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I don't know Joe Papp. I've never spoken to Joe Papp. On a day to day basis, I don't pay attention to Joe Papp. I have no personal investment in what I'm writing, here.
Yesterday (08 Nov 11) I read an article / interview on Cycling News, by Daniel Benson about Papp's time as a dealer of EPO to professional athletes, including cyclists, and about his conversion to anti-doping warrior based upon his co-operation with the feds in many doping prosecutions, due purely to his desire to stay out of prison.
Joe has received positive and negative feedback on all of this.
Regardless of how noble or ignoble his reasons for his transformation from Sith to Jedi, I don't doubt his commitment to the cause.
In addition to keeping his ass out of jail, this journey into the light is also Joe's claim to fame and his means to remain relevant, at least within cycling.
He has no lack of motivation to continue using the Force for good.
But, none of that is related to the point I wanted to make.
I have to believe that Papp is in a far better position to damage the culture of doping in professional cycling than many other people who hope to make a difference in cycling's doping culture, because he's coming from so deep inside that culture. He's a man In-the-Know. He knows names, dates, times, places. He can't be fooled with the "there is no systemic, systematic or organized doping within professional cycling" bullshiite.
There are many people, people with titles like president, owner, manager, director, coach and rider, who could swing a lightsaber at Papp's side, not because they're under any legal duress, but because it's the right, just, ethical, moral and honorable thing to do. You know, like a real Jedi.
However, it's painfully clear that without inserting their asses into slings that this is never going to happen. There just isn't anyone in professional cycling with that kind of integrity.
I'll leave you with something Jonathan Vaughters sent me a while back, which speaks directly to Papp's value in the fight against doping. And I'll hope that in the not-too-distant future other Jedis will be found:
JV:
"Piracy was never solved by the Royal Navy. Corruption prevented solution. Henry Morgan, a pirate, or former pirate, was the single (person) most responsible for the end of piracy in the Caribbean, after he was hired by the Royal Navy."
Joe Papp knows no more than your average cyclingnews reader about doping at the highest levels of the sport. He was a third-rate bike racer who doped for years just to compete against amateurs in office park crits and gran fondos. Then when he got busted he turned around and started selling EPO to cat 3s and masters track riders. The idea that this lowlife is going to help reform cycling is a bad joke.
ReplyDeleteLandis and Hamilton, they know the culture. Papp was about as close to the ProTour as the guys shooting hoops on the corner are to the NBA.
Supplying a french national and world champion constitutes "highest levels of sport" IMHO. Seems he also knows what gear a lot of american racers are on - useful research for USADA even if they cant bust em.
ReplyDeleteI love it (not really) how it's always the anonymous super-haters who try to delegitimize what it is I know or what my value is to anti-doping, sport or the planet in general. Ultimately, in most cases I think it comes from a misplaced sense of jealousy or envy. But trust me, friend - the attention isn't worth it! I'll gladly trade you my unique role as one of the most knowledgeable, effective and topical subject matter experts on doping in cycling and PED-trafficking, for your normal, boring life with a safe job, undramatic weeknights and weekends, maybe a standard family or at least a girlfriend not scarred by watching you be torn down by the weight of both being prosecuted and cooperating across multiple jurisdictions for a number of years...etc.
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