Brennan: Lance needs to fade away

• How can we believe anything Lance Armstrong has to say?
• We hold Armstrong to a higher standard than any other athlete
• Armstrong needs to shut down his public persona

It's not enough that Lance Armstrong resigned Wednesday morning as chairman of his Livestrong Foundation. Nor is it enough that Nike, which dumps almost no one, no matter how egregious the misbehavior, finally dropped him. Nor is it enough that one of the world's most famous cultural icons is banned, disgraced and stripped of his titles.

Lance Armstrong needs to go away.

He must sever all ties to his famous — now infamous — charity by not only leaving as chairman but also resigning from the foundation's 15-member board. How can a man who now appears to be one of the most elaborate liars and cheaters of our time (and perhaps any other time as well) ever be associated again with a cause so noble as that of helping cancer survivors and victims and their families?

Armstrong needs to shut down his public persona. He has said he wants to spend time with his family. He finally should be true to his word, at least on this one subject, and disappear with them. He should shut down his belligerent and bombastic Twitter account today; no one needs to hear another word from a man who has deceived and disappointed millions. He should make no more public appearances and stand in front of no more microphones.

How can we believe anything he has to say? Those 1,000 pages of allegations from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency are doing all of Armstrong's talking these days, and it's a terrible but enlightening tale they are telling. It's an important one, too. It was way past time to find out the truth about Armstrong. He has been such a force in our culture and, frankly, in the world that we must know how badly he cheated and deceived us all. Although the news is devastating to those who held him in high esteem, even he said nearly two years ago on Twitter that he welcomed USADA's investigation, predicting his own vindication. It was hardly that, but the investigation was warranted and necessary. Armstrong said so himself.

What's more, he's no typical athlete. Armstrong long ago transcended sports and became a symbol, a touchstone and a cause. He knew it. He worked it. He relished it. And he made a lot of money off it — a lot of your money.

It's for that exact reason that we hold Armstrong to a higher standard than any other athlete and are even more saddened by the depth of his devious actions. He doesn't just have fans; he has donors. And they have every right to know how badly he was cheating. This charade had lasted long enough. The cancer community deserves much better.

If and when Armstrong is ready to finally tell the truth, to finally stand before the people that so trusted him, he should be ready to answer every question for as long as it takes, working his way through the years and the lies. He owes it to every sponsor, to everyone who has ever worn a yellow bracelet, to every child and adult who once looked up to him.

Until he is ready to do this, he should disappear. Sadly, that likely won't happen. Armstrong's overinflated ego probably will not allow him to ever feel the guilt and remorse we would hope he would feel. In fact, he's expected at a Friday gala to celebrate the 15th anniversary of his foundation. Talk about bad timing. You couldn't pick a worse week out of those 15 years to celebrate Lance and Livestrong.

Those who are expected to attend the festivities include Maria Shriver, Ben Stiller, Sean Penn, Robin Penn and Norah Jones. Let's hope at least a couple of them have the decency to refuse to stand on the same stage with Armstrong.

Support the cause? Absolutely. But the man? He shouldn't be anywhere near the event. He's toxic.

But he won't go away. And he's still speaking, only in prepared statements this time.

"This organization, its mission and its supporters are incredibly dear to my heart," Armstrong's statement read Wednesday. "Today therefore, to spare the foundation any negative effects as a result of the controversy surrounding my cycling career, I will conclude my chairmanship."

It was typical Armstrong. Of course he blamed the controversy. No way he would ever blame himself.