Lance Armstong Feuding With '60 Minutes' Over Doping Allegation

By Christine Fenno Posted May 21st 2011 01:22PM

In a report to air on Sunday's '60 Minutes,' a Lance Armstrong teammate says he witnessed the seven-time Tour de France champ use EPO, an illicit performance-boosting drug.

"I saw it in his refrigerator," Tyler Hamilton tells journalist Scott Pelley. "I saw him inject it, more than one time."

The 39-year-old cancer survivor has always denied steroid use, but the allegations remain under federal investigation.

Hamilton claims knowledge of Armstrong's doping as far back as 1999, the first year the beloved racer won the Tour de France. Other cyclists have shared similar testimony with investigators.

Now Armstrong has come out swinging, enlisting a Bill Clinton strategist to launch a new website, Facts4Lance.com, which disputes the charge that performance enhancers contributed to the athlete's astounding winning streak.

Though the site says Armstrong "has passed nearly 500 tests over 20 years of competition," Hamilton claims Armstrong once confessed to failing a 2001 test administered during the Tour de Swiss.

"Everyone would be frustrated" by how CBS treated him, Armstrong tells The Daily Beast, in discussing why he dropped out of a sit-down with Pelley (who will soon take over as CBS news anchor). The cycling champ says the '60 Minutes' producer is not "a straight shooter...my version of events has never changed on this, and won't."

The Armstrong camp claims '60 Minutes' refused to divulge the accusers' names in advance. But producers counter that Armstrong's lawyers "would guess who it was in our story and try to assassinate their character" and provide "all kinds of negative things" including "dark motivation" to discredit any witness accusing him of doping.

"It's unfortunate [Lance] won't do an interview with us," Jeff Fager, CBS News Chairman, said. "If he never did anything, fine, come on '60 Minutes' and tell us."

As for Armstrong's legions of fans and LiveStrong.org members, the Associated Press reports that plenty remain loyal to their hero, despite the scandal. "I don't believe it to be true," said Raifie Bass, a bicycling fan and cancer survivor. "But if that was the case, it would hurt his legacy as a cyclist. But it's not how many Tours he won or what he's done for cycling. It's what he's done for cancer."

Here's a sneak preview of the '60 Minutes' report:

Tags: 60 Minutes, lance armstrong, scott pelley

Comments

(83)

Saturday 21 May

By d

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wow that was so revealing. these are yes and no questions, and he seems to have trouble answering them. this guy is full of crap

By your name here

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no one recovers from cancer that fast without top notch drugs and money. lance will never fess up ever. he has too much to lose now. those who have told the truth usually did so because they had a conscience and didn't have anything else to lose.

Sunday 22 May

By mandingo

Uh, ya' think ?

By fiona

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I'd rather hear Armstrong explain why he takes a million dollar-plus salary from his foundation. How can anyone donate to a charity when it's CEO gets away with that kinda crap to support his lifestyle?

By rich39

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So Armstrong use dope to make him stronger. Winning all the races made him rich. Case closed.

By Erin

PROOF!! You need actual PROOF! If you don't have proof it's just sour grapes.

By GUILTYasF

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Actually its not....

By tony

in what stae do you practice law?case closed.

By Michael

Tell me, 60 minutes: Why now? Why all these years later?

By Coleen

I am guessing it is because this guy just came forward. The story has been out there but this is one of his teammates. It just seems that there are so many that live by the motto - deny until you die. I just hope that Lance isn't one of them.

By spikecogan

Because a lie is a lie and a fraud is a fraud and a cheat is a cheat.

By Ruth

Tyler Hamilton is trying to sell his book. Scandals sell books. So, he wins whether it's the truth or not. Lance's reputation will be tarnished. Personally, I think Tyler's out for his 15 minutes of fame and doesn't care if he ruins Lance or not. He just wants the money!

By HePaidOffLeQuippe

Becasuse the list of people who HAVE proof, who have ratted to the feds, is a mile long... Look, its one thing to play around w/ PED's, its another for him to widely be known as the endurance sports' performance enhancing drug equivalent of Lindsay Lohan... his dosages the past 20 years are thing of legend... Dont be a sheep... and dont be surprised when he gets crucified...

Tuesday 24 May

By cobeeco

Take a polygraph test and be done with it dope cheater!!!!

By snoshuuz

Polygraph? LOL. Only a moron would submit to a Polygraph test. The Polygraphs proven unreliability is why it is inadmissable as evidence in a court of law.

By EddieB

To Sno: take it anyway, it will still reveal tons ! ( and what elite sports insiders have known for almost 2 decades)

By Brian Workman

Wake up and smell the coffee people! CBS 60 Minutes has always had an agenda before they do an interview with anyone.
A Far Left Liberal Position, to sensationalize and "SHOCK" the public, to draw viewers to watch CBS, with they're so called great investigative reporting!!??
Not telling you who is making these so called slanderous allegations is ALL wrong!!
Your not guilty and innocent, until proven guilty in court!!

Oh please Brian. That was just lame.

ya goota be a blind fool to think old lance didn't cheat...who cares...just another doped up phoney posing as a " champion "...for ego ? Money ? glory ?....like I said....who cares !

By ttommycook

Yea but there is a lot of smoking guns!

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