Lance Armstrong interview with Oprah Winfrey gets negative reactions

If Lance Armstrong thought he could begin to repair his tarnished reputation with a lengthy sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, he should stay off Twitter and keep the news channels on mute. Based on people’s shared thoughts during and immediately after part one of the two-part interview, he failed to win back many fans with his confessions.

ESPN columnist Rick Reilly wrote in a Twitter post, “Armstrong said he didn’t think it was cheating because everybody did it. Then he said he didn’t bully teammates who didn’t dope. Lie.”

Rob Montgomery, a Chicago cyclist and former fan of Armstrong’s, wrote, “The interview with @lancearmstrong and @Oprah was stunning. Lance, you lost a follower and a guy that believed in what you were doing. #sad.”

A statement from the Livestrong Foundation, the cancer charity that Armstrong helped found, but which parted ways with him last year, was released shortly after the interview. It read, in part, “We at the Livestrong Foundation are disappointed by the news that Lance Armstrong misled people during and after his cycling career, including us. Earlier this week, Lance apologized to our staff and we accepted his apology in order to move on and chart a strong, independent course. We look forward to devoting our full energy to our mission of helping people not only fight and survive cancer, but also thrive in life after cancer.

“Even in the wake of our disappointment, we also express our gratitude to Lance as a survivor for the drive, devotion and spirit he brought to serving cancer patients and the entire cancer community. Lance is no longer on the Foundation’s board, but he is our founder and we will always be grateful to him for creating and helping to build a Foundation that has served millions struggling with cancer.”

CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper wasn’t having any forgiveness, however, writing, “This is how bad things have gotten for @lancearmstrong, he obviously cannot even afford a media consultant. #LieStrong.”

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