How Much Did Sheryl Crow Know About Lance Armstrong's Doping Cover-Up?
Sheryl Crow and Lance Armstrong
Throughout Lance Armstrong's two-part confession to Oprah Winfrey, the cyclist revealed many details about his use of performance-enhancing drugs during his career. But one thing never mentioned throughout the televised interview: Sheryl Crow, Armstrong's former fiancée who was with him during two of his seven Tour de France victories of which he has since been stripped.
So how much did Crow know about Armstrong's use of banned substances and subsequent cover-ups? According to Celebuzz, a whole lot.
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Crow was named twice in affidavits submitted to the United States Anti-Doping Association, which uncovered Armstrong's exhaustive history with banned substances and, per the affidavits, she was in the hospital room during an incident where Armstrong pressured a teammate to lie for him, Celebuzz reports.
According to Armstrong's former U.S. Postal Service teammate Frankie Andreu, around 2004, Armstrong invited Andreu to his hotel room to try and persuade him to make his wife, Betsy, sign a statement retracting her assertion that Armstrong had told the doctors treating his cancer that he'd taken steroids, human growth hormone, cortisone and EPO.
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The incident was later reported in 2004 in L.A. Confidentiel, a French book co-written by Irish journalist David Walsh. Around the time the book was released, Walsh gave a radio interview in which he claimed Andreu's wife was willing to testify regarding Armstrong's hospital admission.
"After that, Lance called me to his room to discuss the situation," Andreu said in a signed affidavit submitted to investigators. "He told me that Bill Stapleton [Armstrong's agent] wanted to talk to me about the hospital room and have my wife sign a statement of support for Lance saying the hospital incident did not happen.
"His girlfriend at the time, Sheryl Crow, was in the room and I felt uncomfortable talking about this in front of her so I did not say much," he said.
Crow and Armstrong began dating in 2003. They became engaged in 2005, but split the next year. Crow has never discussed the doping allegations against Armstrong, but during a recent segment on Entertainment Tonight, she did share her reaction to Armstrong's public confession.
"I think that honesty is always the best bet, and that the truth will set you free," Crow said.
Watch the full clip below.