UCI agrees to strip Armstrong's titles

Updated Oct 22, 2012 11:15 PM ET

     

 

GENEVA (AP)

Seven lines of blanks. From 1999 to 2005. There will be no Tour de France winner in the record book for those years.

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Once the toast of the Champs-Elysees, Lance Armstrong was formally stripped of his seven Tour titles Monday and banned for life for doping.
As far as the Tour is concerned, his victories never happened. He was never on the top step of the podium. The winner's yellow jersey was never on his back.
The decision by the International Cycling Union marked an end to the saga that brought down the most decorated rider in Tour history and exposed widespread cheating in the sport.
''Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling, and he deserves to be forgotten in cycling,'' said Pat McQuaid, president of the governing body. ''Make no mistake, it's a catastrophe for him, and he has to face up to that.''
It's also devastating for Tour de France organizers, who have to carve seven gaping holes from the honor roll of the sport's biggest event and airbrush Armstrong's image from a sun-baked podium on the Champs-Elysees.
No more rides through Paris for the grim-faced cancer survivor bearing the American flag. No champagne. From the sport's perspective, it's all gone.
''We wish that there is no winner for this period,'' Tour director Christian Prudhomme said Monday in Paris. ''For us, very clearly, the titles should remain blank. Effectively, we wish for these years to remain without winners.''

VIDEO: LANCE SPEAKS

Lance Armstrong spoke at a Livestrong event Friday about his "difficult couple of weeks." Watch the video.

Armstrong's fiercely defended reputation as a clean athlete was shattered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency two weeks ago, when it detailed evidence of drug use and trafficking by his Tour-winning teams. USADA released its report to show why it ordered Armstrong banned from competition back in August. Monday's judgment by the UCI was just the necessary next legal step to formalize the loss of his titles and expel him from the sport.
It also likely will trigger painful financial hits for Armstrong as race organizers and former sponsors line up to reclaim what are now viewed as his ill-gotten rewards, though the cyclist maintains he never doped.
Prudhomme wants Armstrong to pay back prize money from his seven wins, which the French cycling federation tallied at (euro) 2.95 million ($3.85 million). Armstrong also once was awarded $7.5 million plus legal fees from Dallas-based SCA Promotions Inc., which tried to withhold paying a bonus for the rider's 2004 Tour victory after it alleged he doped to win.
The U.S. government could also get involved in a case brought by Floyd Landis, who was key to taking down his illustrious former teammate by turning whistleblower in 2010.
The losses pile up for a man who dedicated himself to victory, over other cyclists and the cancer that almost killed him in 1996.
Neither Armstrong nor his representatives had any comment about Monday's decision, but the rider was defiant in August when he chose not to fight USADA in one of the agency's arbitration hearings. He argued the process was rigged against him.
''I know who won those seven Tours, my teammates know who won those seven Tours, and everyone I competed against knows who won those seven Tours,'' Armstrong said then. ''The toughest event in the world where the strongest man wins. Nobody can ever change that.''

LOOKING BACK

Lance Armstrong's career highlights may be tainted, but they're still worth remembering.

The condemnation by McQuaid, cycling's most senior official, confirmed Armstrong's pariah status, after the UCI had backed him at times in trying to seize control of the doping investigation from USADA.
McQuaid announced that the UCI accepted the sanctions imposed by USADA and would not appeal them to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. His board will meet Friday to discuss going after Armstrong's 2000 Olympic bronze medal and the possibility of setting up a ''Truth and Reconciliation'' commission to air the sport's remaining secrets.
''WADA is encouraged that the UCI feels it can use this case as a catalyst to thoroughly clean up its sport and remove any remaining vestiges of the doping programs that have clearly damaged cycling over the last decade,'' World Anti-Doping Agency President John Fahey said in a release.
The International Olympic Committee said it would study the UCI's response and wait to receive its full decision before possibly taking away Armstrong's medal from the Sydney Games time trial.
''It is good to see that all parties involved in this case are working together to tackle this issue,'' the IOC said.
McQuaid said he was ''sickened'' by some of the evidence detailed by USADA in its 200-page report and hundreds of pages of supporting testimony and documents.
USADA said Armstrong was at the center of ''the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen'' within his U.S. Postal Service and Discovery Channel teams.

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The American agency welcomed the decision by UCI.
''Today, the UCI made the right decision in the Lance Armstrong case,'' USADA CEO Travis Tygart said in a statement, which called on cycling to continue to fight doping. ''There are many more details of doping that are hidden, many more doping doctors, and corrupt team directors and the omerta has not yet been fully broken.''
The USADA report said Armstrong and his teams used steroids, the blood booster EPO and blood transfusions. The report included statements from 11 former teammates who testified against Armstrong, including that he pressured them to take banned drugs.
In all, 26 people including 15 riders testified to USADA that Armstrong and his teams used and trafficked banned substances and routinely used blood transfusions. Among the witnesses were loyal sidekick George Hincapie and admitted dopers Landis and Tyler Hamilton.
McQuaid singled out former teammate David Zabriskie, saying: ''The story he told of how he was coerced and to some extent forced into doping is just mind-boggling.''
Armstrong denies doping, saying he passed hundreds of drug tests, as many as 500. UCI conducted 218 tests and there were another 51 by USADA, although they are not the only drug-testing bodies.
''At the moment Lance Armstrong hasn't admitted to anything, yet all the evidence is there in this report that he doped,'' McQuaid said.

FALLS FROM GRACE

Some sports icons were on top of the world until they lost respect with these epic falls from grace.

While drug use allegations have followed the 41-year-old Armstrong throughout much of his career, the USADA report has badly damaged his reputation. Longtime sponsors Nike, Trek Bicycles and Anheuser-Busch dropped him last week, and Armstrong also stepped down as chairman of Livestrong, the cancer awareness charity he founded 15 years ago after surviving testicular cancer that spread to his lungs and brain.
After the UCI decision, another longtime Armstrong sponsor, Oakley sunglasses, cut ties with the rider.
Armstrong's astonishing return from life-threatening illness to the summit of cycling offered an inspirational story that transcended the sport. His downfall has ended ''one of the most sordid chapters in sports history,'' USADA said in its report.

Cutler shakes off injury, Bears beat Lions 13-7

CHICAGO (AP) -- There was a big gasp going through the stadium as Jay Cutler writhed in pain on the field.

He rose to his feet. The Bears defense rose to the occasion.
Cutler returned after bruising his ribs, and Brian Urlacher made a key fumble recovery to help Chicago beat the Detroit Lions 13-7 on Monday night for its fourth straight win.
It was certainly not an easy night for the NFC North leaders, particularly their quarterback, but they came away with the win after a week off and possibly buried Detroit (2-4) in the process despite getting a major scare along the way.
That happened in the second quarter when Cutler was sacked by Ndamukong Suh and ultimately wound up going to the locker room to have his ribs examined.
''He's a tough guy,'' coach Lovie Smith said. ''Most people thought Jay would get up. Unless it's a broken leg or something like that, he's going to get up. He is a tough guy. ... That was a gutsy effort by him. He was in some pain, but he fought through it.''
Cutler came back to start the second half and was 16 of 31 with 150 yards and a touchdown in the game, and although he said he was feeling ''all right'' afterward, he acknowledged he wasn't at full strength during the game.
''But we had to fight through it,'' he added.
They did just that, and with the defense locking down the Lions, the Bears (5-1) prevailed. It was a huge blow for last-place Detroit, a team many expected to contend for the division championship after making the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade.
''It's tough,'' Lions receiver Calvin Johnson said. ''We had a great week of practice last week and it just didn't translate. It just didn't translate to the field today.''
The Lions simply never got in gear, and when they had chances, they blew them, turning the ball over four times. The biggest came early in the third quarter, when Joique Bell fumbled at the goal line with the Bears leading 13-0.
Urlacher recovered and Chicago hung on from there, sending Detroit to its fourth loss in five games.
Brandon Marshall caught six passes for 81 yards and scored a touchdown on Chicago's first possession. Matt Forte ran for 96 yards, and with the defense doing its part again, Chicago never really was threatened in this one.
It was a rough night for the Lions, with Matthew Stafford going 28 of 46 for 261 yards after leading the late charge in last week's win over Philadelphia. Johnson had trouble shaking the Bears' Charles Tillman and finished with three catches for 34 yards. He dropped a deep pass over the middle on the game's first possession even though he was wide open.
''Calvin is one of the best players in the league,'' Smith said. ''It's hard for Detroit to win games without him being productive. That's why you need a guy like Charles Tillman that can match up on him. It made them go look at other ways to get the ball down field. That's going to lead up to wins most of the time, when we can get that kind of effort out of Charles.''
The Lions lost receiver Nate Burleson for the remainder of the season to a broken right leg in the third quarter on a hit by Tim Jennings after a catch, another blow for a team that's reeling again after pulling out a dramatic win.
''There is a lot of season left,'' Stafford said. ''We got a chance to play back home next week and play a tough Seattle team. It's a short week for us but honestly I'm glad it's a short week. I don't want to be sitting around thinking about this one too much longer.''
There weren't many scares for the Bears, with one big exception. They were leading 10-0 in the second quarter and had just taken over at their 26 when that happened.
Cutler, who had his helmet ripped off on a hit by Suh after a run last year at Soldier Field, got driven to the turf by him on an 8-yard sack. He came up kneeling and holding his head as trainers tended to him, then ran to the sideline.
Jason Campbell came in for one play, but Cutler returned right after that and threw an incomplete pass on third down before Chicago punted. But after Julius Peppers recovered a fumble by Mikel Leshoure to stop a Lions threat, Campbell was behind center while Cutler was having his ribs examined.
Smith insisted the hit on Cutler was not dirty and that Suh was simply ''playing hard, trying to win the game.''
Marshall apparently took issue with the hit even though Smith and Cutler did not, posting on Twitter, ''A Suh. What u did to Jay wasn't cool. Great players don't have to do that.''
Cutler, like Smith, thought it was clean, even though he knew it wasn't going to end well for him once Suh wrapped him up.
When Cutler trotted onto the field to start the second half, some fans cheered.
They were really roaring moments later when Stefan Logan fumbled trying to catch Adam Podlesh's punt. Zack Bowman recovered it for Chicago at the 27, and that led to a 21-yard field goal by Robbie Gould to make it 13-0 after Cutler had two passes broken up with the ball on the 3.
The Lions lost Burleson after a 16-yard catch near midfield on the next possession but drove all the way to the 1 before Bell turned it over. As he lunged over the pile, Henry Melton poked the ball out and Urlacher made the recovery to keep the shutout going. D.J. Moore extended it when he picked off Stafford near the goal line in the closing minutes. The Lions spoiled the shutout when Stafford connected with Ryan Broyles on a 12-yarder with 30 seconds left, but it was another big game from a defense that's been dominating all season.
''We really wanted to make them a little more one dimensional,'' Melton said. ''They still ran the ball a little bit more than we wanted them to, but when it was time to get after the quarterback, we really got after him. When they dropped it off we really got after whoever they dropped it off to.''
Notes: The Bears were in line for their first shutout since they beat Miami 16-0 on Nov. 18, 2010, until Broyles' TD. ... The Lions signed CB Justin Miller and released LB Doug Hogue before the game. ... Detroit had more yards than Chicago - 340 to 296.

ACC suspends three officials, one player

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Monday it has handed out one-game suspensions to three game officials and one player.
Crew chief David Epperley was suspended for a game for improperly administering the 10-second runoff rule at the end of the first half of the Florida State game against Miami. The entire crew was issued a letter of reprimand. North Carolina linebacker Shakeel Rashad has been suspended for the game against North Carolina State for a dead-ball hit on Duke's Conner Vernon on Saturday. Two officials working the game, head linesman Tyrone Davis and side judge Angie Bartis, were given one-game suspensions for failure to adhere to rules related to player safety. It was a strange play in which Vernon was lined up at a wide receiver position awaiting the snap, when Rashad, coming onto the field as a defensive replacement, ran into Conner from the side. Rashad later issued an apology.