Lance Armstrong defends his son, who is facing sexual harassment charges.
Lance Armstrong has defended his son, who is accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl on the disgraced cyclist’s couch three years ago.
Armstrong captioned a picture of himself with his son, Luke Armstrong, now 21, “Head [up] [heart] full.” Luke, you are my NORTH. I love you,” he wrote Friday night on Instagram.
Luke was arrested and charged with sexual assault of a minor in Texas last week.
Luke reportedly took the inebriated 16-year-old to Lance’s Austin home in 2018 — when he was 18 — and sexually assaulted her.
The accuser confirmed the incident last fall, claiming that the cyclist’s son picked her up from a party where she was intoxicated. She said she had no recollection of riding in his truck and awoke to the sensation of being attacked on a sofa.
Armstrong’s counsel dismissed the claims, claiming the two had been in a consensual relationship for months.
“What happened in high school three years ago was not a crime or a sexual assault. It was a romantic relationship at the time and proceeded consensually between two young adults, who eventually parted ways,” attorney Randy Leavitt explained.
Luke is currently free on bail pending the outcome of the case.
The Rice University walk-on football player has not always defended his scandal-scarred father.
He previously stated to ESPN that he would not use doping to gain an advantage on the football field.
“I’ve always thought that grinding for something and dedicating myself to a particular target is much more worthwhile than taking the easy way,” Armstrong said.
“I also believe that if I ever did that and was apprehended, random people would say, ‘He’s just like his father.'”
