Re: Italy collects Basso-related blood bags

[Curtis L. Russell]

On 24 Apr 2007 06:12:27 -0700, "[email protected]"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>This does not look good for Basso or Discovery. Basso needs to act
>fast and submit a DNA test if he feels he is innocent. I don't
>understand why Discovery did not demand a DNA test before they signed
>Basso.
>
>Discovery needs to clear up this matter quickly if hope to have any
>chances of finding a new sponsor.
>(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/apr07/apr24news2 )

One side of the story with circumstantial but unsubstantiated
allegations - why does this look any different than it did yesterday?

I know you bring much more legal expertise to focus on this than the
Discovery Channel folks (or, for that matter, as best I know the real
team owners, Tailwind Sports Corp and Capital Sports & Entertainment -
Disco Channel really doesn't care who the next sponsor is), but I
would guess that there was some vetting done before the contract was
signed and no one who signed was a virgin. If someone gets screwed,
they knew the chances up front and probably had a good idea what it
feels like.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

 

[trg]

"Curtis L. Russell" <[email protected]> a écrit dans le message de
news: [email protected]...
> On 24 Apr 2007 06:12:27 -0700, "[email protected]"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>This does not look good for Basso or Discovery. Basso needs to act
>>fast and submit a DNA test if he feels he is innocent. I don't
>>understand why Discovery did not demand a DNA test before they signed
>>Basso.
>>
>>Discovery needs to clear up this matter quickly if hope to have any
>>chances of finding a new sponsor.
>>(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/apr07/apr24news2 )
>
> One side of the story with circumstantial but unsubstantiated
> allegations - why does this look any different than it did yesterday?
>
> I know you bring much more legal expertise to focus on this than the
> Discovery Channel folks (or, for that matter, as best I know the real
> team owners, Tailwind Sports Corp and Capital Sports & Entertainment -
> Disco Channel really doesn't care who the next sponsor is), but I
> would guess that there was some vetting done before the contract was
> signed and no one who signed was a virgin. If someone gets screwed,
> they knew the chances up front and probably had a good idea what it
> feels like.
>
> Curtis L. Russell
> Odenton, MD (USA)
> Just someone on two wheels...

When Basso was signed, it looked like Puerto would go away, since doping was
not at the time illegal in Spain, hence his statement about giving DNA only
for "ongoing" investigations. Coni had declared the case closed. Discovery
might have made the bet that whether he was guilty or innocent, he wouldn't
be further harassed. If that's the case, then they might have made a
misjudgement.

Of course we don't know the terms of Basso's contract. It may be that he
agreed to go unpaid/give back his salary if he got caught, so he assumed the
risk rather than Disco. As it is, I remember reading that he is not the
highest paid rider in the peloton, (1.5 million), which under normal
circumstances you might expect him to be.

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Curtis L. Russell
('[email protected]') wrote:

> On 24 Apr 2007 06:12:27 -0700, "[email protected]"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>This does not look good for Basso or Discovery. Basso needs to act
>>fast and submit a DNA test if he feels he is innocent. I don't
>>understand why Discovery did not demand a DNA test before they signed
>>Basso.
>>
>>Discovery needs to clear up this matter quickly if hope to have any
>>chances of finding a new sponsor.
>>(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/apr07/apr24news2 )
>
> One side of the story with circumstantial but unsubstantiated
> allegations - why does this look any different than it did yesterday?

I understood that Basso had given Discovery a DNA sample when he signed?

Certainly this doesn't change my skepticism about his guilt. It will be a
real shame if he is kept out of this year's Giro and Tour, and is later
found not to have been guilty - so the sooner the DNA comparison is made,
the better for everyone.

Oh - and I'm still a Basso fan.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; It's dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
;; Voltaire RIP Dr David Kelly 1945-2004

 

[William Asher]

Curtis L. Russell wrote:

> And if they wanted his DNA and he trained in the U.S.A., it would take
> a personal attendant employed by Basso to keep Disco from getting
> legal samples of his DNA. If he had Sheryl as an advisor it would
> take, oh, an hour and a half.

Based on the information I've read in the other Sheryl Crow threads
thoughtfully cross-posted here, how would you separate Basso's dna from the
countless other dna samples undoubtedly collected by Sheryl that same day?

Which brings to mind the difference between a ***** and a ****.

--
Bill Asher

 

[Curtis L. Russell]

On Tue, 24 Apr 2007 18:18:35 +0100, Simon Brooke
<[email protected]> wrote:

>> One side of the story with circumstantial but unsubstantiated
>> allegations - why does this look any different than it did yesterday?
>
>I understood that Basso had given Discovery a DNA sample when he signed?

And that doesn't change the storyline any, as there would no
particular avenue in for Disco to sue for permission to match the DNA
with Puerto. And until Disco perceives its interests as different than
that of Basso, then them having Basso's DNA and Basso having Basso's
DNA would pretty much be one and the same - no rush to match until it
needs to be done.

Or my short answer is, until there is a basis for Disco to match any
DNA they may have with the suspect DNA, it is irrelevant. Not even
legal. You need legal access to both samples.

And if they wanted his DNA and he trained in the U.S.A., it would take
a personal attendant employed by Basso to keep Disco from getting
legal samples of his DNA. If he had Sheryl as an advisor it would
take, oh, an hour and a half.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

 

[Tom Grosman]

"Donald Munro" <[email protected]> a écrit dans le message de news:
[email protected]...
| trg wrote:
| > When Basso was signed, it looked like Puerto would go away, since doping
was
| > not at the time illegal in Spain, hence his statement about giving DNA
only
| > for "ongoing" investigations.
|
| I'd have thought the new laws could not be applied to 'crimes' committed
| before the law was enacted.

Exactly, which was why Basso was in the clear as far as any investigation in
Spain was concerned. However, that doesn't stop investigations in countries
where sporting fraud is a crime (like Floyd will likely face in France).

Also, ASO can exclude indivudual riders from their events, so even if there
were no convictions against Basso, it doesn't mean he would necessarily get
to participate in the Tour (or any other race for that matter).

 

[Donald Munro]

William Asher wrote:
> Based on the information I've read in the other Sheryl Crow threads
> thoughtfully cross-posted here, how would you separate Basso's dna from the
> countless other dna samples undoubtedly collected by Sheryl that same day?

So she uses a mouth swab to save the trees ? More useless information I
would rather not have known.

 

[Donald Munro]

trg wrote:
> When Basso was signed, it looked like Puerto would go away, since doping was
> not at the time illegal in Spain, hence his statement about giving DNA only
> for "ongoing" investigations.

I'd have thought the new laws could not be applied to 'crimes' committed
before the law was enacted.

> Of course we don't know the terms of Basso's contract. It may be that he
> agreed to go unpaid/give back his salary if he got caught, so he assumed the
> risk rather than Disco. As it is, I remember reading that he is not the
> highest paid rider in the peloton, (1.5 million), which under normal
> circumstances you might expect him to be.

Discovery got (or thought they got) a bargain since the other pro-tour
teams didn't want him so they didn 't have to have a bidding war. Perhaps
they decided it was a worthwhile risk at the time.