Quote (MNhockey @ 13 Nov 2012 16:01)
So what you're saying is that he was able to raise more money for cancer research because he was dirty.
Ethical? Probably not.
Did it help more than it hurt? Oh, you bet it did.
I am glad you came to that conclusion yourself. Now that we have a proper end to this story maybe we can let this topic die in peace instead of dragging it on, and on, and on.
what conclusion? that he was only able to raise so much money because he's a dirty cheater? sure, i never said anything else. yes, it helped the fight against cancer and overall that's more important than a sport. but let's be absolutely clear here: it was absolutely devastating, not only for the sport but also for his teammates and opponents.
i hope you're not implying that was his intention all along - to sacrifice a sport for the greater good. basing any kind of defense on this would be ignorant and fallacious.
his profession was cyclist and he cheated to win, to become rich and famous, not to fight cancer. if that was his only goal he wouldn't have forced his teammates to cheat, he wouldn't have bribed officials and he would have admitted to cheating long ago and not hired lawyers for thousands of dollars to stop the investigations against him.
since you seem to have serious problems understanding why this is still wrong, i'll try to make it simple for you with a little example:
imagine someone steals all your and your family's money. he buys some time in a recording studio with it, makes a hit and becomes famous. he sells records, signs endorsement deals with big companies and quickly becomes a millionaire. then he decides to set up, let's say an AIDS charity... he raises millions of dollars and the charity is able to help hundreds of people.
meanwhile your family had to sell your house and cars, you live on the street and your mom and sister have to work as prostitutes - but hey, it helped more than it hurt, right? you know it did, so stop complaining and look at the greater good!
so basically everyone who cheats or steals or does anything illegal should be forgiven or even considered a hero if he does something good later, something that outweighs his offence? is that what you're saying?
the story is far from being over - not as long as he doesn't admit anything, doesn't repay the money he got for being a cheater (he could donate it to his charity) and as long as he stays this arrogant and self-righteous...