Armstrong tells staff: I’m trying to restore Livestrong’s reputation
The disgraced cyclist taped a segment with Oprah Winfrey on Monday, in which he had reportedly planned to offer a ‘limited confession’ that he doped. Ahead of the taping, he reportedly apologized to Livestrong staff.
Armstrong reportedly choked up several times while saying he was “sorry” to employees at Livestrong, the cancer organization he helped establish.
According to the AP, which cited an anonymous source:
“Armstrong apologized for letting the staff down and putting Livestrong at risk but he did not make a direct confession to the group about using banned drugs. He said he would try to restore the foundation’s reputation, and urged the group to continue fighting for the charity’s mission of helping cancer patients and their families.”
Armstrong was expected to make a “limited confession” to Oprah about his use of performance-enhancing drugs during his career as a professional cyclist—a career that included a record seven Tour de France wins. After the interview, Oprah tweeted:
Just wrapped with @lancearmstrongMore than 2 1/2 hours . He came READY!
— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) January 14, 2013
Twitter was abuzz with chatter about Armstrong on Monday, as various conversations about the cyclist emerged as trending topics.
Countless tweets expressed anger and dismay, such as:
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