With Lance Armstrong revealing more and more information regarding his years of doping while competing as a professional cyclist, his former team’s staff members have now been dealt their consequences for working with him as accomplices. Former Team Director Johan Bruyneel has been banned from the sport for 10 years while the team’s doctor, Pedro Celaya, as well as trainer Jose “Pepe” Marti, were suspended for eight years each, according to a statement from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

The decision was made by a three-person, independent panel from the American Arbitration Association North American Court of Arbitration for Sport and all were said to have contributed to a “conspiracy to commit widespread doping” over the course of many years in situations that involved a number of riders.

“From the beginning, our investigation has focused on ridding cycling of those entrusted to care for the well-being of athletes who abuse their position of trust and influence to assist or encourage the use of performance-enhancing drugs to defraud sport and clean athletes,” said USADA Chief Executive Travis T. Tygart. “There is no excuse for any team director, doctor or other athlete support person who corrupts the very sport and the athletes they are supposed to protect.”

In addition to the three new suspensions, Dr. Michele Ferrari and Dr. Luis Garcia del Moral previously received lifetime suspensions. All five of those suspended for anti-doping violations were part of the USPS Pro Cycling Team.

“Mr. Bruyneel was at the apex of a conspiracy to commit widespread doping on the USPS and Discovery Channel teams spanning many years and many riders. Similarly, Dr. Celaya and Mr. Martí were part of, or at least allowed themselves to be used as instruments of, that conspiracy,” the statement continued.

After he came clean, Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles as well as an Olympic medal. It has been rumored that if Armstrong cooperates by sharing the details of his doping, his lifetime cycling ban may be reduced.

Bruyneel responded to the bans he and other team staff members received through a post on his website’s blog:

“I do not dispute that there are certain elements of my career that I wish had been different. Nor do I dispute that doping was a fact of life in the peloton for a considerable period of time,” he wrote. “However, a very small minority of us has been used as scapegoats for an entire generation. There is clearly something wrong with a system that allows only six individuals to be punished as retribution for the sins of an era.”

Image from Paul Coster on Wikimedia Commons