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news
Phil Liggett.jpgPhil Liggett says Lance Armstrong's accusers were motivated by jealousy
Veteran commentator Phil Liggett says that Lance Armstrong’s accusers were motivated by jealousy and that the South Australian government’s decision to pay the rider millions of dollars to come and ride the Tour Down Under was money well spent.
"There was a jealousy in the team," said Liggett, quoted on Adelaide Now. It was not reported whether he mentioned anyone by name, but he was presumably referring to the former US Postal team mates of Armstrong who had testified against him to the United States Anti Doping Agency.
"Why did his best mates all of a sudden go against him? I think Lance was keeping the biggest slice of the cake and living the lifestyle of an 'A' class celebrity," he went on.
Liggett made his comments at the South Australia Press Club in Adelaide ahead of the start of the 2013 edition of the race, which he is commentating on alongside Paul Sherwen.
Blood doping expert Michael Ashenden has accused the Tour Down Under of “prostituting itself” through the appearance fees it paid Armstrong.
But Liggett insists the South Australia government was in the same position as Armstrong’s former sponsors such as Nike in that they had all benefited from their association with him prior to his fall from grace, saying, “
In the case of South Australia, he maintained, the investment of sums estimated at between A$3 million and A$9 million in the three years Armstrong rode the race had been money well spent.
“I think Lance gave them their money's worth even though it wasn't quite in the way we thought," he added.
Liggett prospered during the Armstrong years as his and Sherwen’s commentary became syndicated in English-speaking countries worldwide, including the United States.
He seemed slower than most media figures to come round to the idea that the cyclist might be guilty of doping, last year branding USADA as a “nefarious local drugs agency.”
Sherwen formerly worked as a press officer at Motorola, Armstrong’s team in the mid-1990s, and the rider and, it is thought, Liggett, invested in a gold mine run by Sherwen in Uganda.
With their voices familiar to cycling fans in the United States as a result of their Tour de France commentary, both Sherwen and Liggett have been paid to speak at fundraisers for Livestrong, the charity founded by Armstrong.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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49 comments
David Walsh - Jealous
Paul Kimmage - Jealous
Emma O'Reilly - Jealous
Betsy Adreau - Jealous
Greg Lemond - Jealous
I could go on obviously.
Ligget believes the reason these people wanted to OUT THE BULLY as a CHEAT AND A LIAR is jealousy !
Ligget is as mentally ill as Lance !
Ligget is a FUCKING IDIOT.... SIMPLES !
Apart from the fact that he stood up to LA, I've no time for any of Kimmages work away from cycling. He's never once had the ball$ to question another sportsman about drugs, despite interviewing numerous rugby players, track & field etc. Zero investigative work, and zero credibility when it comes to his other work. Walsh actually started questioning drug use in other sports before focusing on cycling, probably because it was the best story.
Are Phil and Paul still used for commentary in the US? I'd love to see the back of them. They're not the worst commentators (Carlton Kirby is), but there are plenty of better commentators out there. I'd employ Daniel Lloyd.
Not bitter. No axe to grind. Drivel? Well, I just thought I was being logical in thinking that lots of people did well out of Lance's years; detractors and supporters alike.
Like I said, I remember Kimmage as a rider and can understand, to some extent, his disillusionment, but as other comments have stated, his work has been opinion with no original investigative content. I'm not saying it's a good thing for cycling to still have Liggett around and I have to ask; Do you think it's a good thing for cycling to have Kimmage around?
He wrote a bloody good book in 'Rough Ride' but doesn't really seem to have been able to move on in a way. Some seem to canonize him in a similar manner to those who canonized Lance; just hope he isn't going up that faulted path of believing his own media persona; it never ends well...
C'mon Phil, get over it man. LA's admitted it. Not just the doping, but the bullying and manipulation and serial lying. Whatever the motivation, it still needed out. The omerta needed to be broken and people brought to account. Time to move on and admit you were taken for a huge ride and made an *ss of yourself.
There was an interesting article on VeloNews about how LA underestimated how dangerous an enemy he was making of Landis - http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/01/news/walsh-on-armstrong-landis-wa...) when Landis asked for help after his 2006 bust, and LA apparently told him to "go forth and multiply".
I'm glad Kimmage still has an interest in cycling. Getting sued by Pat & Hein is a badge of honour, really.
I cannot help thinking how much better Chasing Legends would have been without Phil & Paul.
@Colin Peyresourde
Agree entirely, Mr P. Liggett's commentary is like listening to your grandfather trying to remember his shopping list. Harmon is up there with those sports commentary greats, Johnners, Blowers, CM-J and Aggers, Ted Lowe, Dan Maskell, Walker and Hunt, and Toby and Julian (Eurosport motorcycling) by comparison. Though his sidekick, Kelly's curmudgeonly grunts have become increasingly irksome. For my own part, after all the doping shenanigans last year, I've now got shot of the Eurosport option as my belief that the cycling we get now is real (viz one Peter Sagan, if he's clean, I'm the Pope) is very thin so now point paying for a channel exclusively for a sport that you're stretched to believe in. So I'll probably catch a bit of the Tour (especially if the little cheating pistol boy isn't riding) on ITV4 hopefully with another commentary team but with the sound muted if it's still Laurel and Hardy.
I've not read all the comments here so sorry if I'm repeating stuff but it's very sad to see Phil Liggett apparently supporting Lance Armstrong. The punishment for Armstrong is severe but it seems that it is his whole attitude and behaviour in recent years, not just the fact that he kept winnign the tour on drugs, that has led to such a mighty downfall.
I hate to say it, but I've always enjoyed Paul and Phil on the Tour. I'm probably a lot older than most of you and can remember , with total satisfaction, when the Tour was first on the tv. Before that we had zilch! It's the one "must see" tv in the year. I've not seen Liggett's comments until I read these comments tonight.
Perhaps Phil is still reluctant to see the loss of one of his heroes, I know I am. Obviously times have changed and we now have Cav and Wiggo to cheer. I'm convinced that they're clean, they would probably be lynched by British cyclists if they were'nt....
Standing up to LA took huge cahoonas. That is a gold medal there that Kimmage deserves and along with a few others. The rest did nothing but suck up to Armstrong. Not bad to have in your career CV that you called out Armstrong in 1999
http://www.independent.ie/sport/reserving-the-right-to-applaud-403806.html
Kimmage also called out Michelle Smith, Ireland's 1st gold medal winner, for doping. Not a popular move to make. He got ridiculed for it too in Ireland. But ultimately was proven right again.
So he has called it in cycling and swimming. Not bad.
As for Ligget.
The sooner he is gone from the sport the better.
I'd rather the cycling community ignore him and not report anything he says.
Get Eurosport, the coverage is far superior. Sean Kelly has an knowledeg of racing and the peleton these guys can only dream of. P.s i don;t work for eurosport
Thanks, Phil: bye, now.
World Tour points mean that the top riders turn up and actually race, nothing more. It'd be a training ride otherwise.
"I think Lance was keeping the biggest slice of the cake and living the lifestyle of an 'A' class celebrity,"
A "Class A" celebrity, surely?
Last season I said what stinking vermin are Liggett and Sherwin when the gold mine story came out. I repeat my disgust now.
It's a shame that they are now on Sky Sports, whose crap coverage is showing the TDU this year. Mind you, they are probably Rupert Murdoch's idea of upstanding guys.
Come back, Carlton - verbal diarrheoa and all.
I think you have hit the nail on the head.
It's a syndicated feed, host broadcaster is Channel Nine, Liggett & Sherwen work for them on the race and are involved in race PR. Not sure if it would have been an option for anyone send their own commentators out there.
Liggett: ridiculous, retire, or at least take a back seat. But Sean, for all that I'll always admire him above all other sports persons, has never been guilty of uttering a syllable on drugs in cycling. Omertà? a bit chatty.
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