Lance Armstrong Cries While Apologizing To Livestrong Staff Before Oprah Interview

Lance Armstrong cried as he delivers a heartfelt apology to the Livestrong team, part of a week of confessions for the cyclist in his attempt to mend fences and repair his broken reputation.

News of Armstrong’s tearful apology to his staff was overshadowed this week by what came right after the incident — his taped interview with Oprah Winfrey during which he finally admitted publicly to taking performance-enhancing drugs. But the confession Armstrong made in private at Livestrong may be just as important as his more public one, at least for the non-profit organization he helped found.

Forbes reported:

“As noted by Bill Briggs of NBC News in October 2012, the Livestrong brand may require a facelift if it wants to retain current donors while attracting new ones. Initially, according to data reported to ESPN and cited in this Yahoo Sports article, Livestrong received $78,000 in unsolicited donations in the 24 hours following the August 2012 announcement of Armstrong’s decision not to fight significant doping evidence…compared to the $3,200 received the day before the announcement. However, more recent reports (like this one from CNN) note that some Livestrong supporters have started asking for their donations back.

“In short, Armstrong’s date with Oprah gives him a chance to make an impassioned request for people to look past his past digressions when considering whether to contribute money towards the fight against cancer.”

About 100 Livestrong employees were on hand for the confession, which took place at the organization’s headquarters in Austin, Texas.

While news that Lance Armstrong cries during his admission may be good for fence-mending, it could lead to legal trouble for the former cyclist, USA Today notes. Now that he has admitted guilt, Armstrong could be targeted by the federal government after he testified in 2005 that he wasn’t doping.