Lance Armstrong is ready to face his critics and apologize for his past doping in a scheduled interview set to air Thursday with Oprah, but is appears he already has gotten off to a head start.
According to the Associated Press, sources said that Armstrong apologized to his staff on Monday at his Livestrong cancer foundation before heading to an interview with Oprah Winfrey. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussion was private.
Armstrong has been under fire from the media, fans and other athletes since being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles last year due to doping allegations. According to the report, Armstrong addressed the staff Monday and said, "I'm sorry." The person said the disgraced cyclist choked up and several employees cried during the session.
The report also said that Armstrong took responsibility for letting down the organization and the staff, but did not make any direct confession to using banned drugs or substances. Armstrong also added that he would continue the charity's mission of helping cancer patients and their families and that he would work to restore the reputation of Livestrong.
Following the meeting with the staff, Armstrong and his legal team went to a downtown Austin hotel for the interview with Winfrey. According tio the report, the interview was set to be filmed at Armstrong's home, but the venue was changed due to local and international news crews positioning themselves in front of the cyclist's Spanish-style villa before dawn, hoping to catch a glimpse of Winfrey or Armstrong before the interview.
The crew is expected to film the interview at the new location and will broadcast it on Thursday. According to the Associated Press and other outlets, Armstrong is prepared to make a limited confession about his career and his past doping.
The AP also reports that Armstrong was able to sneak away on Monday morning despite the crowd, using a neighbor's yard and by hopping a fence. During a jog on Sunday, Armstrong talked to the AP for a few minutes saying, "I'm calm, I'm at ease and ready to speak candidly." He declined to go into specifics.
Armstrong has quickly gone from one of the most revered and respected athletes in the world to one of the most controversial. He was dogged by doping allegations for many years, but always fought back and claimed he was clean. Armstrong was stripped of all seven Tour titles following a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency report that portrayed him as cheater and a ruthless cyclist who would do anything to win.
USADA chief executive Travis Tygart said that the doping ring ran by Armstrong was "The most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."
The interview is hotly anticipated, as it will be Armstrong's first public response to the USADA report and first statements about the doping allegations. Writers and people in the media have speculated about what will be asked and how Armstrong will answer, but all signs so far point to a minimal confession and a mea culpa to the media and his fans around the world.
In a text to the AP on Saturday, Armstrong said: "I told her (Winfrey) to go wherever she wants and I'll answer the questions directly, honestly and candidly. That's all I can say."
The interview will not be the final step for Armstrong, no matter what he confesses to. He still must deal with former teammate Floyd Landis, who has filed a federal whistle-blower lawsuit that accused Armstrong of defrauding the U.S. Postal Service. He also must face issues dealing with libel cases, including the London-based Sunday Times, who is suing Armstrong to recover about $500,000 it paid him to settle a libel lawsuit in the past.
According to the AP: "the newspaper took out a full-page ad in the Chicago Tribune, offering Winfrey suggestions for what questions to ask Armstrong. Dallas-based SCA Promotions, which tried to deny Armstrong a promised bonus for a Tour de France win, has threatened to bring yet another lawsuit seeking to recover more than $7.5 million an arbitration panel awarded the cyclist in that dispute."
The legal troubles for Armstrong could change depending on what he says to Winfrey. He likely would avoid federal perjury charges due to the statute of limitations, but could have problems with the Sunday Times case due to the nature of it.
Armstrong has lost out on numerous sponsorships since all this has come to light and he is currently prohibited from competing in certain sanctioned events due to the report. He has said he would still like to compete and run in marathons. The report says Armstrong is worth up to $100 million still even after leaving the board of Livestrong.
According to the AP: "World Anti-Doping Code rules state his lifetime ban cannot be reduced to less than eight years. WADA and U.S. Anti-Doping officials could agree to reduce the ban further depending on what information Armstrong provides and his level of cooperation."
The apology to Livestrong is a start for Armstrong, but the path to complete forgiveness is still far away. Depending on what he says in the interview, Armstrong could face even more scrutiny and criticism if he does not answer the questions fully and honestly.
