Lance Armstrong, who has strongly denied the doping charges that led to him being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles in 2012, is now considering an admission. The New York Times cited anonymous sources and said Armstrong was considering a confession to restore his athletic career in triathlons and running events. Armstrong, 41, was banned for life from cycling and cannot compete in athletic events sanctioned by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and World Anti-Doping Agency. Yet attorney Tim Herman denied that Armstrong reached out to USADA chief executive Travis Tygart and David Howman, director of the World Anti-Doping Agency. Herman said he had no knowledge of any Armstrong admission and said: “When, and if, Lance has something to say, there won’t be any secret about it.” Armstrong, who recovered from testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain, won cycling’s famed Tour de France from 1999-2005. Although he vehemently denied doping, Lance’s career crumbled under the weight of a massive report by USADA detailing allegations of drug use. Armstrong and his teammates on his U.S. Postal Service teams were implicated. The report caused Armstrong to lose most of his sponsors and he stepped down from the board of Livestrong, the cancer-fighting charity he founded in 1997. Armstrong is facing other legal hurdles. The U.S. Department of Justice is considering whether to join a federal whistle-blower lawsuit filed by former Armstrong teammate Floyd Landis. A Dallas-based promotions company has also said it wants to recover several million dollars paid to Armstrong in bonuses for winning the Tour de France. The British newspaper The Sunday Times has sued Lance Armstrong for $16 million after paying him $500,000 to settle a libel lawsuit in his favor.
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Lance Armstrong Admission to Doping Charges: Will He Do it to Restore Career, Image?