Wow, truly shocking stuff. I had not been aware of this incident. Really underscores the point that this stuff needs to be taken seriously. The fact that Winfield got to go onto have the career he did and Behagen, who stomped on a defenseless guy's head, got to have a 7 year NBA career after that is just wrong, in my opinion.
That attack (and it
was an attack not a brawl; you need two sides engaged to have a brawl, not one side getting pursued around the court by players and fans and beaten senseless) was just bad for all concerned, not only the OSU players. It haunted Corky Taylor, the guy who initiated the violence, to his grave, despite Witte's forgiveness and their reconciliation in person in 2000. Winfield skated because no video footage existed of his assault, and has lived his life in complete denial about it:
May 24, 2011 Dave Winfield c/o San Diego Padres P.O. Box 122000 San Diego, CA 92112 USA Dear Mr. Winfield: Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Richard Pennington. I am a native of the USA but have been living in Korea since late 2007. I have written 18 books—16 of them...
richardpennington.com
Ron Behagen, whom the BT coaches had agreed not to recruit from an Idaho JC because he had hired an agent (Musselman arrived after this agreement and wanted so desperately to win so he took whomever he could find who had talent), indeed had a substantial NBA career. However, he was convicted of defrauding an Atlanta woman suffering from dementia out of nearly $10k a decade ago. The guy was 60 years old at the time and he was stealing from the incapacitated elderly.
(As for Musselman, he lost his job nearly 20 years later as the expansion Timberwolves HC largely because he refused to spend time developing young players; he wanted to win at any cost and viewed player development as a waste of time. The guy learned absolutely nothing as an adult in this area and died at 58.)
The whole thing is a big deal, still, 50 years on. People may wave off Juwan's slap at Krabbenhoft and his aggression toward Gard. Whatever the roots of Howard's anger, what I saw in him on Sunday was the same overweening pride and rage that consumed coach Bill Musselman sitting on the Gopher's bench 50 years ago as his team went down to defeat, with which he infected his players and a crowd of 17,000 people in Williams arena. This sort of thing is malignant for the game and everyone involved, can get well out of hand in an instant, and can destroy lives.
Watching the
Malice at the Palace documentary is similarly depressing. The guys involved for the Pacers had their careers and a shot at an NBA title ruined. Basketball was, in certain cases, their salvation and an escape from really difficult circumstances.
The veneer of civilization is pretty thin in general and needs constant maintenance. It's really important IMO to defend it vigorously in sport.
OK, I'll get off my soapbox on this and toss it on the fire.
