AUSTIN, TEXAS - Minneapolis attorney Clark Griffith finds his name in the news again because of charges filed. These are not against him, however, but against Lance Armstrong.
A comment by Griffith, a member of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's review board, prompted the USADA to confirm the board's unanimous recommendation to file formal doping charges against the Tour de France champion.
Griffith on Friday told the Associated Press he "can't wait" to see what an arbitration panel thinks of the evidence. Filing the charges will move the case to arbitration if Armstrong chooses to challenge, as he has indicated he would. USADA says it has evidence he was taking performance-enhancing drugs while winning the Tour from 1999 to 2005. Armstrong says he is innocent.
Earlier in the day, Armstrong had gone on the attack against Griffith, using his Twitter account to note that the attorney earlier this year had been charged in a misdemeanor case of indecent exposure.
"Wow. @usantidoping can pick em. Here's ... 1 of 3 Review Board members studying my case," Armstrong tweeted, linking to a story about Griffith.
Griffith entered an Alford plea June 13, under which he did not admit doing anything wrong but acknowledged prosecutors have enough evidence for a jury to convict him. A 24-year-old student reported Griffith unzipped his pants in front of her on a St. Paul street.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 26. Griffith told the Associated Press he is innocent and entered the plea to avoid a trial that would embarrass his family.
Griffith said Armstrong's tweet was "an effort to get away from the issues that will be dealt with by an arbitration panel. OK? By smearing me, that does nothing. I'm innocent of that."
