Lance Armstrong: Under the Gun

7-time Tour de France winner Armstrong

Former American cyclist and seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has come under scrutiny once again for his possible use of performance enhancing drugs, further dragging the sport under as it attempts to rid itself of the PED image. According to ESPN and 60 Minutes Tyler Hamilton, George Hincapie, and Frankie Andreu, all ex-Armstrong teammates and veteran cyclists, have testified they took and saw Armstrong take PEDs including EPO , testosterone, and illegal blood transfusions. These cyclists join Floyd Landis, the stripped 2006 Tour de France champion, in tabbing Armstrong as a persistent user of banned substances.

On Friday morning ESPN reported that Hamilton had written a letter to members of his family admitting to use of EPO on multiple occasions throughout his career including as a member of the US Postal Service team from 1999-2001. The network also reported he would appear on CBS's newsmagazine 60 Minutes on Sunday and state he saw Armstrong inject banned substances multiple times over the same period and that he had testified as much to a grand jury in 2010.

Hamilton's professional career was dotted with PED controversy including suspicion at the 2004 Olympics where he won gold in the Individual Time Trial, drug test failures, and eventually a two-year suspension. He built the reputation as a reliable protecting-rider as a teammate for the first three of Armstrong's Tour de France titles. Word came late Friday that he had returned his Gold Medal to the United States Anti-Doping Association following his admission of guilt.

Tyler Hamilton racing for Phonak

The show also reports Hamilton will confirm one of Landis's most outlandish and damaging accusations. Following what Landis and Hamilton say was a positive EPO test at the 2001 Tour of Switzerland Armstrong bragged that a financial settlement between he and cycling's governing body, UCI, prevented any action from being taken.

Also set to appear on 60 Minutes is Frankie Andreu, another former teammate of Armstrong's. Andreu will reportedly admit to using PEDs after seeing what he deemed lesser riders having more success than himself. Andreu's wife has reportedly stated Armstrong has openly discussed his banned substance use with friends. Word also came late Friday that tossed  another former Armstrong teammate, George Hincapie, into the fire. He also reportedly met with a grand jury looking into PED usage in cycling and stated he saw Armstrong use banned substances. Armstrong has previously referred to Hincappie as a "brother to me."

Floyd Landis, also with Phonak

The walls on Armstrong have been slowly closing for a number of years now as several stories in Sports Illustrated as well as Floyd Landis's admissions and accusations have brought more and more to light on the subject. Friday's news that three former trusted teammates and friends all have similar stories regarding Armstrong and have testified to a grand jury in California is the most damaging information yet. Doping scandals have been a regular occurrence in cycling since the 1990s and the sheer amount of positive tests have lent credibility to the belief very few, if any, were clean during that time span. Armstrong's dominance during his unprecedented streak of seven consecutive wins at the Tour de France raised eyebrows at the time especially considering his grave condition just a few short years before as he was being treated for testicular cancer. Armstrong has also often swiftly and completely attacked the lives and credibility of those accusing him of wrongdoing. His strongly worded statements and actions, including the quick formulation of a rudimentary website attacking Hamilton, Andreu, and Landis, reek of overcompensation in public self-defense. His popularity across the globe in-part stems from his survival of cancer and work to combat the disease. After all, most everyone has been affected in some way by cancer and this experience and philanthropy has allowed Armstrong to transcend cycling and sports in general. It is becoming more likely that the carefully crafted public image of Lance Armstrong masks his true character as a liar and cheater. If this becomes reality one would have to wonder where Armstrong ranks on the all-time list of American frauds.