Opinion: Will Armstrong do jail time?

[kurtinsc]

Doubt it.

His legacy will likely be tarnished pretty bad. But he's got enough lawyers and has had his picture taken with enough politicians that I simply find it hard to imagine him being taken away in handcuffs.

He may be found guilty of something. He might have to pay a very stiff fine. But I would be completly shocked if he were ever behind bars for any of this.

 

[fatandfast]

Fraud makes the enemies.

Look at Bill Gates. Plenty of people hate the guy for his past business dealings (even I've been personally touched by his wicked finger of business), but as the years go on, he fully redeems himself through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Microsoft sued in many more courts than Armstrong ever will. Yes Lance should have combined his effort with a sweet lady friend..maybe Crow or Hudson would have served him well. Even if Lance is on your no list now..if he keeps working toward anything like Bill Gates all people in need are on the winning end. This is like a Shindler's list like logic..use people but as long as you do the right thing in the end everything is ok. Lance should still get the chance right? If I was starting a business,charity or bike team I would love to have either guy stick his wicked fingers my way....

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Microsoft sued in many more courts than Armstrong ever will. Yes Lance should have combined his effort with a sweet lady friend..maybe Crow or Hudson would have served him well. Even if Lance is on your no list now..if he keeps working toward anything like Bill Gates all people in need are on the winning end. This is like a Shindler's list like logic..use people but as long as you do the right thing in the end everything is ok. Lance should still get the chance right? If I was starting a business,charity or bike team I would love to have either guy stick his wicked fingers my way....

There is Armstrong's difficulty.

 

[BotanyBay]

Even if Lance is on your no list now..if he keeps working toward anything like Bill Gates all people in need are on the winning end.

In order to "keep working toward", you have to have actually worked toward to begin with.

First, Lance must actually get on track to be able to be compared with what's going on at B&MGF.

 

[BotanyBay]

This is like a Shindler's list like logic..use people but as long as you do the right thing in the end everything is ok.

I think you misunderstood that film. "Using" those people was literally the only thing keeping them alive. He was doing the right thing all along as he had no power to do anything else for them.

 

[Oldman]

It isn't Weisel - as they were only together for a short time in the early 90's, it wasn't until 97 (post cancer) that they hooked up again.

The key person is Bill Stapleton, who became LA's agent in 1995, from the CSE website.


Armstrong has always been pretty savy when it came to marketing himself.

He had his own business card from when he was 15

I didn't fill in the blanks on the expense/consultation model that the major sports leagues coached their franchise players on. Stapleton no doubt started his client in that time honored direction but Weisel was employing it early on to manage his Master's teams expenses. USPS was another vehicle for him to tag along at tax exempt status.

 

[Velocentric]

If the Sony produced 'documentary' ever makes it to cinemas I don't see how there's even the remotest chance of Lance doing time. America LOVES an underdog and you can guarantee that there will be nothing shown that could possibly portray Lance in a less than 'Small Town* Texas Boy Made Good against Evil Euro Johnnies' light.

Although, I do think it's quite funny that the Director is the man responsible for 'Enron: the smartest guys in the room' considering what's coming to light about Armstrongs business and charitable practices.

*artistic licence and public expectation means that Armstrong will have to re-write his history so he comes from a backwater town of no more than 1000 people where he knows everyone by name, delivers the morning paper as part of his training ride and saves a puppy / small girl from drowning at immense personal risk to himself.

 

[BroDeal]

Given the way he has defrauded people with terminal diseases, they should dispense with time in prison and sew his mouth to the ass of a fat truck driver and feed the driver a steady diet of chili.

 

[sniper]

iew, that's really nasty..

I'd say, bring him over to Guantanamo, and have FLandis, Simeoni and Betsy beat the truth out of him...

 

[jimbob_in_co]

Given the way he has defrauded people with terminal diseases, they should dispense with time in prison and sew his mouth to the ass of a fat truck driver and feed the driver a steady diet of chili.

iew, that's really nasty..

I'd say, bring him over to Guantanamo, and have FLandis, Simeoni and Betsy beat the truth out of him...

I think the worse punishment would be for him to lose all of his fame, his PR tool (er... I mean 'Foundation'), much of his fortune and be left as just another 'every man / nobody' in the public eye like the rest of us. Then people will greet him with the phrase, "Hey, didn't you used to be Lance Armstrong?"

Wishes and dreams.... sigh...

Of course, given examples of Alex ("A-roid") Rodriguez, and now Michael Vick, the 'Texas ego' will probably walk way from all of this with some very short-term pain, but little long term damage (he might even ultimately gain more of the 'risen from the grave' BS aura that already surrounds him).

As Randy Newman once sang, "The World isn't fair"

 

[AngusW]

Will Armstrong do jail time?

I don't think he'll do jail time. He has too much money, too many political connections and will play the charity card for all it is worth. At worst, his lawyers will be able to negotiate a plea bargain whereby he pays a large fine to avoid jail.

Even if he does go to jail, so what? He'll take his mom's advice of turning a negative into a positive and make money out of telling his jail story when he's released (after 3 - 6 months). Seems to work that way for most of the other celebrities they're locking up these days.

The best outcome in my opinion would not be jail for him (just another money spinner), or a huge fine (just a drop in the bucket from his coffers) but a full public confession from the man about all his doping. Then let the public judge him.

But I don't hold out much hope for hearing the truth come out of this investigation. There's more likely to be a pay-off and some sort of non-disclosure agreeement. I hope I'm wrong about this, but money talks and there is plenty of money.

 

[Dallas_]

iew, that's really nasty..

I'd say, bring him over to Guantanamo, and have FLandis, Simeoni and Betsy beat the truth out of him...

Just heard someone screaming and yelling. Is that you Greg? yeh ... "wait for meeeeeee"

 

[BotanyBay]

The guy subsists on having very few real friends, so there is not much for him to lose. So long as he has money, he'll have hangers-on.

For chrissakes, even OJ Simpson had women lining-up to sleep with him after his acquittal. Sad, eh?

 

[fatandfast]

I think you misunderstood that film. "Using" those people was literally the only thing keeping them alive. He was doing the right thing all along as he had no power to do anything else for them.

Probably shouldn't have used Shindler's list because the time line is always sped up so that Shindler looks like he was always "doing the right thing" as he was cashing the checks. Maybe Pretty Woman is more your speed,,completely exploit a hot *****, feed her a steady diet of meat and as long as everybody is smiling at the end we can forget about the slavery part..it was all part of the process. If you think that a business card carrying 15 year old in Speedos was thinking how to create an evil empire..cool. If you think that Armstrong woke up after a super dose of chemo and said "how can I make money from this?"..cool again. The guy is like every other pro athlete you see..some wo a high school degree and put into a postion to make decisions about millions if not 100's of millions of dollars..mistakes are made and often the corrections are bigger than the mistakes..it's just human nature not some single balled mastermind. He is a bike racer for godsake..most of them in the US go on to careers in bicycle reatil or real estate. The ones w school leave cycling like a burning outhouse when they are done. Most expro cyclists have more in common w MC Hammer than Bill Gates

 

[spetsa]

But I don't hold out much hope for hearing the truth come out of this investigation. There's more likely to be a pay-off and some sort of non-disclosure agreeement. I hope I'm wrong about this, but money talks and there is plenty of money.

We will have to wait and see about the jail time, but one thing is certain. This is a FEDERAL investigation, not some Austin, TX District Attorney that will drop felonies in exchange for a new playground at a grade school. Money is not going to save the One Nut Wonder, only turning on his friends. I bet Weisel hasn't picked up a phone with Lance on the other end of the line for months!

 

[jimbob_in_co]

The guy subsists on having very few real friends, so there is not much for him to lose. So long as he has money, he'll have hangers-on.

For chrissakes, even OJ Simpson had women lining-up to sleep with him after his acquittal. Sad, eh?

You are correct BB.

Per Dante's "Divine Comedy" let's hope Armstrong has at least punched himself a ticket to an even more inner circle of Hell (I'm thinking into Circle 8 from his previous afterlife destination of Circle 7).

BTW that Blonde passed out on OJ's shoulder looks like Lance's type.

 

[BotanyBay]

Most expro cyclists have more in common w MC Hammer than Bill Gates

True, which is why this wasted opportunity is so shameful.

 

[mwbyrd]

Ask yourself this question, sit on it for 15 minutes, answer it, and get back to us:

"Why am I asking such questions?"

Because I'd like to know where all the anger comes from...

 

[jimbob_in_co]

Because I'd like to know where all the anger comes from...

Because many of us have met the guy and/or had many interactions with him and/or his Foundation.

We've seen the way things really are, and grow weary of the sunshine Armstrong's handlers continually try to blow up everyone's skirts.

 

[mwbyrd]

Really?? Can you name another rider who has paid 'donations' to the UCI?
What other GC contenders had the services of Dr. Ferrari from 99?

Why when you agree that Armstrong is a doper do you feel he should escape sanction like everyone else?

LeMond? Well as you believe LA took PEDs then what did he say that was wrong and why should he keep quiet about it?

Donations? Who knows who made donations. I mean, a lot of GC riders were never busted for doping...during the 80's and 90's.
Dr. Ferrari? Do your really believe Armstrong was his ONLY client?

Where did I say he should escape sanction? The problem is he could only be sanctione by hearsay. No positive test, no proof other than word of mouth.

LeMond? If he was so interested in cleaning up the sport, why didn't he take on doping as a whole instead of focusing on ONE PERSON, ie LA. LA whom had also won the tour and was American, who just happened to ride for and American Bike Company that owned his own Company. LeMond made a very bad business decision publically going after LA.

Once again, I was just asking 'Why so much Anger' and how has LA's actions personally affected you?

 

[mwbyrd]

Because many of us have met the guy and/or had many interactions with him and/or his Foundation.

We've seen the way things really are, and grow weary of the sunshine Armstrong's handlers continually try to blow up everyone's skirts.

And how are things really? Based on your personal experience with LA

 

[jimbob_in_co]

And how are things really? Based on your personal experience with LA

"Activate the 'anti-troll' Shield, Mr. Sulu."
"Aye-aye, Captain."

 

[BotanyBay]

"Activate the 'anti-troll' Shield, Mr. Sulu."
"Aye-aye, Captain."

Aye, sir. I'm also detecting PRStrategies with a faint signal of Rick Herman.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Donations? Who knows who made donations. I mean, a lot of GC riders were never busted for doping...during the 80's and 90's.
Dr. Ferrari? Do your really believe Armstrong was his ONLY client?

Where did I say he should escape sanction? The problem is he could only be sanctione by hearsay. No positive test, no proof other than word of mouth.

LeMond? If he was so interested in cleaning up the sport, why didn't he take on doping as a whole instead of focusing on ONE PERSON, ie LA. LA whom had also won the tour and was American, who just happened to ride for and American Bike Company that owned his own Company. LeMond made a very bad business decision publically going after LA.

Once again, I was just asking 'Why so much Anger' and how has LA's actions personally affected you?

And your question is a strawman - I am not angry, in fact you're the one that sounds angry from your earlier post:

Why do you consider LA a fraud? This is what bugs me about the forum. You guys assume he is a fraud because he says he never did PEDs or never tested positive.

Based on this theory, every cyclist is a fraud because every cyclist must be doping. Therefore, we are all frauds.

How personally has LA (or any other top cyclist) personally affected you? You seem so angry...

I can't believe how much time and energy (me included) we waste on the subject of LA.

I asked 2 questions - ywt cannot answer them, why?
Who else made donations to the UCI?
What other GC contender was working with Dr. Ferrari from 99 on?

No positive test? Hearsay, you say? Tell that to Valverde, Basso or Leogrande.

LeMond - has been outspoken about doping well before LA won a Tour, again what did he say that was wrong?

 

[Velocentric]

An interesting question actually, probably one worthy of its own thread:

What has the Lance Armstrong Foundation done for you?

Every time I've asked that question on Twitter I've been flamed. I may start a new thread here and link to it from Twitter. Could be some interesting experiences from both sides.