What Does The Timing of the Landis Announcement Mean?
I had expected that a late Friday announcement would mean good news for Floyd Landis that USADA, the ADRB and other powers that be would like buried. But instead, this announcement comes from Landis’ own camp, at roughly the worst time of day in terms of media exposure. Why would they do this?
Two reasons come to mind: First, they heard from USADA late in the day. If true, perhaps WADA was trying to bury the story, and Landis’ side were their unwitting accomplices. Second, because the news is bad for Floyd, his side waited until later in the day, to bury the story and keep the media at bay while they figure out their next move. I’m not sure which it is, but in either case, this story won’t get the kind of play it would have if it had hit during a major news cycle. And for Floyd Landis, that may not be such a bad thing.
### UPDATE: After looking at the FAX posted on Trust But Verify, I don’t think it’s too much of a reach to conclude that the Landis side decided to wait until late Friday to release the information. Perhaps they were waiting to see if USADA would make any announcements, or more likely, they waited in order to keep the story low profile, as detailed above.
