LANCE ARMSTRONG HAS hit back at a federal lawsuit against him and said that his former team overlooked allegations of doping because of a lucrative sponsorship deal.
The disgraced cyclist, who is now in full damage control mode after he admitted to being a drugs cheat in January, asked an American judge to dismiss the Justice Department False Claims Act lawsuit.
Armstrong was riding for the US Postal Service team at the time to which the lawsuit relates.
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“Although the government now pretends to be aggrieved by these allegations, its actions at the time are far more telling.” Armstrong’s court filing states.
“Did it suspend the team pending an investigation? Did it refer the matter to its phalanx of lawyers and investigators at the Department of Justice for review? It did not.
Rather than exercise its right to terminate the sponsorship agreement, it instead renewed its contract to sponsor the team.
“The rationale behind the government’s decision is obvious. Armstrong had recently won the 2000 Tour de France. The government wanted a winner and all the publicity, exposure, and acclaim that goes along with being his sponsor. It got exactly what it bargained for.
The US government sued on behalf of the US Postal Service, asserting that Armstrong and his cycling teammates, some of whom admitted to doping years ago, committed fraud by using performance-enhancing drugs.
Armstrong has also argued that the government’s case is too old to move forward because it is barred by the six-year statute of limitations.
The American rider, who won the Tour a record seven times between 1999 and 2005, was last year exposed as a serial drug user in a devastating US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) report that plunged cycling into crisis.
Lance: Team ignored doping allegations and 'got exactly what it bargained for'
LANCE ARMSTRONG HAS hit back at a federal lawsuit against him and said that his former team overlooked allegations of doping because of a lucrative sponsorship deal.
The disgraced cyclist, who is now in full damage control mode after he admitted to being a drugs cheat in January, asked an American judge to dismiss the Justice Department False Claims Act lawsuit.
Armstrong was riding for the US Postal Service team at the time to which the lawsuit relates.
“Although the government now pretends to be aggrieved by these allegations, its actions at the time are far more telling.” Armstrong’s court filing states.
“Did it suspend the team pending an investigation? Did it refer the matter to its phalanx of lawyers and investigators at the Department of Justice for review? It did not.
The US government sued on behalf of the US Postal Service, asserting that Armstrong and his cycling teammates, some of whom admitted to doping years ago, committed fraud by using performance-enhancing drugs.
Armstrong has also argued that the government’s case is too old to move forward because it is barred by the six-year statute of limitations.
The American rider, who won the Tour a record seven times between 1999 and 2005, was last year exposed as a serial drug user in a devastating US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) report that plunged cycling into crisis.
© AFP, 2013
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