Lance Armstrong Banned From Cycling For Life

It's not often that professional cycling takes the headlines, but this is a case where steroid use destroyed a reputation and career.

Lance Armstrong, who won seven Tour De France titles from 1999 to 2005, has been stripped of all seven titles and will be banned from cycling for life after the US Anti-Doping Agency came to the conclusion that Armstrong was guilty of steroid use during his career.

Armstrong inspired millions of people over the last decade, overcoming cancer to become one of the winningest cyclists of all time. His LiveStrong Foundation became a symbol of American culture; a lot of people walked around proudly wearing Armstrong's signature yellow wristbands.

Despite all this, Armstrong admitted late Thursday that he was sick and tired of the investigation that began in 2011 and remarked, "There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough.' For me, that time is now."  In a statement sent to The Associated Press, he called the USADA investigation an "unconstitutional witch hunt."

"I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999," he said. "The toll this has taken on my family and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today -- finished with this nonsense."

The USADA took this statement as an admission of guilt.

If Armstrong is indeed guilty, and if by dropping his defense in the case is an admission of guilt, this is a nonpareil example of how cheating can destroy a career and reputation.

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire and many others watched their reputations and Hall of Fame credentials fall by the wayside after they were tagged with steroids. While Clemens was found not guilty of perjury, the court of public opinion says that the Rocket is guilty. It goes to show you no matter what, a cheater is, and will always be, viewed as cheating.

Armstrong is different from one standpoint; he never had a bad public image; he never came across as pompous, arrogant or hateful.

He was like the rest of us -- a guy who beat the odds; however, he beat the odds while cheating his sport, and, ultimately, himself.