I know he’s been singled out with a select few others on an appreciation thread, but I want to salute him here. He did what no one else—not the few brave riders like Bassons who tried to stand up to LA, the French who investigated LA for two years, the SCA trial, Walsh and his books, Kimmage and his articles, Ressiott and his revelations of the 1999 samples, and on and on—were unable to do: he brought LA to justice. He was finally able to make the case for doping where everyone else had failed.
He had a lot of help, and some lucky breaks—particularly Floyd’s recanting—but it still required an enormous amount of effort, skill and patience: first, to locate the witnesses and persuade them to cooperate, with little or no help from the feds; second, to weave their stories into a coherent narrative that was so compelling that it would convince anyone beyond reasonable doubt without the need for a single positive test; third, to stand up to the legal delaying tactics LA’s team tried to use to avoid being sanctioned; and perhaps least appreciated, to accomplish all this in a very narrow window of time: following the dropping of the federal case, when he could really begin the process, and prior to the Olympics, because several of the witnesses were likely to participate.
Moreover, throughout the entire process, Tygart has taken the high road. He has tempered justice with mercy, offering to let LA keep many of his titles, if only he would cooperate. At every step in the legal process begun by LA’s team, he gave them all the time they needed and more. And while he has been sharply critical of both LA and the other five who were charged, along with the UCI itself, he has not gloated over his success, nor stooped to demeaning ad hominems.
Tygart, you are the man of the hour. Very well done, sir.
He had a lot of help, and some lucky breaks—particularly Floyd’s recanting—but it still required an enormous amount of effort, skill and patience: first, to locate the witnesses and persuade them to cooperate, with little or no help from the feds; second, to weave their stories into a coherent narrative that was so compelling that it would convince anyone beyond reasonable doubt without the need for a single positive test; third, to stand up to the legal delaying tactics LA’s team tried to use to avoid being sanctioned; and perhaps least appreciated, to accomplish all this in a very narrow window of time: following the dropping of the federal case, when he could really begin the process, and prior to the Olympics, because several of the witnesses were likely to participate.
Moreover, throughout the entire process, Tygart has taken the high road. He has tempered justice with mercy, offering to let LA keep many of his titles, if only he would cooperate. At every step in the legal process begun by LA’s team, he gave them all the time they needed and more. And while he has been sharply critical of both LA and the other five who were charged, along with the UCI itself, he has not gloated over his success, nor stooped to demeaning ad hominems.
Tygart, you are the man of the hour. Very well done, sir.
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