Simplify the following text for a Grade 10 native English-speaking person.
Original: In the 1990s , he became a friend of Lance Armstrong and supported him when he was accused of drug use , stating he rather `` believed what Lance told him than what appeared in newspapers '' .
Simplified: In the 1990s , he became a friend of Lance Armstrong and supported him when he was accused of drug use , stating he `` believed what Lance told him than what appeared in newspapers '' .