Armstrong staff gets U.S. ADA bans

AUSTIN, Texas - With Lance Armstrong digging in for a legal fight, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (ADA) issued lifetime sports bans Tuesday to three former staff members and consultants on the cyclist’s winning Tour de France teams for drug violations.

Luis Garcia del Moral was a team doctor; Michele Ferrari was a consulting doctor; and Jose “Pepe” Marti (team trainer) worked for Armstrong’s U.S. Postal Service and Discovery Channel squads. All had been accused by the U.S. ADA of participating in a vast doping conspiracy on those teams during part or all of Armstrong’s seven Tour victories from 1999-2005.

Armstrong also has been charged and has declared his innocence.

Several hours after the U.S. ADA announced its sanctions against the others, Armstrong’s attorneys refiled a lawsuit asking a federal judge in Austin to prevent the case from going forward.

U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks had thrown out Armstrong’s initial 80-page complaint Monday, but invited him to submit a new one that was shorter - more to the point and less about his career and personal battles with anti-doping officials.

An Armstrong spokesman declined immediate comment on the U.S. ADA bans issued Tuesday. AP