Armstrong admits doping to Oprah
- 11 years ago
It was the first question she asked him, and he finally said yes.
(SOUNDBITE)(ENGLISH) OPRAH WINFREY SAYING
"Yes or no. In all seven Tour de France of your Tour De France victories did you ever take banned substances or blood dope?
LANCE ARMSTRONG: "Yes"
After denying it for years, Lance Armstrong stately plainly and without emotion that he did use drugs to help him win seven Tour de France titles during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Armstrong said he did not believe he could have won without doping.
He said he never considered himself to be a cheat and was confident that he would get away with it, until the drug testing procedures were dramatically improved.
Several of Armstong's fellow riders testified that he had doped in an investigation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency last year.
(SOUNDBITE)(ENGLISH) LANCE ARMSTRONG SAYING
"I was a bully in the sense that I tried to control the narrative and if I didn't like what somebody said, for whatever reason in my own head whether I viewed that as somebody being disloyal or a friend turning on you I tried to control that. 'That's a lie. They're liars."
Armstrong had offered to pay more that $5 million to the U.S. government in compensation for an alleged fraud against the U.S. Postal Service, which for years sponsored his cycling team.
It's possible that Armstrong could face a prison sentence for lying under oath.
(SOUNDBITE)(ENGLISH) OPRAH WINFREY SAYING
"Yes or no. In all seven Tour de France of your Tour De France victories did you ever take banned substances or blood dope?
LANCE ARMSTRONG: "Yes"
After denying it for years, Lance Armstrong stately plainly and without emotion that he did use drugs to help him win seven Tour de France titles during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Armstrong said he did not believe he could have won without doping.
He said he never considered himself to be a cheat and was confident that he would get away with it, until the drug testing procedures were dramatically improved.
Several of Armstong's fellow riders testified that he had doped in an investigation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency last year.
(SOUNDBITE)(ENGLISH) LANCE ARMSTRONG SAYING
"I was a bully in the sense that I tried to control the narrative and if I didn't like what somebody said, for whatever reason in my own head whether I viewed that as somebody being disloyal or a friend turning on you I tried to control that. 'That's a lie. They're liars."
Armstrong had offered to pay more that $5 million to the U.S. government in compensation for an alleged fraud against the U.S. Postal Service, which for years sponsored his cycling team.
It's possible that Armstrong could face a prison sentence for lying under oath.