I awoke to these headlines: Lance Armstrong Stepping Down as chairman of Livestrong charity.

My reaction: shock and sadness, if I will be honest.

“Lance Armstrong is stepping down as chairman of the Livestrong cancer charity he founded in 1997 after recovering from the disease, a spokeswoman for the organization confirmed .

The move comes a week after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said it had uncovered overwhelming evidence of Armstrong’s involvement in a sophisticated doping program while a professional cyclist.

Armstrong found out he had testicular cancer at age 25 when he was emerging as a rising star among cyclists. He started a small group to raise money for cancer called the Lance Armstrong Foundation in 1997. Since then, 84 million bright yellow Livestrong wristbands have been distributed.” – CNN

It appears Nike has dropped him as well.

I just read on Twitter: “Livestrong, fall hard.”

Ouch.

The ‘On the Fence’ debate here today: Many elite athletes use some sort of performance enhancing drug. Lance was there, he competed, he won all 7 Tour de France titles. He raised $500 million for cancer research. He is a hero.

Vs.

He cheated. He lied. He is a cheater. He is a liar. This offsets all the rest.

What is your take? I loved Lance, I still respect Lance, and I feel sad on many levels. He is a cancer survivor and one of the greatest American athletes of our time. Do we forgive him and accept that he is human, part of the human condition? Or is he a fake? Do today’s headlines negate all the races he won, and all the good he’s done? I don’t believe entirely.

Are you on the fence? I’d love your stance.

xoxEDxox