Lance Armstrong's Admission of Doping Creates a Twitter Firestorm
Lance Armstrong has admitted to Oprah Winfrey that he used performance-enhancing drugs, according to the Associated Press.
The Associated Press tweeted on Monday:
"BREAKING: AP Source: @lancearmstrong confesses to Oprah Winfrey that he used performance-enhancing drugs. #tdf
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) January 15, 2013"
Naturally, the admission from the man who had seven Tour de France titles stripped from him set off a firestorm in Twitter Land.
Chris Jones, back-page columnist for ESPN the Magazine, tweeted:
"Lance Armstrong didn't just cheat; he tried to destroy the people who fought cheating. Don't forget that, or them.
— Chris Jones (@MySecondEmpire) January 14, 2013"
Bleacher Report's own Eric Ball tweeted:
"Lance Armstrong is American to the core. Deny, deny ,deny, bully and scare others, deny, deny, go on Oprah and plead for forgiveness.
— Eric Ball (@BigLeagueEball) January 15, 2013"
T.J. Quinn of ESPN added that Armstrong's admission won't be enough for many people leading up to the airing of the Oprah segment on Thursday. Rather, the way he admits his guilt will be noted.
Quinn tweeted:
"What most will be looking for is not the admission, it will be how he explains the vicious defense of his lies.
— T.J. Quinn (@TJQuinnESPN) January 15, 2013"
Comedian Frank Caliendo chimed in:
"Hmm. After all that lying, I don't believe a word he says.@ap :Lance Armstrong confesses to Oprah that he used performance-enhancing drugs.
— Frank Caliendo (@FrankCaliendo) January 15, 2013"
Bomani Jones added:
"also, the fraud of lance armstrong wasn't a one-man job. i wanna see how this unfolds. men like lance don't go down alone.
— Bomani Jones (@bomani_jones) January 15, 2013"
Not Charles Barkley quipped:
"Today: Lance Armstrong admits to doping. 10 years from now: LeBron admits to paying off the refs. We all see it coming.
— Not Charles Barkley (@NotChuckBarkley) January 15, 2013"
Piers Morgan of CNN got in on the bashing of Armstrong:
"At cheating? Nope, he was unbeatable at that > RT @limpincow: @piersmorgan I dare you to prove anyone could have beaten Lance Armstrong.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 15, 2013"
Author and educator William Deen was more interested in the fact that Armstrong has battled back to beat cancer:
"Guess what? I don't care if Lance Armstrong used performance enhancing drugs. The dude had testicular cancer and brain cancer. He beat both.
— William Deen (@WilliamDeen) January 15, 2013"
Adam Kramer, lead college football writer for Bleacher Report, tweeted:
"And in honor of Lance Armstrong's honesty, Barry Bonds has decided to drink an extra mojito on a secluded Hawaiian beach.
— Adam Kramer (@KegsnEggs) January 15, 2013"
Matt Jones of KentuckySportsRadio.com noted the support Armstrong has received despite the allegations:
"Nastiest emails I ever received were 2 yrs ago when I said on radio "of course Lance Armstrong cheated." He had strong, but naive, defenders
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) January 15, 2013"
The news comes after Armstrong apologized to the staff at his Livestrong cancer foundation on Monday, according to the Los Angeles Times. The 41-year-old reportedly teared up in front of the staff and aims to repair the foundation's tarnished image.
Armstrong vehemently denied using PEDs for years despite numerous teammates and acquaintances coming forward and several investigations. After retiring in early 2011, he has been faced with nothing but a constant barrage stemming from the allegations.
This will undoubtedly change the way people look at Armstrong's cycling career, if they haven't changed their minds already. Once hailed as one of the sport's greatest cyclists and competitors, words such as "fraud" and "phony" are cascading down upon Armstrong now.
After a lifetime of success, Armstrong's image has taken a major hit, one that will resound for years to come throughout the world.
