Lance must ___________ tonight to earn your respect

No way he comes clean wrote:

Agree with 1 thru 5. Additionally,

6. Of his own volition, pay back all monies received (with interest)... such as SCA, The Times, U.S. Postal, Amaury Sport Organization, etc. etc... everyone he received a dime from he pays back voluntarily to the best of his calculations... even if it means he liquidates all of his real estate, all of his corporate ownership, all of his stocks and bonds, etc. and humbles himself into living in a modest 3 br / 1br 1000 sqft house to make it happen... that would be a significant indication that he's comprehended his wrongdoing

7. Public apology, via televised press conference and follow-on hand written personal letters, to all innocent parties he trampled... Emma O'Reilly, Besty Andreu, Filippo Simeoni, Christophe Bassons, Travis Tygart, etc. etc... the list is so long... I'd want to hear him say very explicitly something along the lines of "Emma, I called you a whore... you're not, you're a strong, courageous, beautiful woman and I am so sorry"; "Betsy, I called you a fat, ugly, bitch... you're not, you're a tenacious, principled human being and I respect you". A serious, personal, heartfelt apology to each and every person he attempted to destroy would be a good start.

Lance Armstrong and the cost-benefit analysis of confession

Don't be fooled: the only thing choking up Lance is the lawsuits he has to settle. But he'll recoup through Oprah's redemption

It is now absolutely clear that Lance Armstrong will make some form of admission in Thursday's interview with Oprah Winfrey to the dope-cheating that the Usada report called "the great heist sport has ever seen". The public relations strategy of drip-by-drip leaking has been expertly executed.

First, there was the New York Times' scoop about Armstrong's contacts with Usada to reduce his lifetime ban (disclosure: my sceptical response has proven 100% wrong). Then, we learned about the Oprah appearance, and it became ever harder to imagine what they would have to talk about for 90 minutes if Armstrong continued his career-long practice of stonewalling doping accusations and destroying those who spoke the truth. On Monday, the day his Oprah show was being recorded, Armstrong met with staff at the cancer charity he founded but recently resigned from, and rendered a tearful, "choked up" apology to his former Livestrong colleagues. And finally, we learn via CBS that Armstrong may even be willing to testify himself against fellow cyclists on doping charges.

In short, this now looks like a carefully choreographed, slow-release PR plan – likely managed by Armstrong's long-time agent Bill Stapleton – to perform a 180-degree turn on all previously held positions: belligerent denial, self-righteous indignation and bullying belittling of accusers. Instead, we have Lance Armstrong the penitent sinner: the weepy, choked-up prodigal son, who is finally coming clean and seeks redemption. As is well-established, an audience with Oprah achieves that almost instantaneously: I can see her right now, reaching out and taking his hand as he shakes with emotion and talks about the pain of living the false life we all made him lead.

And from redemption to rehabilitation. Armstrong will leverage his confession to the maximum to get his lifetime ban reduced, to four years, perhaps less. He'll be back before we know it: a slightly grizzled and more wrinkled version of himself, glad-handing and fist-bumping on the triathlon circuit, getting back to fundraising for the Livestrong Foundation, making faux-humble speeches for fat fees on the after-dinner circuit, mopping up some handy corporate sponsorships, reconnecting with his Washington power-broker contacts, and – older and wiser – maybe even running for office himself, as was once mooted.

But this only stacks up because, for the second half of his life, Armstrong needs not to be permanently exiled from American public life: to be a viable celebrity brand is all his future. The costs are significant: he will almost certainly have to settle with SCA Promotions, but they will probably take a lot less than the $11m that headlines their suit. The Sunday Times wants to recover $500,000 in damages, plus another $1m in costs; but they'll take less.

But here's the thing: Armstrong's net worth is estimated to exceed $100m. These sums sting, but they don't really hurt him. And next to his post-rehabilitation earnings potential, they're chump change.