Lance Armstrong to apear on Oprah in 'no-holds-barred interview'

Lance Armstrong will sit down for a "no-holds-barred interview" with Oprah, set to air on Thursday, Jan. 19. The 90-minute special episode of Oprah's Next Chapter will air at 9 p.m. ET on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, and will belive-streamed on Oprah.c

om. The interview will be Armstrong's first since he was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life from competing in Olympic events. The news of Oprah's exclusive comes just days after the New York Times reported that Lance is "considering publicly admitting that he used banned performance-enhancing drugs and blood transfusions during his cycling career."

Armstrong will address the alleged doping scandal, years of accusations of cheating, and charges of lying about the use of performance-enhancing drugs throughout his storied cycling career.

The Times indicated Lance was mulling the doping admission to "clear his conscience and save [Livestrong] from further damage." Additionally, a confession -- and a favorable appeal to WADA -- could remove his lifetime competition ban.

Of course, a confession would bring with it even more complications, most of them stemming from Armstrong's legal battles against those who had previously accused him of doping:

A confession from Armstrong would be a delicate and complicated move: he is currently facing lawsuits from SCA Promotions, which is looking to recoup money it was forced to pay him in bonuses for his Tour de France victories, money it refused to pay after the David Walsh and Pierre Ballester book LA Confidentiel was released alleging that Armstrong doped.

He is also being sued by the Sunday Times, which settled a libel suit over LA Confidentiel's doping allegations with Armstrong. In addition, Armstrong could be the subject of a US federal whistleblower lawsuit - a suit which citizens can take up over those who defraud the government - reportedly started by Floyd Landis on the basis that the US Postal Service's sponsorship money was being used for illegal performance enhancement by the team.

Another topic that Armstrong could respond to while chatting with Oprah -- "60 Minutes Sports" will air an interview Wednesday night on Showtime in which U.S. Anti Doping Agency Travis Tygart alleges Armstrong threatened him and tried to make a donation of $250,000 in 2004.

"I was stunned," Tygart says in the piece, according to a Showtime news release distributed to reporters, including one for The Times, on Tuesday. "It was a clear conflict of interest for USADA. We had no hesitation in rejecting that offer."