I hardly know where to begin this morning. Yesterday’s highlight/lowlight was the circus that Greg LeMond’s testimony became. From a purely legalistic view, I don’t know how much LeMond’s testimony helps USADA’s case. I doubt that his testimony would even be allowed in a regular courtroom, except the part about witness tampering.
LeMond’s implication that Landis confessed to him, that’s just hearsay. Perhaps he said it, or perhaps that’s only a part of what he said and the context was entirely different. Even when (or if) Landis testifies about this matter, it will be a he-said/he-said matter. We will have heard from both sides, we can all choose who we wish to believe, but none of us will ever really know the truth. Perhaps not even Greg or Floyd. The thing is, it’s easy for us to hear or remember only part of a conversation and miss other parts, which would place it into full context. [For a humorous take on things taken out of context, see this segment from The Daily Show.].
Landis’ words on the DPF (quoted at TBV and linked from other articles on this site) sound bad, and they paint him in a bad light, given yesterday’s events. Will had posted something at the DPF that now sounds apocryphal. I took it for bluff and bluster before, but I wonder if Will meant it or whether he just went over the deep end. I doubt we’ll ever truly know.
The only time I’ve met Will, he seemed boisterous, talkative and came off as someone who would defend his friend to the last. Sometimes good people go too far. I don’t know Will, so I won’t even try to speculate about what the hell he was trying to accomplish by setting off that little tactical nuclear device.
The shame of it is that none of that needed to happen. Sure, the LeMond gambit by USADA was a way to add some drama to the proceedings (and a bit of a PR turn for them, too), but I don’t know if it really would have mattered to the overall case. Unless they need his testimony to build a “non-analytical positive” case.
I think it was a cynical move by Matthew Barnett and company to put LeMond on the stand, and put him in a situation where he had to reveal his long-held secret. Even just to ask him about it was cruel. I’m no big fan of Greg in the years since he retired, but when he was racing, he was a true champion. He deserved better, and I think USADA used him for their own cynical gain.
Others see LeMond as being self-serving and using the attention to get his face in front of the cameras. Perhaps he went to California knowing full well it would cause the uproar that ensued. Except, he couldn’t have predicted Will’s phone call. And Will’s placing that call was truly inexcusable.
No one came out of yesterday’s hearings a winner. Not Team Landis. Not Team USADA. Not the anti-doping process. Not cycling fans. No one.
What was missed in the ruckus was the testimony by Claire Frelat that she knew whose B sample was being tested last August. That’s a direct breach of confidentiality, in part due to the leaks to the media shortly after the A sample had been tested. Frelat said she knew whose sample it was by the reports in the media. Knowing that she’s testing Landis’ sample is a breach of WADA protocols, although I don’t know how seriously it will affect the case. But it was a breach, nonetheless.
And she admitted to other errors, too. As well, Dr. Christiane Ayotte provided some important testimony yesterday, regarding standards and record keeping. Little of this has been reported in the press, for obvious reasons. The media love a scandal. And with yesterday’s highlight/lowlight, they’ve got it in spades.
Up today is more testimony by Dr. Ayotte. She will be followed by Dr. Corinne Buisson,
a supervisor at LNDD. Dr. Buisson is listed as the IRMA supervisor, so presumably she will be testifying about some of the processes at LNDD. Also up may be Joseph Papp, who may be testifying about his own use of testosterone during his cycling career. What relevance Papp’s testimony will have to the Landis case is unclear. Following Papp may be Dr. Bruce Goldberger, who is a professor and Director of Toxicology in the Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine in the College of Medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Even though two witnesses completed their testimony yesterday, I doubt that Dr. Goldberger will get his turn on the stand — or if he does, that he will be finished testifying by the end of the day.
One thing we can say about today’s hearings: They won’t have the fireworks of yesterday, and we probably won’t feel like we need a shower to wash off the stink when they’re done. Then again, Will Geoghegan was called as a witness yesterday, but his appearance was deferred until he can get a lawyer. When he has counsel, he may testify. Whether that’s today or not, I don’t know.
Somewhere in all the commotion yesterday, I missed whether the panel ruled on weekend sessions. I don’t believe the panel ruled on the matter. If anyone knows what the status of possible weekend sessions is, drop a comment and I’ll update this post.
Though most know where to find this here is LF’s DPF statement again:
“I did, as I used to do for some people, call GL privately to discuss some comments that he made about me and my situation. I used to believe that a private call was the best way to deal with public slander. I have subsequently learned that the phone call will become public and the contents thereof misconstrued into whatever fits the agenda. What Greg actualy divulged to me is what he does not want to talk about. I did not call for advice, I called to give him a chance to plead his case as to why he was speaking when he had never spoken to me nor met me in the past and in no way could be portrayed as knowing me personally. Unfortunately, the facts that he divulged to me in the hour which he spoke and gave no opportunity for me to do the same, would damage his character severely and I would rather not do what has been done to me. However, if he ever opens his mouth again and the word Floyd comes out, I will tell you all some things that you will wish you didn’t know and unfortunately I will have entered the race to the bottom which is now in progress. For the record, I don’t know Greg, and have no more respect for Greg than I have for people who go through life blaming others for all of their problems. You are not a victim of others Greg, you are a pathetic human who believes that if others didn’t cheat (not sure about you) you would be the President and all the peasants would bow to your command. Join reality with the rest of us who win some and lose some and keep on smiling.”
First two questions:
1) How many people you know that have been sexually molested just randomly tell someone out of the blue what happened to them? I have known 3 people in my lifetime that have confided in me, but not until we had YEARS of friendship and trust built up, it sure as heck didn’t happen in a 30min – 1hr phone convo.
2) If you, I or anyone else had committed a crime (ie: doped) or not, do you call someone up to tell them to stop spouting off about you, do you HONESTLY think your going to tell a complete stranger: “yeah man I doped, you caught me” ? Honestly?
Those two things from personal experience do not happen to logical thinking individuals.
In regards to Floyd’s so called ‘threat’ post, I read it a bit different from what others have said/posted:
Breaking it down: Floyd saw Lemond slandering him via the media, so Floyd like I would do, called him up and told him cut the BS out, he doesn’t know him from Adam (read FL’s words: “I did not call for advice, I called to give him a chance to plead his case as to why he was speaking when he had never spoken to me nor met me in the past and in no way could be portrayed as knowing me personally.”)
Right there Floyd says rarely if ever had he or Lemond talked, much less hung out together for a beer. So this goes back to my question #2, why in the Heck would you supposedly confess your sins to a complete stranger, much less someone who was slandering you in the media? DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE!
Back to statement and question #1, having known people and friends of abuse, I find it hard to believe from personal experience Lemond is just going to open up to Floyd on a whim and confess some of his own deepest secrets.
But, then again Lemond has shown to be a limelight getter, maybe he did, who knows the man’s mind? Even if he did, which Floyd says Lemond admitted something to him, his basic post was to Lemond to cut out using his name and slandering him or he would use his SELF (Lemond’s) confession to knock him down a few pegs.
Threat? Not the way I see it, I see it as, you were stupid enough to tell me your darkest secret so if you want the world to know I will tell them if you don’t stop slandering me. Lemond set himself up for that, if he didn’t want the world to know his secret (IF it was even THAT ONE) then those are things you keep to yourself. Period.
As for the comments from Lemond saying Floyd confided in him, again I doubt this with ever fiber in my being. For the comments of “it would hurt my friends”, again hearsay and if Floyd is innocent, why would he ‘confess’ his guilt at all when he knows and believes in his innocence? I take the comment from Lemond of “it would hurt my friends” as Floyd saying, if I confess my guilt it would hurt my friends because I and they know I am innocent and I would be giving up on myself and them.
That is my take and I leave it at that, I too look at the science and how things were done, currently from what I have seen USADA, LDNN, etc have yet to prove any wrong doing or doping. All I have seen is the 1 meta rule that LDNN, WADA and USADA are clinging too tightly.
Anyways, it does stink that Lemond, Floyd and others are being drug through the stench for USADA to get their ‘win’ at all costs.
Talmor,
Well said.
– Rant
Talmor, Well said. That is exactly how I read Landis’ post as well. The only thing I have to add is that having LeMond testify that Landis somehow admitted to him that he doped gives the arbitrators something easy to use to justify a guilty verdict. The science and chain of custody is technical and complicated, but a former TdF champion’s accusation is easy to understand and report. And Will Geoghegan’s behavior the night before makes that even easier. Sadly.
Re: weekend session: tomorrow, Saturday, the hearing is scheduled for 9:30a-5p Pacific.
Pommi,
Thanks. Most appreciated.
– Rant