Nike dumps Lance Armstrong
Posted October 17, 2012 8:10 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Nike has cancelled its contract with Lance Armstrong amid a doping scandal.
The company announced its decision on Wednesday.
“Due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade, it is with great sadness that we have terminated our contract with him,” a company statement reads. “Nike does not condone the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs in any manner.”
Armstrong announced Wednesday that he’s stepping down as chairman of his Livestrong cancer-fighting charity to help it limit the damage from the doping scandal that has snared the former champion cyclist.
Armstrong announced the move a week after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency released a massive report detailing allegations of widespread performance-enhancing drug use by Armstrong and his teams. The document included testimony from 11 former teammates. USADA has ordered 14 years of Armstrong’s career results erased, including his seven Tour de France titles.
The Lance Armstrong Foundation, commonly known as Livestrong, was founded in 1997 and has raised roughly $500 million to support cancer patients. The group has scheduled its 15th anniversary celebration for this weekend. Armstrong will stay on the charity’s board.
A cancer survivor, Armstrong strongly denies doping and says he quit fighting USADA because its hearing process was unfair.
How should cheating be handled in professional sports? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
