Lance Armstrong settles $100M lawsuit with US government
Lance Armstrong has reached a $5 million settlement with the federal government in a whistleblower lawsuit that could have sought $100 million in damages from the former cyclist. The agreement comes ahead of a May 7 trial scheduled in Washington. Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France victories after admitting he used performance-enhancing drugs to win. The government wanted to recover money the US Postal Service spent sponsoring his former teams.
AP Sports Writer
The deal announced Thursday came as the two sides prepared for a trial that was scheduled to start
Seeking millions it spent sponsoring Armstrong's powerhouse teams, the government joined the lawsuit against Armstrong in 2013 after his televised confession to
In a statement to
"While I believe that their lawsuit against me was meritless and unfair, and while I am spending a lot of money to resolve it, I have since 2013 tried to take full responsibility for my mistakes and inappropriate conduct, and make amends wherever possible," he said. "I rode my heart out for the Postal cycling team, and was always especially proud to wear the red, white and blue eagle on my chest when competing in the Tour de France. Those memories are very real and mean a lot to me."
The settlement clears the 46-year-old Armstrong of the most damaging legal issues still facing the cyclist since his downfall. He had already taken huge hits financially, losing all his major sponsors and being forced to pay more than
"No one is above the law," said
Landis attorney
"It's not enough to go on
Armstrong is still believed to be worth millions based on a vast investment portfolio and homes in
Armstrong had built a world-wide following during his career winning races and fighting cancer.
His personal story of recovering from testicular cancer that had spread to his brain, while forcefully denying persistent rumors of doping, had built his
Armstrong's team was already under the
Armstrong's cheating was finally uncovered in 2012 when the
One of Armstrong's fiercest critics was frustrated by the settlement.
"It's utterly shocking that the government settled for so little," Andreu said.
Andreu and her husband were close with Armstrong when the men were teammates before Andreu retired in 2000. Armstrong later strenuously denied Betsy's claims of drug use and tried to publicly discredit her, which succeeded for years. She wanted the case to go to trial.
"I would have liked to have been questioned under oath. That's my goal. And whether or not the jury would have convicted him would have been a different story, but it would have been nice to have my say under oath. He tried to destroy me.," Andreu said.
Landis, himself a former doping cheat who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title, sued Armstrong under the federal False Claims Act, alleging Armstrong and his team committed fraud against the government when they cheated while riding under the
Under the lawsuit, the government could have pursued "treble" damages, which could have reached the
Armstrong had claimed he didn't owe the
Armstrong had been the target of a federal criminal grand jury, but that case was closed without charges in
"I am glad to resolve this case and move forward with my life," Armstrong said. "I'm looking forward to devoting myself to the many great things in my life — my five kids, my wife, my podcast, several exciting writing and film projects, my work as a cancer survivor, and my passion for sports and competition. There is a lot to look forward to."
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