The Admitted Dopers Get Forgiveness
Another cycling season is winding down, and it has been a wild ride. Multiple riders, ex-riders, and teams have been implicated in doping scandals. Wether it be implication by book, skipping doping controls, admitting to past use, or testing positive, there have been too many doping problems this year. As I was thinking about the things that happened this year, I couldn’t help but notice a trend. The trend is that the riders and teams that admit to problems in the past are able to find or keep sponsors.
Think about it. Doping problems in the sport have caused a list of teams to disband or potentially lose pro-tour licenses. Discovery Channel, Unibet, and Astana in the pro-tour ranks. Disco and Unibet couldn’t find new sponsors, and Astana will need to beg and make changes to be allowed in the pro tour next year. It is funny to me that CSC and T-mobile were able to keep sponsors even after admissions from ex-riders and team bosses about doping. It seems that admitting to doping causes a short backlash, after which all is forgiven. Consider the news today that Joerg Jaksche is to receive a 1 year suspension. He admitted to doping in multiple forms since 1997 including blood doping with the Operation Puerto doctor since 2005. Those are serious admissions, for which the standard punishment is a 2 year ban. He got that ban reduced to 1 year because he admitted the wrong doing. Milram rider, Erik Zabel, admitted to doping while with a previous team, and he was warmly accepted at the Tour de France this year.
On the other side of the coin, you have team Discovery. They have long been rumored to have a team “medical” program. There are very damning accusations in the book, From Lance to Landis, written by David Walsh this year. Although Team Discovery including Lance Armstrong have fought the accusations, the perception cost them sponsorship money. Ultimately the team folded. Michael Rasmussen was less than forthright in talking about his pre-tour whereabouts and it cost him the Tour de France victory.
It seems that admitting is the way to go. Had Discovery admitted that they knew about problems in the past and that they are committed to a clean program, I believe the sponsorship search would have been more fruitful. Had Floyd admitted to doping, would he have been in the 2007 Tour??? It is very possible.
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