Lance Armstrong claims former International Cycling Union president Hein Verbruggen instigated a coverup of his doping at the 1999 Tour de France. Derek Anderson Jersey . Armstrong told Britains Daily Mail newspaper in an interview published Monday that Verbruggen insisted "weve got to come up with something" to explain his positive tests for a banned corticosteroid. Cyclings governing body, the UCI, appeared to ignore its own anti-doping rules when it accepted Armstrongs backdated prescription for a cream to treat saddle sores. That allowed Armstrong to continue in the race and he went on to win the first of his seven Tours, helping revive the sport after doping scandals wrecked the 1998 Tour. "The real problem was, the sport was on life support," Armstrong was quoted telling the newspaper. "And Hein just said, This is a real problem for me, this is the knockout punch for our sport ... so weve got to come up with something. So we backdated the prescription." Though Armstrong has acknowledged the prescription excuse in a television interview with Oprah Winfrey, he had not previously linked Verbruggen or other UCI officials with a coverup. Verbruggen, who served as UCI president until 2005, did not respond to phone messages on Monday. The Dutch official, who is still listed by the UCI as its honorary president, has long denied any collusion with Armstrong despite widespread claims the American rider was protected. Verbruggen was granted honorary membership by the IOC in 2008 after 12 years service, and will complete his duties as chairman of the Olympic Broadcasting Service after the Sochi Winter Games in February. The IOC responded cautiously to Armstrongs allegations. "It is hard to give any credibility to the claims of a cyclist who appears to have misled the world for decades," the Olympic body said in a statement Monday. "That said, the UCI is currently working on plans to investigate the matter more thoroughly and we await proper considered outcomes from this investigation rather than on rumour and accusation." Armstrong spoke out while the UCI is in the process of creating an independent commission that will examine alleged official collusion, and he is expected to be the star witness. Armstrong, who is seeking a reduction in his lifetime ban, told the Daily Mail that he would reveal details of how the UCI operated. "I have no loyalty toward them," he said. "In the proper forum Ill tell everyone what they want to know. Im not going to lie to protect these guys. I hate them. They threw me under the bus." In October 2012, the UCI decided not to challenge a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency verdict to strip Armstrong of his Tour titles and ban him for life. Verbruggens successor, Pat McQuaid, said the disgraced rider deserved to be forgotten by the sport. The UCI has been led since September by British official Brian Cookson, who defeated McQuaid in a presidential election where the Armstrong case and cyclings doping past were central issues. In a statement Monday, the UCI said its commission would "invite individuals to provide evidence." "We would urge all those involved to come forward and help the Commission in its work in the best interests of the sport of cycling," the governing body said. "This investigation is essential to the well-being of cycling in fully understanding the doping culture of the past, the role of the UCI at that time and helping us all to move forward to a clean and healthy future." Antoine Cason Jersey . The Maple Leafs are three points behind Columbus for the last playoff spot in the East with only three games left on their schedule. You can listen to the game live on TSN 1050 starting at 7:30pm et/4:30 pm pt. Cam Newton Elite Jersey . Brooks and Harrison, along with tackle Walter Jones and coach Tony Dungy, were the first-year eligible candidates to make the cut from 126 to 25. Brooks won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay, while Harrison and Dungy were champions with Indianapolis. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- No. 3 Ohio State relied on a rare commodity to derail Purdues young shooters Tuesday. Experience. LaQuinton Ross finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds, both career-highs, and Shannon Scott added a career-best 18 points to help the Buckeyes pull away for a 78-69 win at Purdue -- a victory that kept Ohio State among the shrinking group of teams that will take a perfect record into 2014. "I thought down the stretch our veterans were as good as they could be," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. Its an unusual luxury for Ohio State, which has seen a regular parade of underclassmen leave early for the NBA draft. The list includes Greg Oden and Mike Conley to Jared Sullinger and Deshaun Thomas. Things are different this season. The Buckeyes have started the same two seniors and the same three juniors in all 14 games, so when things got tough in Tuesdays Big Ten opener, the older Buckeyes buckled down and came up big every time Ohio State needed a play. Ross and Scott, both juniors, combined for all of the points in a decisive 10-2 second-half run that finally gave Ohio State some breathing room. And, of course, the wily Aaron Craft continually turned Purdue miscues into game-changing moments. Craft finished with seven points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and four steals against a team came into the game with four of the Big Tens top 10 freshman scorers, two of the leagues most dangerous sophomores and a perfect 8-0 record on their home court. "Ten assists and zero turnovers speaks for itself," Purdue coach Matt Painter said after losing to the Buckeyes for the fourth straight time. "He gets eight defensive rebounds, and hes able to affect the game without scoring. There are not a lot of guys who can do that today, especially when theyre 6-foot-2." The combination has the Buckeyes (14-0, 1-0) rolling. Ohio State started the day as one of the nations eight remaining unbeaten teams. It left Mackey Arena with the fifth-longest winning streak in one season in school history and the schools best start since going 24-0 in 2010-11, and the Buckeyes did that on a day they shot 44.6 per cent from the field, went 4 of 22 on 3-pointerrs and were outrebounded 46-37. Dwan Edwards Black Jersey. Instead, the Buckeyes dug down defensively. Yes, Purdue sophomore A.J. Hammons produced one of the most complete games of his career. He finished with a season-best 18 points, 16 rebounds and four assists, both career highs, and five blocks. Another sophomore, Ronnie Johnson, had 16 points and Johnsons older brother, Terone, finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists. But the Buckeyes suddenly staunch defence still made it tough. Hammons was just 6 of 16 from the field and accounted for four of Purdues 12 turnovers. The Boilermakers shot just 41.8 per cent from the field, were 3 of 14 on 3-pointers and lost for only the second time in seven games -- a telltale sign of how the Buckeyes unflappable veterans will respond to challenges. "Thats something (experience) that we havent had the luxury of having very much at Ohio State," Matta said. "I talk about it with our guys all the time, Youve been through this before. You know we never panicked and theres no drill that you can do in practice to give them experience." Ohio State still showed how much it has learned over the years. After a topsy-turvy first half, in which neither team led by more than four points, and with the Buckeyes top two centres getting into foul trouble defending Hammons, Ohio State managed to find a way out. It made a concerted effort early in the second half to push the ball inside, extending a 34-33 halftime to 44-39. Forty-five seconds later, Terone Johnson tied the score with a 3. Hammons tied it again at 46 on a tip-in with 13:57 left. Then the Buckeyes veterans took over. After using a 6-0 run to finally take a 52-46 lead with 10:35 to go, Scott and Ross went on a personal scoring spree. Each of the juniors scored five points in the decisive 10-2 spurt that pushed the lead to 65-53 with 6:17 remaining -- and this time, it was too much for Purdue to overcome. The Boilermakers couldnt get closer than five the rest of the way. "That might be one of his best games," Matta said when asked about Crafts performance. "I mean, what do you say? His poise, he had great reads on penetration." cheap jerseys ' ' '
