The Tour de France has gotten a lot of publicity this year, but it isn’t necessarily positive. It’s been reported that Floyd Landis tested positive for high levels of testosterone during stage 17 of the Tour de France. If Landis’s other sample tests positive, then he will have to give up his title and will be fired from his team– not to mention all of the negative publicity that comes with it.
The article mentioned that Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner, also was accused of taking performance enhancing drugs– but he never tested positive. The point is– once you are accused of taking drugs or cheating in any way– that will be part of the an athlete’s identity whenever their name appears in the press– it becomes part of the athlete’s identity. Some examples that come to mind would be Barry Bonds and Marion Jones– you can’t find an article that doesn’t mention the BALCO scandal.
What is the response from Landis on this? He stated in a press conference after the Tour de France, “Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s ever going to go away no matter what happens next.” This is true– it is important to embrace the horror– look at this as a crisis situation that needs to be addressed in a timely and professional manner. It was also reported that Landis will not appear on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno due to this announcement. This could have been an outlet for Landis to show that life goes on– in good times or bad.
Landis needs to realize the consequences this has not only to his own reputation, but to the other cyclists and to the sport in general. Landis needs to manage his reputation a little better– he needs to be open and state that he will work with the authorities to make sure that they have everything that they need from him. It is better to say something that is simple and to the point than to say too much– let other opinion leaders (ex. Tour de France officials, USA Cycling officials, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, etc.) get their messages across. It would also be important for Landis to work with these sources to be on top of things.
We will have to see what happens and what the results are for Landis’s second sample– time will only tell.
4 Comments
Laura · July 27, 2006 at 6:07 pm
I am totally shocked by this news. Maybe I’m just being naive, but wouldn’t a person who knew he had a great chance to win also know that his tests would be scrutinized?
My guess is that there is some new “stuff” a la Balco that people are being told is “undetectable,” and so they go ahead and use it.
To be fair, let’s see what the second sample says. But it’s not looking good for the home team….
Karen · August 5, 2006 at 3:18 pm
Update on Landis Case:
Floyd Landis’ second sample has tested positive, so there is a good chance that his Tour de France title will be taken away. There is an appeals process, so he will have to see what that outcome is of that.
Karen’s Public Relations Blog » “Tour-de-France” PR Crisis: Landis’s follow-up tests test POSITIVE · April 23, 2007 at 2:13 pm
[…] “Tour-de-France” PR Crisis: Landis’s follow-up tests test POSITIVE Filed under: Public Relations, Sports, Crisis Management, News, Sports Reputation Management, “PR Nightmares”, Image / Perception / Reputation — Karen @ 2:10 pm A while ago, I had posted about Tour de France winner Floyd Landis testing positive for testosterone last summer. Well, Landis had follow-up tests conducted to prove his innocence, but they are also positive. What I find amazing is that even though both samples have tested positive, instead of taking the responsibility for his actions– Landis blames USADA, or the United States Anti-Drug Agency. According to an article on SportingLife.com article, Landis said the following about USADA’s actions in this investigation: “This is yet another in a series of malicious actions by USADA that tramples my right to have my case heard in fair and just way.” […]
Karen’s Public Relations Blog » Tour de France PR Crisis: Landis “B” Sample tests Positive · April 23, 2007 at 2:23 pm
[…] Tour de France PR Crisis: Landis “B” Sample tests Positive Filed under: Public Relations — Karen @ 2:22 pm I had posted a few months ago about Tour de France winner Floyd Landis testing positive for testosterone last summer. Well, Landis had follow-up tests conducted to prove his innocence, but they are also positive. What I find amazing is that even though both samples have tested positive, instead of taking the responsibility for his actions– Landis blames USADA, or the United States Anti-Doping Agency. According to an article on SportingLife.com article, Landis said the following about USADA’s actions in this investigation: “This is yet another in a series of malicious actions by USADA that tramples my right to have my case heard in a fair and just way.” Hmmm– I don’t think that is the best move to make. […]