LANCE AND THE CLEAN SLATE

12 Replies

By Mohan Karulkar:

Many of us knew it was coming, and sure enough, Lance Armstrong admitted it all last night.  In an interview with Oprah, he came clean about doping, basically copping to everything he’s vehemently denied for over a decade.  Details of the interview leaked shortly after it taped on Monday, so the confession was no surprise.  In fact, it gave me several days to think about it.

And who am I kidding? I’m pissed. A lot of people are.  We bought his story, and we stood up for him when the going got tough.  He coexisted with giants of strength and endurance — people like Jordan, Ripken, Favre, and Woods.

He beat cancer, and he won it all.  Like 7 times.

We have a right to be mad.  Heck, take the next few minutes and be mad.  But when you’re done, come back, because there’s something else to think about.

—

If there’s anything positive to say, here’s the best I’ve got.

The charges didn’t come out of nowhere, but have been dogging Lance for years.  Many stood beside him, and many chose to dismiss him, but no one really knew.  And that’s usually where it stays.

These kinds of stories don’t usually have any closure. 

The world will never really know about Michael Jackson, or OJ Simpson, or Joe Paterno.  The people who know ain’t talking, and the people who cared are starting to forget.

But with Lance, we know.  And like Tiger Woods before him, he now has nowhere to hide.  But what he does have is a story with no question marks.  And in a world of second chances, that’s actually worth something.

Lance Armstrong now has a clean slate, whether you want him to or not.  He’s got baggage, and no shortage of haters, but the question marks are gone.  And in the end, those question marks are what hold your story back the most.

Lance Armstrong … welcome to People of the Second Chance.


  • http://twitter.com/browngalaga Neel

    It’s not the doping itself that I have the issue with- it’s the way he systematically attacked and brought down anyone who challenged him. He ruined the careers and lives of people who, as it turned out, were telling the truth. I didn’t see the whole interview last night, but in the snippets I did see, he didn’t seem too contrite when Oprah pushed him on his attacks. The public has an amazing capacity for forgiveness and a want for redemption stories, especially in the sports world, but unless there is more to the second part of the interview, I don’t see him as having a blank slate.

  • http://www.mohan37.com/ mohan37

    Yeah, I agree with you on all those points. He didn’t seem contrite at all, and he did take others down. Blank slate is a troublesome term, I suppose. Maybe “open book” is better. Lance’s confession has finally made him a known quantity, which for someone in his position, is probably the best he could achieve. if nothing else, it puts him in a position to start over.

  • http://mikelehr.wordpress.com/ Mike Lehr

    Thanks for your words and for starting this conversion Mo. My reaction to the whole situation is pretty much, “WOW!” I too really struggle with the way he brazenly lied and aggressively attacked anyone who challenged his lies. But you’re right, now we know the truth and maybe there is some closure. I found myself hoping that he’s also personally contacting all the people he screwed over and offering amends. Here’s to second chances…

  • http://www.facebook.com/nicci1969 Nicole Cobb Gonzalez

    Radical Grace is for people who don’t deserve it. NONE of us DESERVE it! That’s what’s so awesome about POTSC. Lance I forgive you. Welcome to POTSC!

  • http://www.facebook.com/flannel.steve.1 Flannel Steve

    Exactly what she said!

  • http://www.facebook.com/alovelynne Audra Alcott

    I respect what he’s done for the cancer community, I still like him and wish the best for him. Everyone falls and makes mistakes, who am I to judge. I wish him well. Prayers are with him.

  • Delightedps37

    I agree it is a start. No one knows the journey he has already taken or where this will take him. This could take him to a greater Truth in his life or a path of pride and self destruction because the journey may be too hard or he feels he has done enough and all he can by stepping forward. Time will tell. I pray that grace and mercy brings true redemption in his life.

  • Carol Vinson

    Yes, radical grace is for people who don’t deserve it! None of us do – but we all have to accept that grace in order to have our second chance.

  • http://billgrandi.com/ Bill (cycleguy)

    As a cyclist I looked to Lance as an ambassador for the sport. When accusations surfaced I refused to accuse him. I told people “only when I hear it from him will I believe it.” There will always be those out for blood primed by jealousy. I cannot deny it any more obviously. But what I cannot also deny is sin and the consequences of it. I extend a second chance to him. I would love to see him approach all he bullied and offer a sincere apology. I would also love to see him shed his agnosticism and come to Jesus. Only then will he obtain true redemption.

  • Ricardo

    My two sons and I have been avid fans of the Tour for years, watched Lance win his yellow jerseys and every Tour since then. It is an event of great drama played out day after day over nearly a month. There were years when it was pretty widely acknowledged that riders were doping. It wasn’t right and they were regularly and routinely thrown out when caught. It was cycling’s doping era. The fact that the Tour won’t even list a winner for those seven years tells you how pervasive and systemic a problem doping was. Even so, that doesn’t make what Lance did right, excusable or acceptable. He cheated. Whether he got caught and now admits it doesn’t alter the fact. He cheated. I want to say terrible things about him and put him in a neat little box somewhere not near me. I can’t. I can’t because I am in that same box. Sometimes I do lousy things. Sometimes I don’t really care who I hurt in the process. Sometimes I can be a selfish jerk. In the end the thing that makes me uncomfortable about the Lance Armstrong’s of the world is that they sometimes look an awful lot like me. My bottom line is that I have my own sinfulness to deal with, let Lance deal with his.

  • http://www.mohan37.com/ mohan37

    so true man. me too.

  • Geoff Thompson

    here is attached my commenst on my blog from a few days ago about Lance.

    Today we have seen Lance Armstrong openly admit after all this time,
    and years of accusations, doing what he has always done, use performance
    enhancing drugs.
    What has made his story so interesting was that he was so successful at deception.
    How many others do this every day in all sorts of sports but without success and the headlines?
    I read his book some time ago called “It’s not about the Bike.”
    I thought here is a person who is driven to be somebody after he had felt rejected as a child.
    He has admitted to being a very controlling person.
    Many will tell you this is a sign of great insecurity.
    As a Christian I can see why he has done what he did.
    That does not excuse him for his actions.
    I hope his repentance if it is not sincere now, becomes sincere.
    I hope that the Jesus I think he probably heard about in his childhood,
    and probably turned away from , maybe for some good reasons, is someone he
    turns to now.
    Many search for identity and success in the sporting world,business and relationships and achievements and are driven.
    Forall people the key to lasting happiness and sense of worth and
    identity is only to be found in a relationship with our creator.
    Jesus.
    We are told in the Bible “he who is without sin,cast the first stone.”
    Many are the stones coming his way now and have been for some time.
    I would ask that Christians pray for him and his family to find peace and that those he has wronged forgive him.
    “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
    I know there are many who will not forgive and in doing so they are in God’s eyes no better than Lance.
    The only true justice is in the redemptive cross of Jesus Christ.
    Anyone who does not wish for redemption for a fellow human being is not likely to be experiencing redemption themselves.
    Geoff Thompson, South Australia