The Floyd Landis case just exploded, or imploded, or both

(Update here: Landis friend apologized to LeMond) (Landis posts seen after the  jump) (Good background summation at The Fanhouse, thanks to With Leather)
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'Confused'  Everything appears to be 'confused'.  Or 'obtunded'?  'Bewildered'?  'Mortified'?

The Greg LeMond testimony at the Floyd Landis hearing just exploded like a roadside bomb in Baghdad.  If what happened, is what we think happened, the hearing either exploded or better put 'imploded'.

It would appear from reading Rant, or TBV, that the following occurred:

• Greg LeMond testified about phone call from Floyd Landis in which he came close to admitting he doped:
• ('q': question from attorney; 'a': answer from Greg Lamond; 'him/his': Floyd Landis)
• q:  did you give advice?
  a:  clear that i did not judge, if you did change the sport to save the sport and hoped and encouraged him to come clean?
  
  q:  what was his response?
  a:  what good would it do?
  
  q:  did you share a story with him, a very personal matter.
  a:  yes.
  
  q:  purpose
  a:
  
  q:  his response?
  a:  i don't see any good that would come of that, it would destroy a lot of my friends
• Understand this is hearsay, that is LeMond's report of the conversation
• The story LeMond apparently shared with Landis concerned his childhood sexual abuse, and his 'hiding' it.  He meant to convey something about 'the truth' or 'a secret'.
• However, it was then revealed that last night, before his testimony, LeMond received a threatening, and probably obscene phone call:
• (From Rant) But that wasn’t all. LeMond also gave an account of a threatening phone call he claims to have received on his cell phone last night on his way to his hotel. The caller, LeMond says, claimed to be his uncle, and went on to mention that he would be at the hearing and that he was going to tell LeMond’s long held secret.

(From TBV) The actual language:  "LaMond's uncle and they would play "hide the weenie" tomorrow.

• LeMond recorded the cell phone number, then reported it to the police.  Someone traced the call to Will Geoghegan, a Floyd Landis friend (From TBV).  Apparently Landis shared the LeMond abuse information with this fellow.
  
• This is Will Geoghagen, Landis's friend, who is with him in Court. So, Lemond is basically saying Will called Lemond on Lemond's cell phone, using Will's own cell phone to make the call in order to intimidate Lemond.
• Landis' lawyer tried to question LeMond about Lance Armstrong.  LaMond's attorney stepped in to say LeMond would not answer questions about Armstrong.  Howard Jacobs (Landis' attorney) asked to stroke (can you believe we wrote 'stroke', rather than 'strike'; what a Freudian slip) LaMond's testimony.  At which point the arbitrators called a recess to reassemble the exploded courtroom and the disemboweled spectators.
• When reconvened, LeMond was absent, Geoghegan was gone (said to be fired) and American cycling run through.  (It is also reported Geoghegan was called to the stand, however he fled to retain counsel...good idea)

Thus in a matter of hours, an American legend, Greg Lemond, said that an American hero, Floyd Landis, came dangerously close to admitting steroid use.  Lemond trusted Landis with a personal story of hidden abuse in hopes of getting Landis to admit to some truth (like steroid use).  Landis may have published a threat against Lemond, should Lemond ever talk.  All this followed with a very obscene threat revolving around Lemond's abuse that came from a Landis' friend the night before Lemond's testimony.

This is all hard to believe.  (more after the jump)  Everyone shower.

ar iTo say that Landis isn't a Lemond fan is an understatement.  To whit, a BB post attributed to Landis:

I did, as I used to do for some people, call GL privately to discuss some comments that he made about me and my situation. I used to believe that a private call was the best way to deal with public slander. I have subsequently learned that the phone call will become public and the contents thereof misconstrued into whatever fits the agenda. What Greg actualy divulged to me is what he does not want to talk about. I did not call for advice, I called to give him a chance to plead his case as to why he was speaking when he had never spoken to me nor met me in the past and in no way could be portrayed as knowing me personally. Unfortunately, the facts that he divulged to me in the hour which he spoke and gave no opportunity for me to do the same, would damage his character severely and I would rather not do what has been done to me. However, if he ever opens his mouth again and the word Floyd comes out, I will tell you all some things that you will wish you didn't know and unfortunately I will have entered the race to the bottom which is now in progress. For the record, I don't know Greg, and have no more respect for Greg than I have for people who go through life blaming others for all of their problems. You are not a victim of others Greg, you are a pathetic human who believes that if others didn't cheat (not sure about you) you would be the President and all the peasants would bow to your command. Join reality with the rest of us who win some and lose some and keep on smiling.

That's strong stuff.  And here is one more where Landis calls Lemond 'Satan'.

Let me sum up my opinion on Lemonds' statements.   I would ask Satan for advice before calling Lemond.

Next up on Jerry Springer...

Comments

[MH]

From what I have followed the last several months it is becoming abundantly clear that Greg Lemond has an agenda. He was in the middle of the allegations around Armstrong and now amazingly in the middle of the Landis ones. What a loser!!! Everyone outside of biking assumes he is tight w/Landis and kept deepest darkest secrets b/c he an ex-biking icon, thats BS! If you have one of Ladis' training partners, Coaches or Dr's saying that he did it, its another story. But Lemond?? Come on! Esp aftr the yr before this alleged phone conversation with Landis took place, Lemond was publically working with the French media to expose and discredit Armstrong as a doper, (by taking down Lance he can still hold on to promoting his own fading successes). Knowing this you are going to tell me that Landis would have been dumb enough to have that conversation with Lemond? Think the real story is how a couple of US rider's RECENT successes took away limelight from Lemond's dated career successes and squeezed him on some on going business deal. I'm not going to say names but there was a on going licensing agreement that was not renewed with Lemond in favor of Armstrong, (Landis remember was Armstrong's boy), aftr tour win #5 or #6... That had been a pretty regular annuity for Lemond for several yrs before!

From the Nation: all to be considered when looking at his testimony. We think you will find situations like this in most court proceedings.

[John Garrett]

Regarding Floyd Landis and Will Geoghegan, there is an old saying in Hollywood: 'Nobody here knows anthing.' That pretty much sums up the misdirection of the press in this case. This was a hearing about analysis and about science, not the first stop in Greg Lemond's book tour. Stay tuned. There will be more.

[big 11]

HA hA They are all roiding and stabbing their butts with drugs... read the dope book by the irishmen...forhot the name.. in it he tells how coaches / drs/ eveybody is dope lovin

Armstrong is a dope boy Ladus is a dope boy ... Mmm Lemond... not sure maybe not... anyhow Pedro Delgado was dope baby and his boy Miguel was not in the trainin for just anything I bet... they are all dope heds... at least evryone in Pro football admits it more or less... silly they will not admit it in cycle sport