Sports Scandals

by Laura Finley; Jeffrey J. Fountain Peter Finley

  In 2007, however, Simpson's charmed life appeared to fall apart once more. He was accused of having directed several men in the armed robbery of sports memorabilia from a Las Vegas hotel room. Most of the memorabilia was related to Simpson's athletic career. Simpson allegedly orchestrated the breakin to get what he claimed was ''his stuff.'' He was freed in September 2007 on $125,000 bail pending trial, but he was returned to jail in January 2008 on allegations that he violated the conditions of his bond.

  As noted, many have proclaimed the O.J. Simpson trial the Trial of the Century. Not only was Simpson accused of a brutal double murder, but the case had all kinds of other drama. It brought to the public, who viewed the trial in record numbers, more juicy and lurid details than a fiction novel, including a beloved celebrity, live chase, an abusive relationship, racism, and police corruption.

  MIKE TYSON BITES EVANDER HOLYFIELD

  Voted the number one sports story of 1997 by the Associated Press, heavyweight champion Mike Tyson lost his boxing license in Nevada when he bit off a portion of Evander Holyfield's right ear during the third round of their World Boxing Association Heavyweight Championship rematch on June 28 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Tyson was disqualifled from the bout, slapped with a $5.24 million fine, and had the $30-million purse for the fight withheld. Tyson claimed he bit his opponent in response to Holyfield's repeated head butts. When the referee, Mills Lane, and the ring doctor did not immediately stop the fight after a first bite of Holyfield's ear, Tyson bit Holyfield a second time. The second, and more vicious bite, removed a piece of the top of the ear.

  Mitch Libonati, who worked for the MGM Grand as an official boxing-glove cutter, was supposed to cut the gloves off Holyfield at the conclusion of the fight. Instead, Libonati had the unfortunate experience of recovering Holyfield's missing flesh. He explained, ''It looked like a piece of sausage, cut off at the edge. It was about half the size of my pinky finger.''8 The ring doctor determined that Holyfield could continue to fight, but Lane signaled the fight was over. Of the post-fight activity in the ring, columnist Stephen Brunt wrote, ''Like a little dog confronted by a big dog, only finding courage being held in its master's arms, Tyson was full of moxie once the ring filled with a cast of thousands.

  He made a show of trying to get at Holyfield.''9 Tyson allegedly took a swing at an officer during the post-fight melee, although Tyson denied this occurred.

  Not only did the incident prompt national outrage, but it was also fuel for a competition amongst journalists, who sought to creatively describe what happened. Across the globe, journalists came up with the most amusing ways to describe Tyson's latest blunder. Duncan Johnstone of the Wellington, New Zealand, Sunday Star Times, commented, ''It doesn't get much worse than biting off pieces of your opponent's ear. Mike Tyson reached a new low with his Hannibal Lecter impersonation on the ear of Evander Holyfield in their heavyweight boxing clash.''10 A headline in the Austin American Statesman read,''Views on a champ, a chomp, a chump.''11 The columnist wrote, ''Most of us have never bitten anybody, at least not since we learned to walk. The great heavyweights Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Jack Johnson never bit like this. Of course, they never had to. They had other weapons, such as punches. Now we know for sure: Tyson bites. On what was Tyson working behind his camp's closed doors? His overhand right? Or his overbite? Was he jabbing and crossing and hooking or was he flossing and brushing and rising? C'mon, champ!

  Chomp!''12 Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News commented, ''The Sounds and the Fury? Try the incisor and bicuspid. And a disgrace.''13 Michael Madden of the Boston Globe opined, ''Like a 3-year-old in a temper tantrum, Mike Tyson bites. Like a 3-year-old, Mike Tyson is told not to bite, but he goes out and bites again. Laugh at him. He deserves nothing else.''14 Mark Whicker's headline in the Orange County Register read, ''Call him ear-responsible: Tyson delivers punchline to the joke that is boxing.'' Whicker went on to say, ''The next stop, beyond outrage, is laughter. You wonder how Mike Tyson could go from Fighter of the Year to Biter of the Ear.''15

  Tyson grew up on the streets. He was brought to a training camp in Catskill, New York, by Gus D'Amato, known for taking in troubled street kids with an interest in boxing. Teddy Atlas, who himself had been a street fighter, was Tyson's first trainer. Atlas claimed all the other kids changed while at Catskill, but Tyson ''always had people who helped him avoid consequences.''16 Atlas explained that Tyson always tried to end things too quickly. When the outcome was not quick, or when he could not overpower or intimidate, he would submit. He commented, ''You saw that against Buster Douglas. Once Douglas wouldn't back down, Tyson submitted. He didn't try to win that fight. Tyson was what I call a 'game quitter' that night. I said when he got out of prison [for his rape conviction], 'The first time Tyson faces a pro, he'll get beat.' Evander Holyfield isn't the greatest talent, but he is a pro. Holyfield has spent his life facing things. He prepared for what he was going to face in Tyson.''17 According to Atlas, Tyson submitted to Holyfield in their first fight on November 10, 1996. Several days before the fight, the Tyson camp announced he planned to withdraw from the fight unless the Nevada Boxing Commission pulled Mitch Halpern as referee. Atlas argued this was Tyson creating an excuse in advanceif he did not win the fight, he could tell everyone it was the ref 's fault.

  As further punishment for the biting incident, Tyson was required to undergo therapy to help him manage his anger. An interview five months after the fight made it clear that Tyson was still a deeply troubled man. Tyson explained that he didn't know what happened during the fight, he ''just snapped.'' He told interviewer Alex Wallau, ''I truly think everyone hates me.

  I truly believe that. Because no one gets punished more than I do. But I understand. I'm a big boy and I believe big boys have big ordeals.''18 Many had a hard time viewing Tyson as downtrodden, especially given that the interview took place in his sixty-one-room mansion on seventeen acres in Connecticut. He also said this about biting Holyfield: ''I shouldn't have done that, because for that one moment I just forgot he was a human being.''19 Tyson described himself as unstable. ''I'm pretty erratic and spontaneous. I'm the most extremist [sic] fighter who ever lived. I know I have to change, but I don't know if I can do it. It's scary to change. This is just the way I am.''20

  LATRELL SPREWELL CHOKES HIS COACH

  On December 1, 1997, the National Basketball Association was rocked by an alarming act of violence when a player attacked and threatened to kill a coach. Like every professional sports league, the NBA had dealt with fights between players, both at games and practice. But the sports world was abuzz when Golden State Warriors guard Latrell Sprewell, who had been a three-time All-Star, choked first-year head coach P. J. Carlesimo at practice.

  Sources said that Carlesimo was giving instruction to Sprewell and walking across the court toward him. Sprewell responded, ''I don't want to hear it today.''21 Carlesimo continued his rant. Sprewell said, ''Don't come up on me, don't come up on me.''22 Carlesimo kept coming. The argument became increasingly heated and Sprewell finally threatened to kill the coach. Carlesimo responded, ''I'm right here.''23 The Golden State Warrior guard then attacked the coach, choking him for between ten and fifteen seconds and dragging him to the ground before teammates intervened. Sprewell was ordered to leave practice. He came back and, as players tried to calm him, threw a punch that glanced off Carlesimo's head.

  The Warriors initially announced that it would suspend Sprewell for at least ten games, which would have cost the player nearly $1 million. Team management then set about trying to trade Sprewell. Their efforts, perhaps surprisingly, received considerable interest from up to ten other teams. After conversations with the NBA league office, however, the organization soon changed its position and announced that the team was terminating the final three years of Sprewell's four-year, $32-million contract. ''This is the correct, moral, and ethical thing to do,'' team general manager Garry St. Jean said at the time.24 The NBA then suspended Sprewell for one year (eighty-two games), which effectively
prevented him from becoming a free agent and immediately signing with another team. Sprewell's suspension would ultimately cost him $6.4 million. He also lost endorsement deals that included a contract with Converse. Through arbitration, the suspension was reduced to the remainder of the season (sixty-eight games), but Sprewell did not play again until being traded to the New York Knicks in January 1999, slightly over one year after the incident.

  There was initially considerable public backlash against Sprewell. Over time, though, journalists began to search for answers as to why a player would jeopardize his career in such a shocking manner. For many, the answer lay with the coaching style on which Carlesimo relied to motivate athletes. He had a reputation for being tough and willing to get in the face of his players.

  One journalist called him a ''hand grenade with a whistle'' who relied on foul language and a ''brusque style.''25 Sprewell's agent, in defense of his client, made the point, ''One of the issues that has not been examined here is how far can a coach go with his conduct? Are there any limits, or do all players have to deal with abuse and mistreatment?''26 Sprewell was not the only player who took exception to the treatment that Carlesimo dished out. A former player under Carlesimo, Rod Strickland, said, ''There were times when I felt like choking him. He's got a pretty annoying personality. I know Spree's going to get all the beef for this one. It's not just one player here, one player there. P. J. is the common denominator.''27

  For his part, Sprewell certainly had to shoulder much of the blame; particularly given that this was not his first incident of this type. Two years prior he had an altercation at practice with a teammate, Jerome Kersey, which led to a fight. Sprewell left practice that day and returned with a two-by-four board.

  He was being restrained by teammates when he said that he would return with a gun. Team officials were concerned enough that he was serious that they kept Kersey in the locker room for three hours before deeming it safe to let him leave.

  Sprewell seemed a changed man when he arrived in New York. He had several successful seasons and won over the fans with his substantial work ethic.

  He represented the Knicks in the 2001 All-Star game. He was traded to Minnesota in 2003 and had one productive season there. At the beginning of his second season in Minnesota, however, the team offered him a contract extension that Sprewell considered a lowball offer. Offended by the three-year, $21-million contract offer, he said, ''I have a family to feed.'' He went on to say, ''Why would I want to help them win a title? They're not doing anything for me.''28

  He was working under a contract that paid him over $14 million per year at the time, so the offer did represent a significant pay reduction. The NBA fans, however, were not impressed with his comments and he went on to have one of the worst seasons of his career. He has not played since. Perhaps the most significant thing about the case was the public debate about whether it is athletes or coaches that are most out of control. While many faulted Sprewell for behaving poorly, others noted that coaches often treat athletes as if they are chattel. Like other cases in this chapter, the fact that a black athlete stood accused of wrongdoing against a white person brought up racial issues as well that still remain in the world of sports. Some wonder if black athletes can ever get fair treatment in a system that is still run largely by whites.

  RAE CARRUTH ORGANIZES MURDER OF HIS GIRLFRIEND

  Former Carolina Panthers player Rae Carruth was charged with first-degree murder for the drive-by shooting of his pregnant girlfriend, Cherica Adams, on November 16, 1999. Adams gave birth to a son through an emergency Caesarean section, but then died one month after the shooting. The baby lives with Adams's mother and has cerebral palsy as well as developmental problems. Three other men were charged in the shooting as well. Prosecutors dropped the charge against Wendy Cole, who was accused of harboring a fugitive. Cole allegedly helped Carruth flee North Carolina after his murder charge. Carruth was captured in the trunk of Cole's car in a motel parking lot in Tennessee. No reason was cited for dropping the charge.

  The prosecution contended Carruth planned to kill Adams because he did not want to pay child support and that he used his vehicle to block Adams's car so his hired gunman could shoot her.29 His defense attorneys claimed that codefendant Van Brett Watkins acted alone as the triggerman, and that he was angry with Adams and Carruth over a drug deal. Jurors heard a 911 call Adams made shortly after being shot in which she implicated Carruth. They read notes she scribbled from the hospital in her final waking moments. They also heard testimony from an emergency medical technician and a Charlotte police officer, both of whom said Adams told them Carruth was present at the shooting. The most damaging evidence the jury heard was from co-defendant Michael Kennedy, who testifled without a plea deal and against the advice of his lawyers that Carruth asked him to be the driver for the shooting and paid him $100 to buy the gun used to kill Adams. The admitted shooter, Watkins, testifled with graphic detail about pointing the gun at Adams and pulling the trigger five times. He claimed he was paid by Carruth to shoot her. Carruth's ex-girlfriend, Candace Smith, testifled that Carruth confessed to her that he had been involved with the shooting, and former NBA player Charles Shackleford corroborated that statement.

  Carruth was acquitted of first degree murder, for which he faced potential execution, but was convicted of conspiracy to murder. He is serving a minimum prison sentence of eighteen years, eleven months. Van Brett Watkins pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was sentenced to a minimum of forty years, five months in prison, although he received forgiveness from Adams's family during the sentencing hearing. Saundra Adams, Cherica Adams's mother, commented, ''He looked at all of us squarely in the eye. He was much more of a man than some of the others, namely Mr. Carruth.''30

  Michael Kennedy, the driver, was sentenced to at least eleven years, eight months for driving the car from which Watkins fired. The fourth defendant, Stanley Drew Abraham, faced similar second-degree murder and conspiracy charges. He pleaded guilty to lesser accessory charges and was sentenced to ninety days in jail and five years probation.

  In a televised interview from prison, Carruth told reporters that he and Adams were no more than sex partners. He said, ''I didn't even know her last name until we went to Lamaze class.''31 When asked why he fled North Carolina after Adams died, Carruth said he thought everyone was against him.

  ''Who was going to speak up for me? You have the guys that did it lying.

  Cherica was there and she's gone. The media has already said, 'This is what happened.' What did I have left?''32 Some called Carruth's verdict and sentence a compromise, and argued he should have faced more time in prison or even execution. The jury foreman, Clark Pennell, stood by the verdict, saying, ''I don't think there is anyone on the jury who could look you right in the eye and say they felt we made the wrong decision.''33 In March 2005 Carruth was denied a request for a new trial. Judge Charles C. Lamm Jr. Rejected the defense motion, which claimed that a 911 call made by Adams should not have been introduced because it violated his constitutional right to confront his accuser.

  Carruth's crime is significant in the world of sport because it demonstrates not only the callousness of some athletes, but it also highlights the overrepresentation of athletes in crimes against women. Carruth's attitude about women became very clear during the trial and in interviews, and unfortunately echoes that of many (although certainly not all) athletes who see women as objects for their satisfaction, not human beings.

  MARTY McSORLEY COMMITS ASSAULT ON THE ICE

  Boston Bruins defenseman Marty McSorley, known in the National Hockey League more for his fighting than for his finesse and goal scoring, was suspended and tried criminally for savagely attacking the Vancouver Canuck Donald Brashear with 2.7 seconds remaining in a game in February 2000.

  McSorley had been in the league seventeen years at the time and had been suspended at least five times. The Canucks had a 5-2 lead when McSorley skated up, out of Brashear's view, and smashed his stick with
both hands against Brashear's head. His head hit the ice and his helmet flew off. His body twitched and blood streamed from his nose. Brashear sustained a concussion from the attack and had a grand mal seizure.34 Earlier in the game, Brashear and McSorley had fought, with Brashear landing several hard blows and dragging McSorley to the ice.

  Brashear was held overnight in a Vancouver hospital. The next day, he told reporters he did not recall the hit, but had viewed it on tape. He commented, ''It looked worse than it was. It looked like I was dying. I wasn't dying, but it's a concussion. There are no bones broken. That was the main concern. Still, I have bad headaches and my face is swollen.''35 McSorley apologized, saying, ''I apologize to Donald Brashear and all the fans who had to watch that. I embarrassed my hockey team … I got way too carried away. It was a real dumb play.