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Armstrong’s boss Johan Bruyneel handed 10-year ban

Lance Armstrong

Johan Bruyneel, team manager and director who worked with Lance Armstrong, has been given a 10-year ban by the American Arbitration Association. The Belgian-born directeur sportive was part of such teams as U.S. Postal, Discovery Channel, Astana and Radioshack. It was Bruyneel’s actions with U.S. Postal and Discovery that had him implicated in what the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency called “the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping programme sport has ever seen” in its 2012 report, “The Reasoned Decision.” The report led to a life-time ban for Armstrong and the removal of his seven Tour de France wins.

Bruyneel fought USADA’s case against him since 2012. Last December, he brought matters to a London panel, questioning USADA’s jurisdiction. On Tuesday, however, USADA announced the conclusions of a three-member panel from the American Arbitration Association North American Court of Arbitration for Sport (AAA). “The evidence establishes conclusively that Mr. Bruyneel was at the apex of a conspiracy to commit widespread doping on the USPS and Discovery Channel teams spanning many years and many riders. Similarly, Dr. Celaya and Mr. Martí were part of, or at least allowed themselves to be used as instruments of, that conspiracy,” the statement read.

Doctor Pedro Celaya and trainer Jose “Pepe” Marti also worked with Armstrong. They were given eight-year suspensions.

“I do not dispute that there are certain elements of my career that I wish had been different, nor do I dispute that doping was a fact of life in the peloton for a considerable period of time,” said Bruyneel on his website. “However, a very small minority of us has been used as scapegoats for an entire generation.”

“There is clearly something wrong with a system that allows only six individuals to be punished as retribution for the sins of an era,” he added.

Bruyneel left open the possibility of bringing his case to Court of Arbitration for Sport.

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