Travis Tygart

Travis Thompson Tygart (born 1971[1]) is an American lawyer and CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). He is best known for his role in exposing Lance Armstrong's massive doping operation.

Travis Tygart
Born
Travis Thompson Tygart

1971 (age 49–50)
Jacksonville, Florida
NationalityAmerican
EducationThe Bolles School
Alma mater
OccupationLawyer; CEO
OrganizationUnited States Anti-Doping Agency
Known forExposing the Lance Armstrong doping operation

Life and career

A native of Jacksonville, Florida, he attended the Bolles School,[2] He starred on the baseball and basketball teams; on the former, one of his teammates was future Atlanta Braves star Chipper Jones.[1] He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelor's degree in philosophy, and in 2010 received the University's Distinguished Young Alumni Award.[3] Tygart went on to get his J.D. from Southern Methodist University in 1999, graduating Order of the Coif.[4]

Prior to joining USADA, Tygart was an athlete and associate in the sports law practice at Holme Roberts & Owen LLP (HRO). While at HRO, Tygart worked with individual athletes and the United States Olympic Committee, USA Basketball, USA Swimming, USA Volleyball, and the Pro Rodeo Cowboys' Association. Tygart is on the board of advisors of the Taylor Hooton Foundation.[5]

Tygart became Chief Executive Officer of USADA in September 2007.[6] He originally joined the agency in October 2002 as director of legal affairs, later becoming senior managing director and general counsel. He has also prosecuted cases before the American Arbitration Association and the Court of Arbitration for Sport on behalf of USADA.

Role in Armstrong doping case
Main article: Lance Armstrong doping case

Tygart had harbored suspicions about Armstrong for most of his tenure at USADA. A number of former members of Armstrong's U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team had been caught doping. Having learned about the doping that then ran rampant in the sport, Tygart found it hard to believe that Armstrong was clean.[1]

In June 2012, USADA accused Armstrong of doping, a charge that Armstrong ceased trying to defend in August 2012. As a result, he was stripped of all results from August 1, 1998 onward–including his seven consecutive Tour titles–and banned for life from all sports whose federations followed the World Anti-Doping Code. The latter sanction had the effect of ending his competitive career.[7][8][9][10][11] Armstrong filed a suit in U.S. District Court against Tygart and USADA. When dismissing the lawsuit against 'Defendant Travis Tygart and United States Anti-Doping Agency (collectively, "USADA")', U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks wrote, "USADA's conduct raises serious questions about whether its real interest in charging Armstrong is to combat doping, or if it is acting according to less noble motives."[12] Tygart was previously involved in the investigation of Floyd Landis.[2] Tygart stated in an interview with French newspaper L'Équipe that he had received three death threats since the beginning of the Armstrong investigation and that security had been tightened around him by the FBI.[13]

After USADA announced that it would strip Armstrong of all his results obtained after August 1, 1998, Tygart stated in an interview with VeloNation: "He [Armstrong] knows all the evidence as well and he knows the truth, and so the smarter move on his part is to attempt to hide behind baseless accusations of process."[14]

U.S. Helsinki Commission testimony

In July 2018, Tygart testified before the U.S. Helsinki Commission in Washington, DC on the subject of doping in sports. He was on a panel alongside Jim Walden, the attorney for Russian Whistle-blower Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, Yuliya Stepanova, a former Russian track star, and Katie Uhlaender, a four-time member of the U.S. Skeleton team.[15] Tygart submitted eight pages of testimony[16] and told the Commission he would continue attempting to persuade Congress to address international doping.[17]

In other media

References
  1. Macur, Juliet (2014). Cycle of Lies: The Fall of Lance Armstrong. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780062277220.
  2. Gene Frenette (2006-08-08). "Doping's dopes need truth serum". Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  3. Douglas Dibbert (2010-10-05). "Two receive Distinguished Young Alumni Awards". UNC News. News Services, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  4. "Board of Governors". Partnership for Clean Competition. Archived from the original on 2012-08-27. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
  5. "Board of Advisors". taylorhooton.org. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  6. "USADA Leadership Bios" (PDF). usada.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-05-04. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  7. Lance Armstrong (2012-08-23). "Lance Armstrong's Statement of August 23, 2012". Washington Post. Retrieved 2012-08-31.
  8. Darren Rovell (2012-08-24). "Lance Armstrong won't fight charges". espn.com. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  9. "Lance Armstrong: US Anti-Doping Agency charges 'spiteful'". 14 June 2012.
  10. "Armstrong statement regarding USADA Charges". Yahoo. Yahoo.com. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  11. "Armstrong facing loss of 7 Tour de France titles". Associated Press. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  12. LANCE ARMSTRONG v. TRAVIS TYGART in his official capacity as Chief Executive Officer of the United States Anti–Doping Agency and UNITED STATES ANTI–DOPING AGENCY, U.S. A-12-CV-606-SS, 14 (W.D. Tex. 20 August 2012).
  13. Bob Williams (24 September 2012). "Travis Tygart received three death threats during Lance Armstrong investigation". Telegraph UK. Telegraph Media Group Limited 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  14. Shane Stokes (24 August 2012). "Travis Tygart Interview: Armstrong's results from August 1st 1998 will be stripped". VeloNation. VeloNation LLC. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  15. Nuckols, Ben. "Hearing points to Vladimir Putin's role in Russian doping scandal". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
  16. https://www.usada.org/wp-content/uploads/Helsinki-Commission-Written-Testimony-Travis-Tygart.pdf
  17. "Hearing points to Putin's role in Russian doping scandal". 2018-07-25. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
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