The Healthy Scratch

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We’ve all seen it before. An athlete fails a drug test and then we run through the typical cycle. First we go through a few days of rumours about the test and which athlete is guilty. After the cheater is revealed, we then go through a few days of silence while the athlete huddles with his inner circle and PR guys and comes up with a strategy to deal with the situation. Then the athlete comes out with all his bogus reasons as to why he’s not really guilty. They vary from “someone spiked my water” to “oh that’s just how my body is”, but its all the same excuses. But we’re not here to question whether Floyd Landis was truly cheating or not; the question I have to ask is can you blame him for doing it?

This is a guy who’s spent his entire career in the shadows of Lance Armstrong. When Armstrong finally retires and he has his chance to shine, he learns he needs surgery to deal with an arthritic hip. He knows that the 2006 Tour de France is probably going to be his last shot at glory. If he finishes back in the pack, no one will care about him or even know his name. But if he were to pull of a win, he’d become an instant celebrity. He’d be the beer drinking cycling everyman and could cash in with endorsements.

So why not cheat? What’s the downside? Even if he gets caught, they are just going to suspend him for a few years. This is guy who doesn’t have a few years left, this is his last go-around. Sure, his reputation would be hurt, but its not like cycling is big deal in States. Give it a few months and Landis could walk through downtown New York and not get recognized. Americans get pumped if they win the Tour de France, but do they really care if they don’t?

Let’s face it, the guy in all likelihood is guilty. We’ve heard all these excuses before. But before we get up on our soapbox and blast the guy, remember that for a few days he was on top of the world. Ask people what they’d do if they have 24 hours left to live and they’ll give all kind of “less-than-moral” answers. Landis has a few weeks left in his cycling life, and he decided to live it up and go for it. Can you really blame a guy for that?

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