Santuccione claims innocence

Doctor Carlo Santuccione has responded to the request of a life-time ban by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) anti-doping prosecutor Ettore Torri. Santuccione, who had been previously suspended from 1995 to 2000, stated his innocence in light of the Oil for Drugs investigation stemming from 2004.

"When I started to follow the professionals, I brought on jealousy from some because my cyclists, like [Andreas] Collinelli, had started to win important races," said Santuccione of Cepagatti, Italy, to Il Centro. "The mischievous ones thought that I doped the cyclists... Today, I feel deserted."