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Oprah Winfrey speaks with Lance Armstrong during an interview regarding the controversy surrounding his cycling career January 14, 2013 in Austin, Texas.
"I think he'll be lucky if he only loses 50-percent (of his wealth)," said sports economist Patrick Rishe. "Worst-case scenario, especially with the whistleblower lawsuit, it could approach his entire worth."
The whistleblower lawsuit involves possible fraud charges stemming from his sponsorship by the U.S. Postal Service. If triple damages were awarded, that could mean approximately $90 million.
Of course, there are a host of other financial issues he might face — from sponsors wanting bonus money back to possible lawsuits from people he slandered during his nearly two-decades long denial of performance enhancing drug use.
Ultimately, beyond the marketing angle, most people watched the interview and asked themselves the seemingly simple questions: Was Armstrong credible? Was he believable? Was he honest? (Read More:
Lance Armstrong's Livestrong in Jeopardy?
)
When it comes to that, there is a little more of a debate.
"He's always been someone who tried every angle to win, and I think he woke up and realized that everything that was important to him — his tour titles, his leadership and his foundation, his commercial sponsorships … [realized] that everything was gone," said Peter Flax, Editor in Chief of Bicycling Magazine. "This was the only and best choice for him."
"And even though I think it's calculating, I think in his heart he knew this was the right thing to do," added Flax.
Others weren't so magnanimous.
"Who could ever trust this guy again?" asked Evan Weinstein.