Lance Armstrong, the once revered 7-time Tour de France winner and founder of the Livestrong charity, is being attacked on multiple fronts, including lawsuits from Acceptance Insurance Holdings, readers of his books, and his ex-sponsor, the U.S. Postal Service. Armstrong’s racing titles and sponsorships earned him significant amounts of money.
With the recent news of doping by Milwaukee Brewers’ MVP Ryan Braun, the AP reports, public views of steroid use are lower than ever. Even teammates and fellow athletes call it “despicable”—indicating Armstrong’s legal arguments may have come at a bad time. The U.S. Postal service paid $40 million for Armstrong and his teammates to wear their logo, writes Reuters, and they want it back.
Armstrong’s lawyers had a strong response. “The government wanted a winner and all the publicity, exposure and acclaim that goes along with being his sponsor. It got exactly what it bargained for…It is now far too late for the government to revisit its choice to reap the benefits of sponsorship rather than investigate allegations of doping.” No doubt the public won’t see it in quite the same way.
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