CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta sits on the board of directors of Livestrong, the non-profit founded by disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong. He is also a close friend of Armstrong’s, having appeared along the cyclist at a slew of events, and having him write blurbs for some of his books.
Gupta has remained quiet since Armstrong’s doping revelations have become public, but he finally spoke out on the matter to “Access Hollywood”‘s Billy Bush.
Gupta reveals that the Livestrong board met after the US Anti-Doping Agency presented its findings, but that he has since taken a leave of absence “because of the conflict of interest with CNN and other the news organizations investigating.”
“I was part of the same group that thought the organization was different than Lance, it was always supposed to be, you know. I hope any organization lives and perseveres longer than the man. But I think this organization does incredible good. You know, I just — I joined because my mom had cancer. I’m the son of a cancer survivor. I saw what worked and what didn’t in our society. I thought Livestrong could fill the gaps, I think everyone agreed and Lance himself agreed that it just wasn’t the right place for him to be anymore.”
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