ruined careers, he ruined human beings.

His first apology would need to go to Besty and Frankie Andreu.  They, Besty really, were the first to tell the truth about what LA had told them about drug use.  They have also bore the brunt of LA's wrath and super powered spin team.

His next apology needs to be for Greg Lemond.  When Lemond dared to some out against him Lemond ended up losing a bike licensing deal with Trek.  While I have my own doubts about Lemond's cleaniness from PED's, he's never shied away from calling a spade a spade.

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He needs to apologize to Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton, whom he skewered in the press and public.  He then needs to hand out personal apologies to all his teammates over the years, for not backing them up, for pressuring them to dope.  He needs to apologize to every cyclist who decided against a pro cycling career by choosing not to dope.

He needs to apologize to every fan, including me, who bought into the lies, and purchased Nikes, Oakley's and Giro helmets because of him.

He needs to apologize for a lifetime of bullying a deceit.

If he's going to continue to profess all the good he has done for cycling then he needs to own up to all the damage he has now done as well.

I have my doubts though  that a confession is coming.  A confession would open LA up to all kinds of legal action.  He's already being sued by SCA Promotions for the $5mm bonus they were forced to give him.  I'm surprised there haven't been defamation lawsuits and more sponsors coming forward asking for some money back.  Wouldn't he be purge-ring himself as well?  I'm pretty sure he's professed his innocence under oath.

Whatever the reasons LA may have for confessing, if it happens, it needs to be more than just an "I doped, lets move on."  For a confession to stick for me, he'll need to spend the rest of his life repairing the damage he has caused to sports in general, cycling and most importantly to the lives he has destroyed in the process.

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