fscyclist said:Agree that Tyler's situation is much different, but did you hear of any teams courting him before Op Puerto broke? Who's to say Floyd's situation won't look the same or worse after two years of investigation?
Unless things change, I think the major corporations will back out and you'll see much less money in the sport which of course means pay cuts for all the riders. Is that what they're hoping for?
Can't comment much on European libel laws, but if he comes clean in the US, I don't see how European courts would have jurisdiction (maybe there's a lawyer out there who can answer this). Also, it's never libel if it's the truth.
Landis' situation might get worse in the future if there is less tolerance for doping. The GT organizations might hold a grudge and never let him start a grand tour again. But using the past as a guide, getting busted and serving your suspension has never prevented someone from finding another team.
Hamilton's misfortune is having his suspension end as the the sport is engulfed in scandal and the UCI is looking to make an example. His ties to Operation Puerto give the UCI means to make him a scapegoat. The teams are gunshy and do not want to be seen as accomodating doping.
The sponsorship side of things will be interesting in the coming year. The ProTour is dead--or at least its guarantee of getting ProTour teams in the GTs is dead--so there is probably an opportunity for sponsors to pull out. They won't be getting what they paid for.
As to the libel laws, the U.S. system favors society as a whole over the individual. The theory is that the potential harm to the individual is outweighed by society's benefit of a freer exchange of information. Public figures are given even less protection than an ordinary citizen to make such things as allegations of corruption by public officials easier. It is very difficult to prove slander or libel against a public figure in the U.S. The downside is that it is easy for an individual's reputation to be attacked and often there is no recourse.
It is much easier in most of europe, especially in Britain which is the libel capital of the world, to sue for libel. Unless Landis is planning on not racing in europe, he would have to deal with the fallout of what he says no matter where he makes the claim. Truth is a defense against libel, but proving truth is not so easy.
But again he would be a fool to rat out doping establishment. He can still race for a few years. You need someone like Hamilton, who might never race again and has ties to three different teams. He knows where the bodies are buried. He can make his claims in the U.S. and not have to worry about any legal fallout in europe. The big problem for him is that his credibility is shot. If he says anything he will immediately be attacked as a liar.
