The decision of Lance Armstrong to get tough lawyers to defend him is the right thing to do. Though he believe he is innocent of any wrongdoing, Armstrong will be facing a very hard time dealing with a federal investigator who sent several people including professional athletes to prison. Jeff Novitsky heads the investigation on the alleged systematic doping and questionable contracts made by Armstrong. In fact, there are already some people who were subpoenaed to give more details on the alleged doping of the 7 time Tour de France Champion. This is aside from the coordination and collaboration with international police and international sports organizations in Europe. With this kind of investigation, the respondent should be well prepared to defend himself.

Top Steroid Cop

Novitsky has already established a reputation that made him America’s top steroid cop. Several prominent personalities from the sports arena were interviewed by Ronald Blum and Paul Elias of the AP and most of them shared the same opinion. A prominent lawyer who is representing trainer Brian McNamee against Roger Clemens in a steroid perjury case said that Novitsky possess remarkable qualities as an investigator. Richard Emery described Novitsky as smart, meticulous, sophisticated, well-prepared and straight as an arrow. “I’m just glad he ain’t after me. He is a nightmare for anyone that’s he’s focused on,” the lawyer said. Emery added that Novitsky is very creative and has the ability to bring people out.

However, Novitsky has not pleased everyone. There are also some people who criticize his strategies. In fact, some judges who handled his previous cases like the BALCO questioned some of Novitsky’s methods of investigation. For example, a 2004 search and seizure warrant for 10 baseball players ended up seizing materials from more than 100 players according to the AP report. Most of them complain of harassment and violation of their rights.

Fair Investigation on Armstrong

Armstrong’s lawyers already complained on the alleged leaking of information to the media about the specifics of the doping investigation against their client. Armstrong also hinted that it may lead to a witch hunt. He will only cooperate if there will be a fair investigation. Based on the allegation of Floyd Landis, the champion cyclist used performance enhancing drugs like EPO and underwent several blood transfusions to boost performance in competitions.

US prosecutor Kevin Ryan on the other hand, defended Novitsky. “Despite the criticism that has been lofted his way, he has always been able to prove his critics wrong,” he said. “He’s relentless. He’s ethical. He’s a very good investigator.” Novitsky is the type of person that never gives up until he gets the information that he needs. Just like what he did in the BALCo investigation where he crawled into a trash container to collect important documents. And to make him more acquainted with steroids and PED’s, he took a crash course from a steroid expert. “As a result of the BALCO investigation he became well-known in government circles. He became a star,” said steroid expert Don Catlin.

Cheating and Fraud Not Allowed

Travis Tygart of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said that there are some people who will never understand how these law enforcement agents perform their jobs. “Without Jeff and the many other dedicated law enforcement agents out there enforcing these important federal laws, the promise of sport fails our kids,” said Tygart. He further explained how important it is to have a fair playing field. “Our sports are the fabric of our American way of life. They teach us all that dedication, character, hard work, playing fair can lead to fulfillment and accomplishment.” He also added that we should not tolerate this type of corruption and fraud in business, academia or other important institutions. “Why should we accept it in sports? The answer is clear we should not,” Tygart concluded.

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