Tygart's interview in L'Equipe

Richmond Racer

I cant do it thanks to firewall at work, but there's an English transcript of the interview on @TourdeJose's blog if someone else wants/can post it here.

A few snippets:

TT: 'Many have confessed but that doesnt mean they wont be suspended. Moderately'

Q: Have you been travelling through Europe like Novitsky and his colleagues in November 2010?'
A: 'No, France was enough'

Q: 'So you retrieved from the French authorities the technical documents regarding six positive EPO samples from 1999?'
A: ' Absolutely. It's huge proof. A confirmation of the guilt. But it's the proof and the testimonies together that form the proof of his foul.'

frenchfighter

Transcript of interview with Travis Tygart in L’Equipe today.

Disclaimer: I did my utmost best to be as precise as I can be in translating from French to English. If you want the original interview, I can send screenshots upon request.

Is USADA paranoid? It looks like FortKnox here.

We have been doing this since two years. Before, our doors were open but since the BALCO case everything changed. We received death threats for the first time. Two for Terry Madden, my predecessor and a bit later one for me and my family when the Landis confessions came out. The FBI dealth with them. We reacted quickly. My office is now inaccessible to visitors. The blinds are down and the cameras are on 24/7.

And the Armstrong case?

That resulted in three death threats, all made by individuals I think. Once again, the FBI is involved.

Do you think people hate you?

In America the public opinion is torn in two. Some don’t like me, others respect that I have no other choice than follow the procedures in Armstrong’s case, just like for any other citizen. We either bury this case or we do our job. I love this job and I know why I do it.

Is it difficult to disappoint the people? Armstrong sold dreams and you want to strip him of his seven Tour victories and suspend him for life?

Yes, he is and will remain a hero to many. It’s a sad destination. I adore sports. Shattering dreams and legends doesn’t excite me. I take into account all aspects of equality but the mandate of the Agency is clear. We are there to defend clean athletes and that’s what we do. If not, we would be in the wrong

Did you consider the discomfort of those who are ill, even if he has spoilt his humanist message?

Yes but the facts are the facts. Marion Jones and Tyler Hamilton also had foundations which closed down after the revealing of their betrayal. (…) But I don’t want to go into this discussion. I am interested in the facts and have to respect the mandate I have. Powerful or not, all athletes face the same justice. I have to keep emphasizing that USADA is independent. We want a clean sport and have nothing to do with the business caused by this or that discipline (…). We do this because the federations can’t do it. It’s contradictory to promote the sport and be in a position to sanction the athletes at the same time.

We know very little about you. What drives you. Where does the passion for ethics come from?

I have always done sports at college level. (..) It shapes you as a person. My sports mates are still my friends. They were at my wedding. (…)

Your university degrees are clear. Philosophy and law.

I did 4 years of philospophy, taught political sciences at a college where I was also coaching basketball and baseball and then Law. I worked for the American Olympic committee, some federations, a year in business. When USADA was created in 2002 (…) I joined in 2002.

How does one become boss of USADA?

The board has ten members and they choose the CEO. (…) I was chosen in 2007 when Terry Madden retired.

More to come….


Michael Rubio, senator of California and 22 of his colleagues publicly denounced the way USADA works. How do you see these actions?

No worries. Some appear radically left-wing, others extremely right-wing. But ethics are neither republican nor democratic. John McCain has publically supported me in the Armstrong case, George W Bush, former president, has ratified my mandate at UNESCO acknowledging the WADA code. I have testified before Joe Biden on several occasions.

You have been accused of spending tax money on taking on one of America’s icons.

I would have preferred those senators to contact me before they talked to the press. But I will answer them. One part of my job is to communicate, explain. I have been summoned to Congress to do so 5 or 6 times. I was obliged to do it. We must because they are responsible for 9 million of our 14 millon dollar budget.

Armstrong accused you of a personal vendetta.

No worries. I accept being accused, mistreated. That’s me, the public face of USADA. I am a target. But I won’t walk away. The most important thing is to protect my team. And to maintain the respect of the athletes who don’t cheat. But don’t get me wrong, I am not doing this on my own. This case was put together by me and my colleagues, as we always do. All decisions are taken together.

Who are your colleagues?

The best! We have 40 in Colorado Springs. The lawyers come from the biggest universities, the scientists and doctors are the best. Terry Madden gave me advice when he left: “You have to be the least competent, least intelligent and least brilliant of your staff.” And: “You don’t have to be dependent on this job because you can lose it instantly when you have to take difficult but crucial decisions.”

And that especially counts today. I could be sacked any time. When Congress decides to cut our budget the message will be horrible for honest athletes but when it comes to me personally, I am free. Only the team counts! L’Equipe is what I call my team, like your paper. They are all former sports people, all sports-loving. We are united like the fingers on a hand. The senators may get excited but the Armstrong case has been dealth with by the team. And it’s too late for him.

You don’t seem to worry about the political pressure. The federal investigation which took two years suddenly stopped in February of this year. Probably ordered to stop as the presidential campaigns started. Bizarre, no?\

I was suprised, like many. I don’t know. The investigators gathered 50% of the proof of doping at US Postal but doping is not a criminal offence in the USA. The use of public money is, on the contrary, a real fraud. I don’t know what happened. It’s a mystery.

Jeff Novitzky, investigaor at FDA who led the federal investigation, heard about the news 30 minutes before it Andre Birotte published the news. Tell us about Novitzky.

We share the same principles. Our professional relationship has a high level and sometimes they even become amicable. That’s natural, with him and with others.

Have you received any of their case material?

No, we received nothing. Theoretically we should have received at least the grand jury testimonies but we got nothing.

Do you know who testified? Have you heard them again?

That’s correct. And they told us what they told the FDA investigators. We have verified all the proof. It’s there that any declarations by Armstrong that this is stubbornness against him personally, doesn’t make any sense. This case is bigger than Armstrong alone. We are talking about a real conspiracy within US Postal. Perfectly organized with a number of compromized actors. Many have confessed but that doesn’t mean they won’t be suspended. Moderately.

Have you been travelling through Europe like Novitzky and his colleagues in November 2010?

No, France was enough.

Switzerland, Italy, Spain?

No need.

So you retrieved from the French authorities the technical documents regarding six positive EPO samples from 1999?

Absolutely. It’s huge proof. A confirmation of his guilt. But it’s the proof and the testimonies together that form the proof of his foul.

(piece about collaboration with French AFLD)

Take us through an aspect of the case the general public has difficulties to understand. You sanctionned Armstrong from 1998. What happened to the eight year statute of limitations?

The statute of limitations is a right granted to the defense. But this right doesn’t exist if the other party can prove that the athlete who committed foul play influenced the witnesses that appeared to be able to prove his guilt over the years. Or if he hid the proof or lied under oath. We are certain this is the case in the Armstrong file and will explain this to UCI when we hand over the file.

When?

It’s imminent. At the end of the month.

So you can just go back in time as you wish?
Abolutely. Jurisprudence by CAS states that the law of the country where the case started is at play. So the principle that we won’t comply for the reasons I explained is stated in black and white in the American law. USADA has already convicted sports people for facts that dated back ten years. So yes, this is legitimate. For clean athletes a calendar is not important. Cheaters need to be caught. Period.

Let’s go back to 2005. Several articles and investigations by European journalists would have allowed you to start a procedure back then. Why wait?

We have been cautious, very cautious. The facts were not consistent. It was in 2010 when Landis and Hamilton started to collaborate that we decided to start the procedure. By then we understood it. We knew. But the feds took the file. We had to let them go first before we could take it back in February 2012.

The UCI has some reserves about your ability to supend non-licensed person for life, like you did with Dr. Ferrari, Luis del Moral and Pepe Marti.

The principle is intheir own regulations. (…to translate: Il revient a l’authorité qui met en évidence les faits de sanctionner leurs auteurs, peu importe leur nationalité. Nous avons recueilli les premiers le témoignage de Floyd Landis, qui accablait Armstrong et les dirigeants de l’US Postal). We did our job. Today, Ferrari continues to work underground but that wasn’t the case back then when he officially worked together with Armstrong and his team.

This supsension for life is like a godsend for his business.



Johan Bruyneel, Armstrong’s mentor refused your judgment and opts for a hearing in front of an independent USADA panel. He plays it big?

Oh for sure. I don’t know what he hopes for. Winning time? Take advantage of the inertia of the system? He will be heard before the end of this year. The hearing will be public. Lance Armstrong may be called upon to tesify, under oath. Like all the others. (Dans ce jeu-là, il n’y a pas de filet. S’il parjure, c’est grave.)

Last deatil. Have you and Armstrong ever met? At least one time? Face to face?

No., We talked on the phone twice. It was all very formal. I offered him to find a solution, to collaborate. If he would have accepted the offer, he wouldn’t have lost his seven Tour de France titles because we wouldn have taken his willingness into consideration. But the next day he attacked us and the constitutionality of our investigation.

He has lost?

Indeed.

http://tourdejose.com/2012/09/24/transc ... #more-1712

iainf72

I like that Armstrong will have to testify at Bruyneels hearing under oath.

skavanagh.bikeradar

I'm assuming he won't be able to recall anything if he turns up to testify.

Richmond Racer

Thank heaven for people like Tygart

LangerDan

iainf72 wrote:

I like that Armstrong will have to testify at Bruyneels hearing under oath.

I'd imagine that the penalities for perjury at a USADA tribunal are not the same as for perjury at a federal inquiry, so he might just lie?

RichN95.

I know that the law works differently in the US, but should he be giving interviews to he press before all the cases are fully resolved? For all the good work that he's doing there is something about Tygart that just feels wrong to me.

ddraver

I know what you mean Rich, but this is America - Remember the Michal Jackson or OJ trials? The media and the politics is as much a part of it as the judge or the Jury!

(or I ve been watching to much Wire again...)

esafosfina

Thanks RR and FF for bring that to the fore... makes for interesting reading.

Lichtblick

esafosfina wrote:

Thanks RR and FF for bring that to the fore... makes for interesting reading.

Ditto

Richmond Racer

A quote from Tygart from his interview (presumably not translated for TourdeJose's blog at the time when FF posted):

The impact of the release to the public of the USADA files on Armstrong will be "30 times greater than everything that's come out until now, through books or investigations"

Lichtblick

Richmond Racer wrote:

A quote from Tygart from his interview (presumably not translated for TourdeJose's blog at the time when FF posted):

The impact of the release to the public of the USADA files on Armstrong will be "30 times greater than everything that's come out until now, through books or investigations"

I wish they'd get on with it.

I've probably posted this before - sorry - but many people who know of my interest in this, have emailed me saying "did you know that LA has had his titles stripped?" My replies are always "he hasn't, yet".

I wish they'd get on with it. I don't like half-situations. In or out. Yes or No. :?

Richmond Racer

Tygart's now given the timetable as follows:

- files to the UCI by end-month
- released to public by year-end

meanwhile, Bryneel and others who have held out for arbitration (which is public) - hearings have to be held before end-Nov

fidgetyphil

"I don't know what Bruyneel is hoping for, he has everything to lose," said Tygart. "He will be heard before the end of the year, and the hearing will be public. Lance Armstrong could be heard as a witness in this case, by the way. He would have to testify under oath, like the others."


Slightly curious turn of phrase. Sounds like he's trying to warn Bruyneel off and using Armstrong as a lever.
Almost like he's telling Armstrong to tell Bruyneel to back down.


I've probably been watching too many films.

Richmond Racer

and Lichtblick, this is lightening-speed compared to the wheels of justice for Spanish or Italian cases...