The Issue: Lance Armstrong’s interview with Oprah, in which he admitted cheating during his cycling career.
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Here’s another celebrity who got caught and then does the trendy thing by confessing his wrongdoings on television, hoping to gain sympathy from the public (“Lance: I Won Only Because I Cheated in 7 Tours,” Jan. 18).
Lance Armstrong picked Oprah to do this because she has respectability and a huge following, especially among women, hoping that he wouldn’t come across as such a creep. After all, this is Oprah, not one of those tough reporters from “60 Minutes.”
He still came across as a phony and a liar. He wasn’t genuinely sorry, and he hesitated in answering direct questions about how he was able to get the drugs, the process of injecting them and the suppliers.
Isn’t that reason enough for him to be brought up on charges? I forgot, he’s another privileged celebrity.
Joe Sanchez
Manhattan
I’d even be suspicious of Armstrong’s cancer diagnosis. Like the LIRR employees, he could have found a doctor to go along with his story.
He is tenacious and will not go away easily.
I would rank him with Richard Dutrow, the horse trainer who looks like he will finally get his due and lose his trainer’s license. Both Armstrong and Dutrow continued to pontificate and pursue their innocence, and at the same time tarnish their profession.
Ray Hackinson
Ozone Park
While I do not condone Armstrong’s attempt to partially blame the fans and the media for his cheating and lying, I do think there is at least some merit to his claim.
Armstrong started his doping at a time when we had a president who was equivocating as to whether or not he had sex with an intern. He continued through a period of wars which, in some respects, were meant to reclaim and assert American exceptionalism.
Perhaps he is just a product of the times. He has a “win at any cost” mentality which continues to some extent today. Maybe we find him so repulsive because he is an unwanted but accurate reflection of the United States.
Karen Ann DeLuca
Alexandria, Va.
Leave Armstrong alone. He was still the best among all the other cheaters.W. Hoffman
Bonita Springs, Fla.
Just like Lancelot, Armstrong needs to retire to a hermitage and live the remainder of his life in penitence. Hopefully, his interview with Oprah is the last time he is seen or heard from. T. King
Manhattan