Mr. Lance Armstrong

Hello ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls from all across the world, and thank you to tuning into another fun and informative blog on Life of a Student Athlete, written by the one and only, Austin Hopcia. In today's blog I'm thinking we are going to take a little break from the sports world and the current scores and statistics and I think we are going to concentrate on some of the stories lately that are a little more serious.  More specifically, the huge story lines of the Lance Armstrong confession, and we will get some of the information on the interview he did with Oprah Winfrey.  And if we have a little time we will focus on the dreaded Manti Te'o story that so many people are obsessing over.  I will give my opinion on both topics and say what they should do and what the rest of society should do.  First to Mr. Armstrong.  He confessed to taking illegal substances while cycling post his cancer days and he has just recently apologized for it.  He has been banned by the USDA for life and basically right now all he;'s trying to do is recreate his image and reduce his life ban sentence down to something a little more reasonable even though he said he has no plans of cycling again.  Here is Oprah and Lance's interview:

Why admit it now?
I don't know that I have a great answer. I will start my answer by saying that this is too late. It's too late for probably most people, and that's my fault. I viewed this situation as one big lie that I repeated a lot of times, and as you said, it wasn't as if I just said no and I moved off it.

Could the Tour de France be won without doping?
Not in that generation, and I'm not here to talk about others in that generation. It's been well-documented. I didn't invent the culture, but I didn't try to stop the culture, and that's my mistake, and that's what I have to be sorry for, and that's what something and the sport is now paying the price because of that. 

The drugs
My cocktail, so to speak, was EPO -- but not a lot -- transfusions and testosterone. Which, in a weird way, I almost justified because of my history, obviously, with having testicular cancer and losing, I thought, surely, I'm running low.

How could you do it?
I think this just ruthless desire to win. Win at all costs, truly. Serves me well on the bike, served me well during the disease, but the level that it went to, for whatever reason, is a flaw. Then that defiance, that attitude, that arrogance, you cannot deny it.

The future
I'll spend the rest of my life trying to earn back trust and apologize to people for the rest of my life.

Here are some more key quotes from his interview:

• "I viewed this situation as one big lie that I repeated a lot of times."
• "I know the truth. The truth isn't what was out there. The truth isn't what I said, and now it's gone -- this story was so perfect for so long."
• "It definitely was professional, and it was definitely smart, if you can call it that, but it was very conservative, very risk-averse, very aware of what mattered."
• "My cocktail, so to speak, was only EPO, but not a lot, transfusions and testosterone."
• "I thought, surely I'm running low [on testosterone] but there's no true justification."
• "It was win at all costs. When I was diagnosed [with cancer] I would do anything to survive. I took that attitude -- win at all costs -- to cycling. That's bad. I was taking drugs before that but I wasn't a bully."
• "My ruthless desire to win at all costs served me well on the bike but the level it went to, for whatever reason, is a flaw. That desire, that attitude, that arrogance."
• "There was more happiness in the process, in the build, in the preparation. The winning was almost phoned in."
• "Yes, I was a bully. I was a bully in the sense that I tried to control the narrative and if I didn't like what someone said I turned on them."
• "Everybody that gets caught is bummed out they got caught."
• "To be honest, Oprah, we sued so many people, I'm sure we did"
• "I'm not comfortable talking about other people. I don't want to accuse anybody."
• "I went in and just looked up the definition of cheat and the definition of cheat is to gain an advantage on a rival or foe that they don't have. I didn't view it that way. "
• "This is not a good time but it isn't the worst part of my life. You can't compare this to an advanced diagnosis. That sets the bar. It is close but I'm an optimist and I like to look forward. This has caused me to look back and I don't like that."
• "I didn’t fail a test. Retroactively, I failed those."
• "The Foundation is like my sixth child and to make that decision and to step aside was big. It was the best thing for the organization but it hurt like hell. That was the lowest."
• "I've lost all future income. You could look at the day and a half when people left. You asked me the cost. I don't like thinking about it but it was a $75 million day. All gone and probably never coming back."
• "This is not a good time but it isn't the worst part of my life. You can't compare this to an advanced diagnosis. That sets the bar. It is close but I'm an optimist and I like to look forward. This has caused me to look back and I don't like that."
• "If you're asking me if I want to compete again, the answer is hell yes, I'm a competitor."
• "The biggest hope and intention was the well being of my children. The older kids need to not be living with this issue in my life. "
• "I deserve to be punished. Not sure I deserve a death penalty."
• I told Luke 'don't defend me anymore, don't'."
• "I'm deeply sorry for what I did. I can say that thousands of times. It may never be enough to come back."
• "And then the ultimate crime is the betrayal of these people who support me and believed in me and they got lied to."

Lance has had a lot of problems with his performance enhancing drugs, as you saw all he wants to do is gain some respect back that he lost, it won't be easy but he's going to try.  A lot of people don't think he is being sincere in his apologies, but I for one do.  And to be honest I will keep wearing all my livestrong gear, no matter what anyone says.

2013 Mock Draft: 1-16

1. The Kansas City Chiefs had an awful season, but they did win one thing, and that is the !st overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft. And that is a huge thing. I mean, look at the Colts from this past year. They received Andrew Luck, the QB from Stanford, a highly rated prospect, and he took them to the playoffs winning 11 games in his rookie season. Amazing. This year though, I don’t think the Chiefs will get a star, no one flashy, a lot of mock drafts think they will draft Geno Smith, the QB out of West Virginia. But I do not think he s god enough yet, especially for a #1 pick. Which is why I think they will get the #1 Offensive Lineman out of Texas A&M, Luke Joeckel. He is a massive 6’6’’ 310 lb. tackle. He He protected for the Heisman Trophy winner, and got it done, earning a #1 pick and filling a need for the Chiefs early.


2. The Jacksonville Jaguars can go a lot of different directions, and I mean just about every single position can be upgraded, but I believe they will select Bjoern Warner. Warner is regarded by me and many other analysts as one of the top prospects in the NFL Draft. The 6-4, 256 pound defensive end from Florida State. Warner has a great work ethic and his very quick off the line, but he is raw and could get better at run defense. One player he has been compared to a lot is Chris Long.


3. Oakland Raiders have the 3rd overall pick in the draft and thank god for that because they need a lot of help. Especially on the defensive side of the ball. Which is why I have them picking Jarvis Jones, 6’2’’ 242 lb. outside linebacker out of the University of Georgia. Jones was an absolute beast this year, putting the team on his back, so good he doesn’t even need to stay for his senior season, coming out early and getting a lot of money for it. Jarvis Jones will get the job done I think. I think playing in the SEC will really benefit him in the future. The SEC always produces the best players and I don’t think this time will be any different. Jones will be a hall of fame.



4. One position the Eagles must address is the offensive line. When I watched them this season it seemed like Michael Vick or Nick Foles was always on the ground. I believe they will go with the best option at offensive line, but with Luke Joeckel already off the board, they will probably draft Taylor Lewan from Michigan. The 6-7 310 pound offensive lineman was the winner of the Big Ten's Rimington-Pace Award as the top offensive lineman in the conference. He stopped one of the nation’s best players, Jadeveon Clowney, who is freak athlete who combines speed and power. He is very good at using his natural ability, but sometimes he solely just relies on it and should get better at his footwork, but he has a mean streak and has the drive to always win one on one battles.

5. The Detroit Lions had a really disappointing year. And the blame had to falter on their defense. I mean they have the best receiver in the league, and a solid quarterback. After making the playoffs the previous year, it was embarrassing this year. The defense gave up way too much, especially in the crunch time. The secondary sticks out the most, which is why they are going to draft Dee Milliner, a cornerback from the University of Alabama. What I love most about him, is how big he is, he is really tall for a corner, and if your watched the National Championship game, he proved how good he is. For some reason Notre Dame kept going in his direction and he made some big plays. He’s 6’1’’ 200 lb. and is a force to be wrecking with. And he’ll hit you. A steal for the Lions at 5 I feel.


6. The Cleveland Browns selected Brandon Weeden to help save the franchise. I believe they need to add more weapons around him, but with a new owner and a new GM, as well as a new head coach who knows what they’ll do. I am going with a surprise pick here and say they draft Keenan Allen out of California. He has very good hands and has great straight line speed, but he just doesn’t have the elite elusiveness. He does have great hand-eye coordination, as well as the prototypical size for a wide receiver. He really compares well to the Packers wide receiver, Jordy Nelson.


7. The Arizona Cardinals have the seventh pick and this is a very interesting situation I feel. The Cardinals had two potential starting QB’s they both got hurt, they both played, they both struggled. They are on the verge of getting a new coach, and I think another new quarterback. I think this is the time that Geno Smith finally comes off the board. Going 7th, and heading to Arizona will be Mr. Smith this spring.


8. And with the 8th overall selection in the NFL Draft the Buffalo Bills, Manti Te`o. Te`o is 6-2 255 I firmly believe that the Bills are a playmaking linebacker and a quarterback away from the NFL Playoffs. They can get a QB in the second to third round because that is where most of them are rated in this draft and with the hire of Doug Marrone he might be eyeing his former QB, Ryan Nassib, who is rated as a second to third round draft pick. Te`o is, and I hate saying this “A Can’t Miss Prospect”. He in my mind is probably the best player in the draft, even after his “subpar” performance against Alabama because how could you judge one kid’s career on one game. If you did that you would see Ryan Fitzpatrick in the Pro Bowl. Because of his knowledge of the game and his intensity. He has great intuitiveness and has the playmaking ability that you can’t teach. I’d think the Bills would be crazy to not draft him if he was avaible.


9. So the New York once upon a time drafted a QB out of USC. A guy by the name of Mark Sanchez. He was a highly rated prospect and was supposed to be the Jets new big guy. And for the most part it was a failure. Then last year they brought in the media sensation Tim Tebow. And he never plays even when that's all that the fans wanted but whatever. So all this drama has brought us to our pick. Matt Barkley another USC quarterback. A guy who was supposed to be a heisman winner but played terrible and his draft stock dropped. But you know what I think that being the idiots that Rex Ryan and the rest of the Jets organization is, that they'll take another USC guy. Good luck Red and by the way, I like your new tattoo.


10. The Tennessee Titans need to draft a defensive end to help bolster the pass rush that has been lacking in the past few years after the departure of Albert Haynesworth, Jason Babin, and Kyle Vanden Bosch. They should draft Damontre Moore DE, Texas AM. Moore is 6-4 250 lb. end from Texas AM who should go somewhere in the top ten because he is a master at the pass rush. He can play as a classic 4-3 end or even play as a standup end in a 3-4. He could work on his “getoff”speed too, but he is a very good pick for any team because of the change to a passing league.


11. The San Diego Chargers had yet another tough year but there something different and exciting in the air this year I feel. They finally decided to fire head coach Norv Turner and several years of no production. And early in the first round they are going to try and build up their defensive front drafting Jonathan Hankins. He's 6'4" 322 lb. and an absolute beast. Nose tackle coming out of the undefeated Ohio State.


12. Jake Matthews is a terrific offensive lineman. At Texas AM, Matthews and Luke Joeckel combined for a dominant force. We had Joeckel going number 1, and now we have Jake Matthews going twelve to the Dolphins. Sure they would like to get their hands on a talent like Keenan Allen at wide receiver, but if he isn’t there, they should go offensive line. The Dolphins have had injury problems in the past with Jake Long. When Long is healthy he is arguably the best offensive linemen in the game. They may want to draft Matthews, because he is a great run blocker and can help secure the edge for Reggie Bush. He has slower feet than NFL scouts would like, but if he can fix that that will determine how high he goes in the draft.

13. Xavier Rhodes is another cornerback in the draft looking to use his big body to help some teams out and right now it looks like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the team who think very highly of him. He's 6'2" 215 and an absolute beast. I think they're hoping he can try and put a stop to big receiver for the Atlanta Falcons Julio Jones. I think he's a good fit and can get the job done.


14. Star Lotulelei is probably the best defensive tackle in the NFL Draft, but that’s because this draft is a little weak on defensive tackles. Early mock drafts have had him going #1, but that changed really when the Chiefs got the number one pick and Andy Reid. Star could really go any where in the top 15. Star is a very strong d-tackle and is very good against the run, and the Panthers will probably draft him, because of their lack defense. Lets put this into perspective, if the Panther’s offense is an 8, their defense is about a 1. They need help on the d-line and injuries have riddled their defense for the last two years. Star is a little heavier than some people would like. He played at Snow Junior College in 2008 at more than 350 pounds. He will sometimes use his physical gifts often more than using his good technique. I think that, need trumps over best availability here.
15. Johnathan Jenkins is a man. And that is basically the main reason for why he is getting drafted at 15th overall by the New Orleans Saints. The Saints just got in trouble for the bounty system right. And they really struggled to start off the season, and especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Georgia Bulldogs’ defensive tackle is going to be a good fit for the Saints new scheme on defense.


16. The Rams I believe are on the rise and are an up and coming team. First year as a head for the Rams, Jeff Fischer , I thought was very successful. He led them to and 7-8-1 record. Now they got their QB, in Sam Bradford a few years back and they need to keep him upright. Jeff coached Tennessee and he and his defense helped destroy David Carr’s career because of a lack of offensive linemen . They need offensive linemen and I think they go in the direction Eric Fisher from Central Michigan, you don’t see many Central Michigan draftees on the first day. Fisher is 6-7, 305 pounds and has good coordination for a man his size. Another plus is that he is good against speed rushers, and is able to get up field.