Lance Armstrong Investigation: Words of Wisdom from Betsy Andreu

Photo from Bicycling.com

If you have any interest in fraud, truth and ethics, you have to read this short interview of Betsy Andreu in Bicycling Magazine. If you are a cyclist and have interest in fraud, truth and ethics, this interview is a gem!
Betsy and Frankie Andreu have paid a huge personal price, in terms of the economics of this world, for fearlessly telling the truth. Here are a few of the more profound quotes...

On Ethical Relativism: 

I'm an absolutist about certain things, doping being one of them. Athletes, whether pro or amateur, should never have to dope in order to do their job... I really admire and feel for Christophe Bassons who didn't succumb and was permanently screwed from the sport. 

On Moral Courage:

As for Riis and JV, they came forward without a gun being put to their heads; Tyler and Floyd didn't. They got busted then lied and denied it. I commend them for having the courage to tell the truth (even though I would've preferred it was told years ago). It's a good lesson to tell the truth before your hand is forced. 

On Stripping Lance Armstrong of his Tour de France Titles:

This is a mess. Strip him but don't award the jerseys to the next in line. You can't...Not having a winner and leaving a blank space exemplifies that time as a period of darkness in the sport. There shouldn't be a winner. 

On Positive Outcomes from the Investigation:

It's impossible for cycling to move forward unless the past is dealt with. This is exactly the reason we are still in this Lance doping limbo years later—it has never been dealt with. Given that it is (finally) going to be adjudicated gives me hope that we can move forward. 

On What Drives Her to Expose the Truth:

 I don't agree that I'm a righteous champion nor a jealous obsessive. I'm a mom who tries to instill morals, ethics, and values in our children's lives. I believe in stating the difference between right and wrong, not whitewashing it for fear of being labeled judgmental. Does this mean I'm morally superior? Absolutely not. When I received a court-ordered subpoena to appear for a deposition (or have a warrant out for my arrest), there was no option but to tell the truth. For some to suggest that I had a choice of showing up for the deposition or that I should've lied about the hospital incident because personal information was shared among friends to a doctor by the patient says a heck of a lot more of those people's lack of ethics than their lack of basic understanding of the law. I've always felt the truth was important. I never felt the freedom to just walk away and let the truth be hidden nor did I want it to be hidden. Telling the truth was always easy but, man alive, the repercussions of doing so were and are hard.

On the Magnitude of Lance's Fraud:

I shouldn't have to justify why I told the truth. Someone else's guilt shouldn't be a reason for me to shut up. Until the truth is told, you're not even dealing with reality. A lot of people have a lot invested in not having the truth revealed. The scope of the people dependent on the myth and making money off the myth has made it harder to expose the myth. This is arguably the biggest fraud in the history of sport. Bernie Madoff would be proud. Maybe even jealous.