Cyclist receives 8-year ban for 2nd doping offense

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (AP) ? Cyclist Joseph Papp has accepted an eight-year ban for his second doping offense, a reduced penalty for assisting the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

The 36-year-old American was a USADA witness in the 2007 arbitration case that eventually stripped Floyd Landis of his Tour de France title.

Landis later admitted that he doped and has accused Lance Armstrong and others of cheating, as well. The Landis allegations helped set in motion a federal investigation into cycling, with Armstrong and his teams at the center of the probe.

Papp was one of the key figures in a case stemming from an investigation into EPO and human-growth hormone trafficking from China, involving nearly 200 athletes in 2006 and 2007.

Papp last year pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to sell performance-enhancing drugs over the Internet.

He also tested positive for a banned substance in May 2006.

Papp won't be allowed to compete until Aug. 31, 2015.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-10-21-Doping-Papp/id-3f1d0b4feb754be3b6390869f3958b51

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