Follow

Lance Armstrong Steps Down & Nike Backs Out

Lance arm

After all of the accusations surrounding Lance Armstrong‘s doping scandal, he has now decided to step down as chairman of his cancer fighting charity, Livestrong. This is the very foundation which he founded himself in 1996 after his testicular cancer diagnosis in 1996. According to the Associated Press, Armstrong stated, “This organization, its mission and its supporters are incredibly dear to my heart. Today therefore, to spare the foundation any negative effects as a result of controversy surrounding my cycling career, I will conclude my chairmanship.”

Back in August, Armstrong had said, “There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, ‘Enough is enough,'” Well, now it really is enough; even for his sponsor, Nike. Coincidentally, the company decided to terminate their contract with the cyclist the same day he stepped down from his foundation. The day prior, New York Daily News ran a story which cited that Nike paid the former International Cycling Union president Hein Verbruggen $500,000 to cover up a positive drug test. Nike denied the charges. Their excuse for cutting sponsorship is “due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade.”

Although they are no longer sponsoring Armstrong, they still plan to continue supporting their “initiatives created to unite, inspire and empower people affected by cancer.”

Armstrong says that he will still remain on the board of his charity. It is a sad sight to see that such an accomplished athlete and all of his accolades can be torn down in the swoop of a scandal.

By Pamela Price

More From LATF USA

Scroll to Top