Floyd Landis:Tattle-Tale

The way I see it...athletes don't really need to take everyone else down with them when they fall from grace. Cyclist Floyd Landis is, of course, the latest professional athlete to "come clean" about using steroids, long after the investigation in which he swore his innocence is over. But he's also one in a long list of athletes who, while they're coming clean, feel the need to dirty the name of their teammates or competition - in Landis' case, Lance Armstrong.

Now, I'm not a big fan of Armstrong, and in all honesty, I wouldn't be that surprised if evidence emerged that he did, in fact, use performance enhancers. But I don't understand why Landis just had to throw Armstrong under the bus. For the sake of argument, let's say Armstrong did use performance enhancers - is it Landis' responsibility to tattle? It almost sounds like the "but, Mom - he did it first!" excuse. Which really has no relevance at all to the fact that you used steroids, Landis. (Nor you, Jose Conseco.)

Perhaps this brings up a bigger issue than just sports, though. When does it become an individual's responsibility to report wrong-doing? I think we would universally agree that if we knew a murder had been committed, we would have a moral obligation to turn in the offender. Or, back to the sports level, if we knew a game or series was being thrown, one would probably argue the need to report it, rather than just turn a blind eye. But, when it's on an individual level like this - whose responsibility is it to be the whistle blower? Is it anyone's? Everyone's? Does the motives of the snitch affect your answer - for example, I would venture to guess that Landis was not just reporting Lance out of his concern for the integrity of cycling.

I don't necessarily have an answer here, but the situation reminds me a little of the McCarthy Communist trials in the 1950's. Just label everyone that you don't like a Commie/steroid-user. And the way I see it, that's just not right. How do you see it?