Armstrong Goes On the Offensive to State His Case

Lance Armstrong mounted a public-relations offensive Monday, seeking to discount sworn testimony alleging that he had, nearly 10 years ago in an Indiana hospital room, acknowledged use of an array of performance-enhancing substances.

Appearing on a number of shows on ABC or ESPN, Armstrong sought to undercut testimony offered by Betsy Andreu, a former teammate’s wife. She testified Armstrong was asked by doctors on Oct. 27, 1996, if he had used performance-enhancing drugs and said, “EPO, growth hormone, cortisone, steroid, testosterone.”

”... The proof is in the pudding,” Armstrong, appearing on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” said. “The pudding’s not a bunch of people that are bitter and angry. The proof of the results, not just the race results but the drug-testing results, the investigations, the inquiries, the court cases -- haven’t lost one of them.”

Andreu’s testimony, corroborated by her husband, Frankie, a former Armstrong teammate who rode in the first two of Armstrong’s history-making Tour de France wins from 1999 through 2005, came in a confidential arbitration. The case ended in February with a $7.5-million settlement in Armstrong’s favor.

The Times reported Saturday about Betsy Andreu’s testimony. The French newspaper Le Monde on Friday had printed portions of her testimony.

Armstrong said Monday on “The View,” on ABC: “... The things they don’t report is what happened under cross-examination when the person who made the accusation couldn’t remember anything about the room. Couldn’t remember if the doctor was a man or a woman, couldn’t remember if they had a lab coat on or not, couldn’t remember if they had a clipboard, couldn’t remember anything.

“No facts, no figures, no evidence -- just a mouth,” one of the hosts, Star Jones, interjected.

Barbara Walters, another host, chimed in to ask Armstrong, “Aren’t you sick of it?”

Under cross-examination, Betsy Andreu testified Jan. 17 that two doctors came into the room with white coats; one was tall with brown hair and glasses, she said. She further testified that there was a bathroom on the left, a big table on the right, a television against the wall, Armstrong was sitting in a chair by the table, a football game was on TV and one of the others who was there -- Armstrong’s then-girlfriend -- was studying.

Betsy and Frankie Andreu issued a statement Monday through their attorney that said, “My clients remain steadfast in the truthfulness of their testimony.”