Lance Armstrong REPORTEDLY CONFESSES for Doping

Lance Armstrong confessed in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that he used performance-enhancing drugs while winning the famed Tour de France seven times, an unidentified person told the Associated Press.

Armstrong, 41, was stripped of the titles after a 1,000-plus-page report in October was released by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. In it, USADA Chief Executive Travis Tygart said the cyclist led "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."

The USADA report included depositions from 11 former teammates and came after a federal investigation of the cyclist was dropped without charges being brought.

The report painted the cancer survivor as a brazen, merciless cheater who supplemented testosterone use with banned blood-doping practices. By doing so, he fueled his success while encouraging teammates for the U.S. Postal Service team to do the same, bullying those who questioned the merits of his accomplishments.

Armstrong for years remained steadfast in his denials of PED use, but after the USADA report, several sponsors, including Nike, split with him.

Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School, said that although details of the depth of Armstrong's admissions remain unknown, he may be left vulnerable to damages by disclosing many details.

A federal whistleblower lawsuit against Armstrong for defrauding his former team sponsor, the U.S. Postal Service, could be pursued by the U.S. Justice Department.

"The whistleblower suit asks Armstrong to pay back millions for defrauding the Postal Service, and the whistleblower would get a cut of that action," Levenson said.

"Although grand jury investigations are secret, Mr. Armstrong appears to have heeded his counsel's advice and did not testify under oath. Although the Justice Department also has the authority to charge someone for lying to federal investigators even if they are not under oath — under the federal false statement statute — it would be surprising if he ever agreed to speak with investigators or the DOJ."

Armstrong also apologized for letting the staff down and putting Livestrong at risk, but he did not make a direct confession to 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.

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