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This is probably the biggest scandal in sports history; the fierce competition for Olympic gold medals has escalated to the point of injuries occurring off the field.....
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00:00:06I mean, I've never heard a scream like that.
00:00:08It's just an awful, horrified type of scream.
00:00:12What happened? What happened?
00:00:14She said, somebody hit me.
00:00:16You ready?
00:00:17Details are a little bit sketchy.
00:00:18She was struck several times.
00:00:20And I hit her several times.
00:00:21Once, twice, I'm not really sure.
00:00:23There's been a violent attack on an American athlete,
00:00:25Nancy Kerrigan, the American figure skater.
00:00:27Detroit police are searching for a man who struck Nancy Kerrigan on...
00:00:31It was such a bizarre story that you just kind of went, what?
00:00:35And struck her on the right leg.
00:00:36There must be some mistake.
00:00:37That just doesn't happen.
00:00:39Security is high.
00:00:40We don't know who it is, so...
00:00:41Attacks have skaters on edge.
00:00:44They're doing a thorough investigation to try and find the man who did it.
00:00:48NBC's now breaking the story that Tonya Harding...
00:00:50Authorities are focusing their attention on Tonya Harding.
00:00:53...plot designed to steal Olympic gold.
00:00:55I mean, the rumors were just flying immediately.
00:00:57Wouldn't it be wild if Tonya had something to do with this?
00:01:01There had never been in the history of sports anything like this.
00:01:07Why?
00:01:10Why?
00:01:10Why?
00:01:13I'm so scared.
00:01:15I'm so scared.
00:01:18I'm scared so bad.
00:01:21Everybody in society thinks I was the one who did this.
00:01:27They want to hit me with sticks and baseball bats or whatever.
00:01:38And you're training so far?
00:01:39I'm training great.
00:01:40Okay.
00:01:41All right.
00:01:42Good luck.
00:01:42Thanks.
00:01:43Thanks.
00:01:43I have to say bye to my family.
00:01:46It was bright and early.
00:01:48Not yet 7 a.m.
00:01:49But Tonya Harding is very upbeat and confident about the way things are going.
00:01:53Everything's going good and if I do a clean program and Nancy does a clean program, I'm
00:01:57going to win.
00:01:58Going into 94, Tonya was considered a great skater at that point and certainly one of the
00:02:04top United States skaters.
00:02:06And she was trying to qualify for the Olympics.
00:02:09Only the top two skaters at nationals will make the Olympic team.
00:02:12Her main competition will be reigning champ Nancy Kerrigan.
00:02:15There were fierce competitors and rivals.
00:02:18They were thinking of ways to skate better than each other.
00:02:22Let's put it that way.
00:02:23Always.
00:02:25And here comes Tonya Harding.
00:02:27Tonya Harding was hard-bitten, gutsy, athletic, a phenomenal skater.
00:02:33There it is.
00:02:34Terrific.
00:02:35She could jump higher.
00:02:37She could spin faster.
00:02:38And she was determined.
00:02:41But here she was, the ugly duckling with frizzy blonde hair from the wrong side of the tracks.
00:02:48It was hardly that little image that you have of a beautiful ice skater.
00:02:55Worldwide female figure skaters are the Barbie dolls of sports.
00:03:00And although what they do is very athletic, the point is to make it look easy.
00:03:05That it's not athletic.
00:03:07That it's not a strain.
00:03:08You are wearing these costumes that are designed to make you look like a beauty pageant contestant.
00:03:15And it's this odd sport.
00:03:16I mean, it goes back to Sonia Henney.
00:03:20Sonia Henney, America's veteran queen of blades, gets back on ice.
00:03:24The American concept of the ice princess goes way, way back.
00:03:29This is Sonia Henney's sport.
00:03:30That's the image as to what a ladies champion is supposed to look like.
00:03:35Everyone knew Peggy Fleming, everyone knew Dorothy Hamill.
00:03:38The all-American girl, but with a little bit of glamour.
00:03:42Dorothy, is that your new Ford Tempo?
00:03:43Sure is.
00:03:44They're the ones on the cover of the magazines and getting the endorsement deals.
00:03:48Very sought after as the princess of the ice.
00:03:52Tonya, she had moxie.
00:03:55She had a lot of guts and moxie.
00:03:57But she didn't know how to play the ice skating princess game.
00:04:03I never was after being an ice princess.
00:04:06I wasn't the dainty little girl.
00:04:09I was the strong, buff, you know, woman.
00:04:15I was born November 12, 1970, out of Portland, Oregon, somewhere.
00:04:20Who knows where.
00:04:23We had bounced around all over the place, and my dad went through different jobs.
00:04:27And my mother, she was always a waitress.
00:04:29It was just really hard growing up.
00:04:33My skating was definitely my sanctuary.
00:04:36Touch the door, leave your problems behind, go in and just skate.
00:04:40The Lloyd Center had an ice rink in the shopping mall,
00:04:44and I begged my mother to let me sign up for the little group lessons that they had there on
00:04:49Saturday morning.
00:04:51And Tonya was three at the time, and she took the ice with the rest of the group,
00:04:56but I don't remember the rest of the group.
00:04:58I only remember this little blonde-haired, blue-eyed dynamo.
00:05:06I had never seen someone that small skate that well.
00:05:11I've never seen anyone have that much natural talent for anything.
00:05:15She's a six-year-old, off the ice.
00:05:18On the ice, she's really more like an 11-year-old.
00:05:21She's very responsible, determined.
00:05:24Skating is a very, very expensive sport.
00:05:27Between ice time and lesson time, costumes and everything else, it's a lot.
00:05:32My coach, Diane, would give us extra time because she knew the talent that I had.
00:05:38Skating for Tonya is your ticket out of the gutter.
00:05:42You live in a terrible rental house.
00:05:45No supervision at all.
00:05:46She has no direction.
00:05:48Tonya would have nothing in her life that wasn't for her skating.
00:05:51We struggled, you know.
00:05:54My dad was doing everything he could to be a good dad, but unfortunately, he had lost his job.
00:06:01It just got to that point where it was so hard to survive, you know, and been moving so much
00:06:06and everything.
00:06:07Not having a lot of friends, but I loved my skating more than I needed other people around.
00:06:13There was poverty in this young girl's world that we need to understand because it's part of this story.
00:06:22She skated a lot of times without food in her stomach.
00:06:25She skated not really understanding if that next lesson was going to come or not because she didn't know if
00:06:30she could pay for it.
00:06:31And she knew she was good at one thing, and that was skating.
00:06:35She knew she could hang her hat on that one thing where nobody could tease her, nobody could take anything
00:06:41away from her,
00:06:42nobody could mock her, nobody could make her feel less than.
00:06:46If you want to make it all the way, you have to practice because practice makes perfect.
00:06:50I want to go to the Olympics.
00:06:52I want to be a world champion.
00:06:55During a skating competition, I was in the bathroom, and so I was in the stall, and Tonya and her
00:07:04mom came in there,
00:07:05and Tonya was having some issues, didn't want to have her hair brushed or, you know, whatever the issue was,
00:07:11and Mrs. Harding just lost her temper and hit Tonya repeatedly with the hairbrush in the bathroom.
00:07:21And I remember sort of seeing it through the crack in the stall, and it was very, very, very upsetting
00:07:28to me.
00:07:28And I remember going to Diane Rawlinson and saying, I'm going to call Child Protective Services.
00:07:35I was 11.
00:07:37And Diane said, you can't do that.
00:07:41And I asked her why, and she said because then they would take Tonya away from her parents,
00:07:47and her skating career would be over.
00:07:51When Tonya was 15 years old, she was going to her first national figure skating competition.
00:07:56I got the idea that I could make a little movie about her life and what Tonya was up against.
00:08:04My relationship with my mom is really bad.
00:08:07She is not, I mean, she's a good mother, but she's not a good mother.
00:08:13She hits me, and she beats me, and she drinks.
00:08:19My mom's an alcoholic.
00:08:21Tonya is basically, I mean, eats, lives, breathes, sleeps because she wants skating.
00:08:29And the bigger the you can't do it, the better and the best she'll do it.
00:08:36But if there's no, you can't do it, type thing, she won't do it.
00:08:52Hi, Mom.
00:08:54I got six.
00:08:56Yeah, overall.
00:08:58Yeah.
00:08:59No, that's good, because now I get my international.
00:09:04And I get to go to a sports festival and everything.
00:09:07No, I did it, but I did a looping beside.
00:09:10I know.
00:09:12Yes, it does.
00:09:14It, I got half credit for it, Mom.
00:09:19Yep.
00:09:21Okay, I love it too.
00:09:23Bye.
00:09:25What a bitch.
00:09:30My mom said that, um, she goes, so I heard you missed your combination.
00:09:35You know, you didn't give me any credit at all for that.
00:09:37And I said, Mom, she goes, you did terrible, you know that.
00:09:41I said, you sucked.
00:09:43And I said, Mom, I got half credit for it.
00:09:45She goes, so the rest of the program sucked also.
00:09:48And I said, Mom, no, it didn't.
00:09:51And she goes, well, just as long as you tried.
00:09:53And I said, I did.
00:09:58It just, it didn't matter.
00:10:01There just was never anything good enough for her.
00:10:04She said, I would never amount to anything.
00:10:07That I was fat, that I was ugly.
00:10:09And that was just it.
00:10:10And that I'll be just like her when I grow up, a waitress.
00:10:14It's just, ah, just wanting to be better than that.
00:10:18That was my determination.
00:10:21For the rest of my life, skating is what I planned on doing.
00:10:26I knew that at some point, I would be the best in the world.
00:10:31I knew it.
00:10:37Ice skating, I think, it's a very snob sport.
00:10:40It's a very snob sport.
00:10:42And she did not fit the image at all, not even close.
00:10:46I was daddy's little girl.
00:10:48And I always went hunting and fishing and chopping firewood.
00:10:52I loved it.
00:10:53Tanya was a tomboy.
00:10:56And that she did not hide from whatsoever.
00:11:00Tanya, I think, got caught in between both worlds.
00:11:03Of wanting to be looked at as a feminine skater.
00:11:06But also very proud of what a hardscrabble athlete she was.
00:11:10That tomboy skater.
00:11:12But it was really hard to meld them together.
00:11:16Can't even get this enough.
00:11:17Oh, Tanya.
00:11:18That is darling.
00:11:21Sorry, but it is.
00:11:22We had a little shopping trip with Tanya and Diane tried hard to kind of, you know, the hair and
00:11:30the blue fingernail polish that we finally got her to get rid of.
00:11:33No blue fingernail polish.
00:11:34She knew what she liked and sometimes it wasn't always the best choice.
00:11:38But that's what she liked.
00:11:40You're expected to act and perform in a very feminine way.
00:11:44And Tanya's definitely her own person and she's quite outspoken.
00:11:47I would like another triple flip in the program.
00:11:50Diane would always tell me, you really need to go through the program and work on that grace a little
00:11:55bit.
00:11:55And it's like, no, I got to do this, you know.
00:11:57I like the jumps and the spins and the footwork.
00:12:00I mean, it was always jump, jump, jump, jump, jump, jump, jump.
00:12:03I was not afraid to jump.
00:12:07Tanya was an incredibly powerful skater.
00:12:10I remember the first time I ever saw her and she did a triple axel that was three times as
00:12:15high as mine.
00:12:17Everybody talks about Tanya and the triple axel because she was the first American woman to land that jump in
00:12:25competition.
00:12:26Now the question is whether she will become the first American to attempt and complete a triple axel jump.
00:12:33Oh my God.
00:12:34I mean, it was so exciting.
00:12:35You know, it's like my stomach was in my throat.
00:12:39My heart was just racing.
00:12:43Good girl.
00:12:44Oh, this is that great.
00:12:47I did it.
00:12:48I landed it.
00:12:49And I was just like, yes.
00:12:52I mean, it was awesome.
00:12:54Spectacular.
00:12:55There's no way of explaining how it really truly feels except knowing, just knowing you just nailed it.
00:13:02Good for her.
00:13:03She's written a little history.
00:13:05Tonya Harding.
00:13:06The crowd just stood up and everything.
00:13:09Everybody was clapping for me.
00:13:11And I was just like, oh my God.
00:13:13I did it.
00:13:18The triple axel put her on the map.
00:13:20She had guts to try stuff that most women could not or would not try back then in the early
00:13:2790s.
00:13:30The moment that she landed the triple axel, she opened the door of possibilities for every little girl that wasn't
00:13:41the Barbie doll ice princess.
00:13:43I'm so happy with myself.
00:13:45I don't think I need to tell you, but you are in first place right now.
00:13:48Thank you very much.
00:13:49Congratulations.
00:13:50Back to you, Al.
00:13:55I remember when she won in 1991, the feeling from within the sport, the official was, oh my God, look
00:14:01who's our champion.
00:14:03That year, Christy Yamaguchi was second and Nancy Kerrigan was third.
00:14:07Very, very fine skaters.
00:14:09There's no question that Tonya Harding was not the image that figure skating wanted.
00:14:15But when you do a triple axel, you know, pretty hard to take it away from you.
00:14:201991 was an amazing year for Tonya Harding.
00:14:23She won the U.S. Nationals.
00:14:24Then she went on to become second in the world championships.
00:14:27And she won Skate America.
00:14:29And she was having this incredible career.
00:14:33Nobody can stop me this year.
00:14:35No one.
00:14:36I am ready and I am going to go out and I am going to win.
00:14:39Tonya Harding always felt that the judges were biased against her.
00:14:43But she did feel she had the ability to win the Olympic gold.
00:14:48And if she landed her triple axel, they would not be able to deny her the gold.
00:14:54But after 1991, the problem for Tonya was she kept trying the triple axel and falling on it.
00:15:01Oh, oh, what a shame.
00:15:03After 91, the triple axel was there, but it wasn't there.
00:15:07It just kind of was, it was so up and down from that point because just too many distractions going
00:15:16on around.
00:15:18Her problems that she had off the ice sometimes would show up on the ice.
00:15:25She went from, you know, an abusive childhood to kind of an abusive relationship.
00:15:32I had met Jeff at the ice rink.
00:15:34He was standing at the ledge and I just thought I was cute.
00:15:37You know, that's a cute boy.
00:15:39I mean, I didn't date anybody.
00:15:42He was the first person I ever dated.
00:15:44And always telling me how beautiful I am.
00:15:47Telling me how much he loves me.
00:15:49But we got married for all the wrong reasons.
00:15:52I had to get away from my mother.
00:15:55And I fell for somebody who was a few years older who had a job, you know, and, but, you
00:16:03know, he hit me, but she hit me, and, you know, but they love me.
00:16:06She would tell me about him grabbing her arm, yelling at her, but I knew that Tonya, you know, could
00:16:14also dish it out.
00:16:16I think it was a very volatile relationship between the two of them.
00:16:21We might get into a little brawl now and then about what's going to go on, and usually she wins,
00:16:27so she, I mean, I'll admit it to the world, she's the boss of the family.
00:16:31Jeff had a job, but he was barely making minimum wage.
00:16:36He was, he worked at the liquor control commission's warehouse.
00:16:40He was just a warehouse guy moving stacks of booze around.
00:16:44I definitely believe Jeff saw Tonya as his meal ticket.
00:16:48People knew that he had been abusive.
00:16:50They were worried about her in that sense.
00:16:52And they were also worried about, you know, him meddling in her career, him just not being a positive influence
00:16:58on her in terms of training and performance.
00:17:00It just sort of reached a point where Tonya wasn't focused.
00:17:04You know, her training schedule was erratic, so it was very difficult for her to get ready for the 92
00:17:10Olympics.
00:17:13Things just were going downhill, I was missing all my jumps, I had gained some weight, and just so much
00:17:22going wrong.
00:17:24In the 92 Olympic Games, she showed up late, out of shape, nowhere ready to go.
00:17:29Now the USA's Tonya Harding.
00:17:33I had broken off my blade two days before, and they had to put the blade back on, but it
00:17:39was just a little off.
00:17:41So I was landing a way over like this, on everything.
00:17:47I missed the triple axel, and after that, that was it.
00:17:52Tonya came up fourth.
00:17:53Now it is Christy Yamaguchi.
00:17:55She wins the gold medal, and her life changed completely.
00:17:57Nancy was third.
00:17:59Once Yamaguchi Tire moved on after 92, who was the next in line?
00:18:04Nancy's next.
00:18:05You know, Nancy Kerrigan was everything that they wanted.
00:18:08She would be a great ladies champion.
00:18:11Mom and Dad looking up.
00:18:12Nancy Kerrigan also came from a blue-collar family, but not like Tonya's.
00:18:17Nancy's was much, much more stable.
00:18:22She has a wonderful lady-like quality to her skating.
00:18:25Very elegant.
00:18:27Here you had the beautiful snow-white, sleek hair, designer costumes.
00:18:33Who was so graceful on the ice.
00:18:35Nancy fit the mold.
00:18:37She was perfect.
00:18:39This is Nancy Kerrigan of Stoneham, Massachusetts.
00:18:43When I started coaching her, Nancy was a total tomboy.
00:18:48Ran around the ice, skating fast, jumping.
00:18:51She really wasn't all that interested in being artistic.
00:18:55When I was young, I didn't have any idea really what I was doing.
00:18:58I just kind of went out there and jumped, and I landed it great, you know?
00:19:02But then as Nancy got a little older, she started to grow her hair.
00:19:07She grew her bangs out.
00:19:10She decided she didn't want to be a tomboy anymore, and she grew into this very elegant skater.
00:19:17Nancy's coaches invented that spiral where she would lift her leg so that she could have that beautiful line.
00:19:24And it created this amazing look.
00:19:28She was a beautiful skater, but she was a really superior athlete.
00:19:34She jumped so easily that it didn't look difficult when she did it.
00:19:39Once Nancy put the jumps and the style together, it was very difficult to touch her.
00:19:45Nancy Kerrigan's moment has come.
00:19:47She is the 1993 national champion.
00:19:50The tables really had turned.
00:19:52Nancy started to beat Tanya in a lot of different things.
00:19:54Tanya, I know this was a disappointing night for you.
00:19:58Well, it's disappointing, but I went out and did my best, and I guess that, you know, it was okay.
00:20:05Skating is judged on the entire package.
00:20:08You had technical merit and artistic impression, which is costumes, music, performance.
00:20:14What Tanya gave you was power.
00:20:16Sheer, raw, power on the ice.
00:20:19But you really had to be well-balanced, and unfortunately, Tanya just didn't have that artistic edge.
00:20:23And she sometimes picked music that just wasn't part of the status quo.
00:20:31The judges would give under-the-table advice to skaters about what kind of music they would like to hear,
00:20:37what they think the skaters' strengths are, where they should work.
00:20:40That gives the judges a lot of power.
00:20:43There was one year that I had, like, a bright pink color that I made myself.
00:20:49I mean, it was really pretty.
00:20:51One of the judges came up to me afterwards and said, you know what?
00:20:55If you ever wear anything like that again at a U.S. championships, you will never do another one.
00:21:03And I told them where to go.
00:21:05I said, well, you know what?
00:21:06If you can come up with $5,000 for a costume for me, then I won't have to make it.
00:21:12But until then, stay out of my face.
00:21:15And I turned around and walked off, and Diane was like, oh, my God.
00:21:19But that's how they are.
00:21:21If it's not their way, it's the highway.
00:21:26Going into 94, Kerrigan was the poster child for United States skating.
00:21:33She was the darling of this country.
00:21:35In her quest for a gold, world-class skater Nancy Kerrigan always eats plenty of Campbell's chicken noodle soup.
00:21:41Nancy worked with Campbell's soup, and she worked with Reebok and Revlon.
00:21:45And she had the charisma, the look, the feel that corporate America is looking for.
00:21:52And I just did a TV special for Christmas, and it's real exciting.
00:21:55And without skating, I probably wouldn't have these opportunities.
00:21:58And I'm real fortunate.
00:22:00She was a great skater.
00:22:02I was a great skater.
00:22:04But, of course, she was treated, you know, like this huge queen.
00:22:10Action!
00:22:11Nancy Kerrigan was making money, and Tanya knew that.
00:22:14And that aided her, because she had no endorsements, no sponsors.
00:22:20She just couldn't get anywhere.
00:22:25The Olympics decided that they were going to stagger the summer and the Winter Olympics.
00:22:31So there was going to be an Olympics in 92, and then there was going to be an Olympics in
00:22:351994.
00:22:37What incredible opportunity for Tanya.
00:22:41My dream was to compete at the Olympics again.
00:22:44I was 23.
00:22:46This was the year that I had left in me to do it.
00:22:52The jumps started coming back, and I was focusing, and the grace and everything.
00:22:57I was ready.
00:22:59I mean, totally, 100% ready.
00:23:04ABC's Wide World of Sports begins its coverage of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, in effect, the Olympic Trials.
00:23:10The United States National Championships becomes the Olympic Trials for the skating team.
00:23:15But you have to qualify.
00:23:17You have to finish 1-2 in the National Championships.
00:23:20Are you worried about facing Tanya in Nationals?
00:23:22Um, no.
00:23:24I've never been more ready in my life.
00:23:26How about her comments, though, that you're easy to beat?
00:23:28We'll see.
00:23:42We were in Detroit for the typical practice at a national championship.
00:23:49When the practice was over, Nancy got off the ice.
00:23:53Mary and I were walking out probably 150 feet behind her.
00:23:57I stopped to talk to somebody briefly that I hadn't seen in years.
00:24:03Nancy walked behind a curtain, going to the dressing rooms.
00:24:07Then we heard this yell.
00:24:11What happened?
00:24:13What happened?
00:24:17What happened?
00:24:31I looked up and I saw this guy running away.
00:24:34And so I started running after him.
00:24:37He crashed through a glass door that was locked and got out of there.
00:24:40And so I didn't get much of a look at him.
00:24:43I'm trying to get a description.
00:24:45White, tall, white guy with a leather jacket on.
00:24:48He said he went down this way.
00:24:49He said he went down this way.
00:24:51We got that right place on the way.
00:24:54Her father came and picked her up and carried her into the medical facility.
00:25:01It was just bedlam.
00:25:06Just shock.
00:25:11I was sleeping when I found out what had happened.
00:25:16And my coach woke me up and told me I had a practice later on.
00:25:21I was scared to death being out on that ice because nobody was caught.
00:25:26They had extra security out there, but I just couldn't focus.
00:25:31And Diane stopped me in practice and said, if you do not pull your head out and start concentrating, you're
00:25:38not going to be able to skate this.
00:25:40You've worked your whole entire life for this.
00:25:43What's your take on the Nancy Kerrigan situation?
00:25:45I'm sure it bothers a lot of people.
00:25:47How do you feel about it?
00:25:48It definitely bothers me.
00:25:49I know how she feels.
00:25:51And I feel really bad that this happened.
00:25:54I was looking forward to competing against her.
00:25:56And, you know, I just hope that she's okay.
00:26:01Nancy Kerrigan will not be competing in the 1994 Legs United States Figure Skating Championships.
00:26:09There was not a fracture.
00:26:10There wasn't any ligament damage.
00:26:12But it was a bad bone bruise.
00:26:14And it was right on the kneecap.
00:26:15And she couldn't put weight on it.
00:26:17It was very, very difficult.
00:26:18It was her landing leg.
00:26:19So that right knee is critical.
00:26:22And, of course, Olympics are just a few weeks after nationals.
00:26:26And so it looked like she probably would not be going to the Olympic Games.
00:26:32I'm pretty upset and angry that someone would do this.
00:26:37And I really want to skate today.
00:26:40But the doctors all said I shouldn't.
00:26:45I remember walking back to the hotel with Evie and it was snowing.
00:26:50It was such a beautiful night to have this horrible thing that had just happened.
00:26:54And as we were walking back, Evie said, turned to me and said,
00:27:00Tanya Harding has something to do with this.
00:27:02And I snapped to my head and said, are you serious?
00:27:06What makes you say that?
00:27:07He said, I just know.
00:27:10Well, she's the only one who had anything to gain by it.
00:27:14Live from Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, it's the Legs U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
00:27:20And representing the Portland Ice Skating Club, Tanya Harding.
00:27:28Ah, huge.
00:27:31Now she is going to do a triple axel.
00:27:33This will be where she does it.
00:27:35It looks like it is.
00:27:38No.
00:27:39No.
00:27:39She elected to do just a single.
00:27:41Even though I missed the triple axel, the rest of the program was amazing.
00:27:46I still proved that I was out there and I was one of the best.
00:27:49I think for all the skeptics who felt that Tanya's peak had passed, I think she's proved
00:27:54she still is a winner, even without that triple axel.
00:27:59Tanya Harding is the national champion.
00:28:02Once it was clear Tanya was going to be on the Olympic team, the question was, what about
00:28:06Nancy?
00:28:06Do you put her on the team?
00:28:08Can you come back from this terrible thing that happened to you and skate?
00:28:12We are waiting for the Olympic team selection.
00:28:15We're going to take a shot now.
00:28:17This is the room where the international committee is meeting.
00:28:20They will determine the fate of Nancy Kerrigan right here.
00:28:24People were asking, what is the prognosis for being able to recover by the Olympics?
00:28:29I was in the room and Nancy was in the room and they were talking sort of around her.
00:28:35And I remember Nancy just boldly said, I can compete.
00:28:41I can do this.
00:28:42I know I can do this.
00:28:45Okay, it is official now.
00:28:47Nancy Kerrigan and Tanya Harding will go to the Olympic Games representing the United States.
00:28:53I am here with Michelle Kwan.
00:28:57You came in second place here.
00:28:58The committee decided that Nancy Kerrigan could go.
00:29:01How do you feel about that?
00:29:02I feel fine.
00:29:03I think both of them deserve going to the Olympics and I'm just happy for them.
00:29:08You've got to feel greatly relieved.
00:29:10Definitely.
00:29:11You never know which way the decision is going to go.
00:29:13It's incredible how fast the decision has been made and I'm really happy.
00:29:26Congratulations.
00:29:27If the Harding camp expected to keep their arrival a secret, it was obvious by the horde of cameras
00:29:33and reporters that it didn't work.
00:29:35The media nearly outnumbered a strong contingent of family and friends who greeted the skater
00:29:39tonight.
00:29:40I think it's great.
00:29:42You're a little overcome by this, aren't you?
00:29:44That scene at the airport was wild.
00:29:46There were dozens and dozens and dozens of reporters in her face.
00:29:51I'm really happy, but it won't be a true crown until I get my chance with Nancy and that'll
00:29:56be the Olympics and let me tell you, I'm going to whip her back.
00:29:59In Detroit, the police had been talking to everybody.
00:30:02Everyone was considered a person of interest, including her.
00:30:05Yeah, I talked to them.
00:30:06Okay.
00:30:07I mean, I have nothing to hide.
00:30:09Exactly.
00:30:10So you did speak with them and you feel good about the conversation?
00:30:13Oh yeah, I mean, why shouldn't I?
00:30:15I mean, they talked to everybody and they're doing a thorough investigation to try and find
00:30:22the man who did it.
00:30:23Harding's bodyguard is working to make sure she feels secure so she can concentrate on
00:30:28winning at the Olympics.
00:30:29Well, she's always been fairly concerned with what's going on around her, but right now she's
00:30:36fairly confident with the measures we're currently taking and that we will be taking in the future.
00:30:41My husband, Jeff, knew Sean through school.
00:30:43I guess they went to school their whole lives or something together.
00:30:47But he was not my bodyguard ever.
00:30:51He was not even my friend.
00:30:53I thought he was a complete idiot.
00:30:55He was Jeff's friend, plain and simple.
00:30:59The whole case started to unravel almost from the beginning because Sean Eckhart couldn't
00:31:07stop bragging to everybody that he had planned the attack.
00:31:12He told his mother, father, so many people.
00:31:17He just couldn't stop talking.
00:31:19I didn't know what the heck was going on.
00:31:22I mean, you have to remember, I just get home from winning the championships and Sean's been
00:31:26acting all weird and all this stuff and talking about this stuff.
00:31:29And so, I mean, I didn't know what was going on.
00:31:32Yesterday, here at COIN TV, we received this anonymous letter stating specifics about the
00:31:38conspiracy.
00:31:39I'm working at COIN and a letter comes to the assignment desk.
00:31:44I open this letter up and it's the most bizarre thing I've ever seen.
00:31:50A letter implicating Tanya, Jeff Galooly, and her bodyguards in the attack on Nassie Kerrigan.
00:31:57And I'm thinking, this could be the start of something really crazy.
00:32:04Because this says they hatched the plan.
00:32:08One of my friends who worked, I think it was for Channel 2, calls me up and says,
00:32:15what's going on?
00:32:17And I'm like, what do you mean?
00:32:20And I say, I'm holding this letter, Tanya, that I think you're going to want to look at.
00:32:25And it directly impacts you and Jeff.
00:32:30I didn't say implicates.
00:32:31I just said impacts.
00:32:34And she said, will you please fax it to me?
00:32:37Something like that.
00:32:39I said, no, I won't.
00:32:41What I'll let you do is read it, but you've got to come here and you've got to agree to
00:32:46an interview.
00:32:47She, you could hear her talking to Jeff in the background and he said, okay.
00:32:52You read the letter, your reaction to the letter.
00:32:55I can't believe it.
00:32:57I mean, why does someone want to discredit me?
00:33:00I mean, I just don't understand.
00:33:04On camera, there were questions that Jeff would not allow her to answer.
00:33:10You're me.
00:33:12I'm Tanya and Jeff's right over there, just glaring at her.
00:33:17And on occasion, after answering a question, her eyes would dart up to him.
00:33:22Come back to me.
00:33:23That was eerie.
00:33:24That was creepy.
00:33:27As soon as we got in the car to leave, I point blank asked him, what's going on?
00:33:32Have you, what did you do?
00:33:33He freaking just went bam and just nailed me, you know?
00:33:38And that's when I started wondering and, you know, trying to piece things together and stuff.
00:33:46Jeff was acting really strange.
00:33:48He had to go meet Sean and it was way late at night and I knew something was going on.
00:33:54I just didn't know what was going on.
00:33:56We did give the letter to the FBI.
00:33:58They were quite interested in that letter.
00:34:03This lady that wrote the letter had gotten the information through Sean Eckhart's dad.
00:34:09Turned out that Sean's dad had been running his mouth too.
00:34:13So we went to interview Sean that night.
00:34:17It turned into a rather lengthy interview.
00:34:21He was such a prolific liar.
00:34:25I would catch him in those discrepancies.
00:34:28And when Sean realized that he was facing some fairly serious penalties,
00:34:35he folded like a cheap accordion.
00:34:39And we got a signed statement from him about the plot and who was involved.
00:34:44Anything you want to say?
00:34:46Ice skater Tonya Harding's bodyguard, 26-year-old Sean Eckhart,
00:34:50was at the center of suspicion from the start.
00:34:52And he was the first brought into jail tonight.
00:34:55Earlier today, 29-year-old Derek Smith arrived at Portland's airport in FBI custody.
00:35:01He allegedly drove the getaway car for Nancy Kerrigan's attacker.
00:35:04The elusive hitman is believed to be Shane Stant of Portland.
00:35:08But the suspect closest to skater Tonya Harding is her own husband, Jeff Galooly.
00:35:14We had learned Jeff Galooly approached Sean about doing something to Nancy Kerrigan
00:35:19to take her out of the competition for the U.S. Olympic team.
00:35:25And then Sean hired Derek Smith and Shane Stant.
00:35:29They were the, quote, hit team.
00:35:33The original thinking was to try to get her at her home or something.
00:35:39They had actually sent off Stant to her practice facility in Massachusetts where Kerrigan trained.
00:35:47But in fact, Kerrigan had gone to the national competition in Detroit.
00:35:50So then he flew to Detroit and staked out the facility there and figured out how to do it.
00:35:56And they did it.
00:35:58They confessed fairly readily to the whole thing.
00:36:01You have the right to have a trial before a judge.
00:36:04Those guys were just unbelievable.
00:36:06That they thought they could get away with something like this.
00:36:09That was so badly planned out from the beginning.
00:36:12Stant stays under his own name at a hotel in Detroit.
00:36:15Could we be any more stupid?
00:36:16Were you asking to get caught?
00:36:18Because you were going to get caught.
00:36:20They left a trail everywhere.
00:36:21I mean, phone records, bank records.
00:36:25You'd have to be a moron to travel across the country to do a hit and put everything on Visa.
00:36:31Sean, have you talked to the audience?
00:36:32Tanya Harding's bodyguard, Sean Eckert, bailed out of jail late last night, refusing to comment on the case.
00:36:38Sean, did she know about the plot?
00:36:40I have no comment.
00:36:41After Sean was arrested, it was like, I just couldn't believe what's being said and stuff.
00:36:51I never met or talked to, didn't even know the other persons that were involved.
00:36:57I mean, everything just, you know, you get hit by everything all at once.
00:37:02And you just, you just want to, like, crawl in a closet and say, go away, leave me alone, because
00:37:07you just don't know what's going on.
00:37:10Has Tanya Harding been cleared, Mr. Frank?
00:37:12Well, we haven't, I've got to go through the door here.
00:37:15We haven't said that she's a suspect, and we haven't said that she isn't.
00:37:19You know, we're just as anxious to talk to you guys as you are to ask, and there'll be more
00:37:24in a few days.
00:37:25Yeah, hopefully.
00:37:25How are you feeling right now?
00:37:26It's been a long week, but we're feeling okay.
00:37:29No charges have been filed against either Harding or Galooly, and both have denied any wrongdoing.
00:37:41Have you heard anything?
00:37:42I haven't, I've been at therapy all day.
00:37:44Yeah?
00:37:45Have you, have you talked to folks out there?
00:37:47I haven't talked to anybody.
00:37:48I've been working, just trying to get rehabilitation.
00:37:50Have police been in touch with you, though?
00:37:52No.
00:37:52I've been here.
00:37:53They can't get in touch with me.
00:37:54I'm working, I'm getting my knee better.
00:37:56I don't think Nancy paid attention to anything that was coming out in the news.
00:38:00I think that she, you know, didn't want to hear about that, and had a focus about her training, and
00:38:06that was really all that mattered.
00:38:07And I know there's a slew of competitors, and probably myself included, who, if that had happened to us, it
00:38:14would have taken us a year to get over it mentally.
00:38:16And instead, she was like, oh, I'm not going to deal with that.
00:38:19I'm going to move forward and get myself ready.
00:38:22We had six weeks from the injury to get to the Olympic Games.
00:38:27It was going to take her at least four weeks of off-ice strength and conditioning training before she could
00:38:33actually hit the ice again, which would mean two weeks of being able to skate before she was going to
00:38:39compete.
00:38:39More, more, more, more, more, more.
00:38:41Good, good.
00:38:42She had to decide, do we work on, you know, the trauma of what had happened to her, or do
00:38:48we just stay on key with what we'd been working so hard for in terms of the Olympic Games?
00:38:52And she made it very clear, we were not doing trauma work.
00:38:56I am not a victim here.
00:38:58Nancy, what is your reaction to the arrests?
00:39:01I really can't say anything about that.
00:39:04Nancy, without talking specifically about the arrest, it's been such a bizarre week.
00:39:07Do you ever think it's been unbelievable?
00:39:10Why make them?
00:39:12No, I, not at all.
00:39:14I just, why would someone hit me?
00:39:16Yeah, but that's about it.
00:39:18Do you know the answer to that question yet?
00:39:19Pardon me?
00:39:20Do you know the answer to that question?
00:39:21I don't think I could ever understand the answer because I can't think that viciously.
00:39:27Are you going to make a statement?
00:39:29We will confess.
00:39:33Tanya's just going in to talk to the authorities now.
00:39:36We're going to talk to Ms. Harding today and hopefully find out what she can tell us.
00:39:42We brought Tanya in for questioning, and she initially denied that Galuli was involved, denied she was involved, denied.
00:39:52It was obvious as she continued along those lines that she wasn't going to be aiding the investigation, and so
00:40:00the facts of life had to be explained to Tanya.
00:40:02And you're in a lot of trouble, however, if you're willing to cooperate, it's basically you play let's make a
00:40:09deal.
00:40:10I was scared to death.
00:40:12Jeff told me he's going to kill me if I ever open my mouth about anything, but I told them
00:40:17what I knew and what I'd heard, what had happened and was said in phone calls and things like that
00:40:24since I had gotten back.
00:40:26She was still denying her own involvement, but now she was putting it all on Galuli, and she was giving
00:40:32direct evidence that was highly incriminating to him.
00:40:36Anything to say to your fans?
00:40:39Please believe in me.
00:40:41After that is when I left Jeff.
00:40:44I had separated from him and went and stayed with friends.
00:40:48Hey, Jeff, how you feeling now?
00:40:49By that point, we had enough evidence, and that's when we brought Galuli in, and he could not believe that
00:40:58she had given him up.
00:41:00Do you still love Tanya?
00:41:04The moment that Jeff Galuli got arrested for his part in this entire conspiracy, everybody in the world assumed that
00:41:12Tanya Harding was part of it, that there was a plot that was hatched, and that they were in equal
00:41:19measure responsible for this.
00:41:21But it was unclear whether he would ever get enough evidence against Tanya to be able to put the finger
00:41:27on her.
00:41:28She was no longer talking to us at that point.
00:41:31They were giving press conferences.
00:41:33I know it would be very easy for many people to conclude that Tanya Harding was somehow involved in this.
00:41:40I would ask all of you just to simply keep an open mind in this matter.
00:41:44It is not resolved.
00:41:46Thank you very much.
00:41:51Great.
00:41:52Wouldn't you be horrified if it turned out that Tanya Harding was actually involved?
00:41:56Does Nancy have any interest in this?
00:41:58Is she following it at all?
00:41:59It must be hard not to.
00:41:59Oh, sure.
00:42:00I'm sure she's interested, and I'm sure she's curious, but she wants to win an Olympic gold medal, and that's
00:42:06a big enough challenge.
00:42:07That's keeping us well occupied.
00:42:09The press were all over, and they were trying to find out everything about what she's doing.
00:42:14They wanted to go wherever she was, so everything had to be very secretive.
00:42:18We wanted to try her ice skating, you know, get her on the ice, see how the knee's going to
00:42:22respond, but we needed to do it in a way that could be private.
00:42:27We didn't want anybody to see what she was doing because we had no idea how well or how badly
00:42:32she would be doing.
00:42:34We decided we were going to do it at about midnight on, like, a Saturday night, and we were all
00:42:41over Nancy's house.
00:42:42I remember leaving first, and Nancy got in the backseat of someone's car and actually had a coat over her,
00:42:48kind of, like, laid down because the media was out there.
00:42:52Eventually, we all met back at the rink, and it really felt like a bank robbery or something.
00:42:57I remember myself just, like, shaking, like, oh, my God, this is so, this is just, it was kind of
00:43:02funny, but at the same time, it was, like, nerve-wracking because we didn't want to be seen.
00:43:06She put the skates on.
00:43:08It was very exciting because she was excited.
00:43:13She didn't do much of anything, but she did more than I thought she was going to do, and it
00:43:20looked pretty hopeful.
00:43:29On the East Coast, Nancy was relatively all-protective, which was good, and I think that kept Nancy's focus, whereas
00:43:36with Tanya, where she practiced, it was like practicing in its own little stadium, and it was in a shopping
00:43:42center.
00:43:43They were all around her.
00:43:45They were all around her at that rink.
00:43:48When she was skating at Clackamas, there were hundreds of news crews there, and every day and every week, it
00:43:56would just expand.
00:43:57They just wanted to get a shot of this most bizarre athlete who has allegedly been a part of this
00:44:06most bizarre plot.
00:44:08And she was actually very pleasant.
00:44:11Tanya was very pleasant.
00:44:13I don't think it occurred to her at this point just how deep and hot the water was.
00:44:19So she was kind of enjoying this attention.
00:44:22They're looking at me.
00:44:24They came here to see me.
00:44:26Hi, America.
00:44:27Hi, Europe and everybody else.
00:44:30Are you aware of how huge this thing has become?
00:44:32What do you think?
00:44:34I mean, everyone was there.
00:44:36Oh, believe me, even the New York Times was there, the venerable New York Times.
00:44:41It was horrifying for most reporters, you know, but there they were, standing side by side with the National Enquirer
00:44:48and all the tabloid glory.
00:44:51I remember Diane Sawyer hanging out at the barrier to be able to talk to Tanya.
00:44:56At one point, they trotted her mom out to the barrier to, you know, see if they could get her
00:45:00to talk to her mom.
00:45:01Have you ever point blank asked Tanya, were you involved?
00:45:06And if you haven't asked her that, will you ask her that?
00:45:10I never asked because I don't believe she did it.
00:45:15I don't think it's necessary to ask.
00:45:18I mean, it was so crazy.
00:45:21We would drive up to her coach's house.
00:45:23No one knows Tanya better than I do, and Tanya is innocent.
00:45:26I remember a guy saying to me, you want to hear what they're having for lunch?
00:45:31Have a listen.
00:45:32I said, what are you talking about?
00:45:34He said, I bugged their house.
00:45:37I mean, it came, it got to that point.
00:45:39Is this what the world of sports has come to?
00:45:42Could pressure drive competitors in such a violent lens?
00:45:45It has focused attention on the intense rivalries that exist in figure skating.
00:45:49The sports world, and just about everyone else, is fixed on the Tanya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan case.
00:45:54There had never been an incident that had captured the world's attention the way that this did,
00:45:58even if he cared nothing about figure skating.
00:46:01Peace in the Middle East?
00:46:02What was that about?
00:46:03No one cared.
00:46:04I mean, this is like watching Dynasty in real life.
00:46:06The people that wrote As the World Turns and The Guiding Light,
00:46:10they'd have died for some plot line like this.
00:46:13They'd have just said, my God, is that real?
00:46:16Do you hate Tanya Harding?
00:46:17Oh, yes, she is definitely, definitely a loser.
00:46:20Go, Nancy, you know?
00:46:22It was the supreme ice princess versus the trailer trash ignoramus.
00:46:30It was so rich in its blacks and whites, nobody needed the gray.
00:46:37Nancy looked as though she was wealthy.
00:46:39I mean, she had a very good patina to her.
00:46:41So that played out very well.
00:46:43It was a big class issue.
00:46:44I'll always love Tanya Harding.
00:46:46I support her no matter what.
00:46:47I really don't care whether she's innocent or guilty.
00:46:49She has a talent that not everybody has.
00:46:52Tanya's fans, I think they embraced the fact that Tanya didn't come up with the money,
00:46:58with the sparkle, with the glitz.
00:47:00They appreciated how hard she worked and what a great athlete she was.
00:47:06I may be a little rough around the edges sometimes, but overall, I think I'm a good person,
00:47:11and I think there's a lot of people out there that do like me.
00:47:14She was striking a blow for them.
00:47:16All of the poor girls caught in this world that was all about glamour.
00:47:20No, guys, get out.
00:47:22Come on.
00:47:22Leave me alone, though.
00:47:23Do you have any comment points?
00:47:24Yes, I'm allowed in here.
00:47:25Excuse me.
00:47:25My attorney told me that I can't talk about anything.
00:47:29It's hard when people ask you questions and you're like, I can't say anything, you know?
00:47:34How are you feeling?
00:47:35Tanya could not leave the ring with them from falling to her apartment or falling her to
00:47:38this or falling her to that.
00:47:40She just did not have a life.
00:47:42Crews were told, morning, noon, and night, go get Tanya.
00:47:46Flush her out.
00:47:47Get her to talk.
00:47:50The media would set off my alarm on my truck, and then they even called in a tow company,
00:47:56so I had to run out there and stop him from taking it.
00:48:00Anything to get a snapshot.
00:48:03Are you going to skate, Tanya?
00:48:04Taking the day off.
00:48:06Jesus Christ, get out of my way.
00:48:12Trying to tring in front of everyone was so much media.
00:48:17Every time I'd jump, they'd all flash.
00:48:19I'd fall on my face, hurt myself a couple of times.
00:48:24It just started becoming really impossible just to even concentrate on anything.
00:48:30Hey, Tanya, what are you up to hide?
00:48:31I'm not answering your questions, I said.
00:48:34Leave me alone for right now.
00:48:36I'll talk to you when I can.
00:48:39Good evening.
00:48:40Tanya Harding's ex-husband charged today that Harding was in on the attack on Nancy Kerrigan
00:48:44from the beginning, and that she was angry when the men around her didn't carry it out sooner.
00:48:49Jeff, did you cut a deal?
00:48:51Jeff, are you willing to sell Tanya out to save yourself?
00:48:55NBC sources say Galluli has cut a deal with prosecutors.
00:48:59They say Galluli will plead guilty to a reduced charge.
00:49:02In exchange, he'll testify that Harding was involved in the plot to attack Kerrigan from
00:49:07the very beginning.
00:49:08He gave us a statement about how they were going back and forth on whether to do it, and
00:49:15she said, well, what do you think?
00:49:17And he said, I think we should do it, and she said, let's do it.
00:49:22Tanya Harding talked about money very openly.
00:49:25When it comes right down to it, well, I have these little dollar signs in my head.
00:49:32She knew that if she won the Olympic gold, somebody would have to ask her to be a sponsor.
00:49:38Someone would ask her to endorse something.
00:49:41You win that gold in figure skating.
00:49:43You are set for life.
00:49:45Absolutely set for life.
00:49:48You can go and make all sorts of money on all the ice shows, all the endorsements, all the fame.
00:49:55There's gold in the gold medal.
00:49:57Mr. Galluli, is this plea given voluntarily?
00:49:59When Galluli negotiated some sort of plea bargain, then Eckhart and Stan cut deals.
00:50:05They all served up Tanya, threw her right under the bus.
00:50:08If they were going down, she was going down.
00:50:10So there's no doubt in your mind she's in on the conspiracy?
00:50:13No, there's no doubt.
00:50:15She, according to your information, made the phone calls and got information.
00:50:19You say she was present in a meeting when you were talking about covering it up?
00:50:23Yes.
00:50:24They all started changing their stories around and everything.
00:50:29I mean, what am I supposed to do?
00:50:34What do you do?
00:50:38Can you guys please leave me alone for a little while?
00:50:40I'm trying to get some sleep, okay?
00:50:42I can't make any comment, and you guys know I can't.
00:50:46Even about the phone calls that you made, apparently made to Boston?
00:50:49I have no comment because I don't know what I'm supposed to say yet, okay?
00:50:53Did you make those calls to Boston and find out about Nancy's schedule?
00:50:57I can't tell you anything, so just please quit knocking so I can get some rest, okay?
00:51:01Okay.
00:51:02Jeff said that she made calls to the Tony Kent arena to find out Nancy's practice session times.
00:51:12Now, it's Jeff's word against Tanya's word, I guess, but we just had to find corroborating evidence.
00:51:22The FBI is now pouring over some evidence found in the dumpsters behind this Portland restaurant.
00:51:27These scraps could corroborate Jeff Galooly's claim that Harding was in on the planning of the attack on Nancy Kerrigan.
00:51:34On one of the papers, you can see the words Tony Kent arena, the name of the rink where Kerrigan
00:51:40practices and was once believed to be a planned site for the assault.
00:51:43I just know that there was a piece of paper with phone numbers and stuff on it and other writings
00:51:51and names or something.
00:51:52They tested the handwriting and was not mine.
00:51:57We had the handwriting tested and it was identified as her handwriting.
00:52:03It was strong evidence of her involvement.
00:52:07Okay, here we go.
00:52:09They are coming in at this time.
00:52:11Coming in.
00:52:14Tonya would like to make some remarks.
00:52:16Tonya.
00:52:27I would like to begin by saying how sorry I am about what happened to Nancy Kerrigan.
00:52:35I am embarrassed and ashamed to think that anyone close to me could be involved.
00:52:42When I did the press conference, I was just like, we got to do something because I didn't do this.
00:52:48But at that very point when they said, oh, well, she did it, then it's like everybody looks at me
00:52:56like I'm the guilty party.
00:52:57I had no prior knowledge of the planned assault on Nancy Kerrigan.
00:53:06I am responsible, however, for failing to report things I learned about the assault when I returned home from Nationals.
00:53:22Despite my mistakes, I ask only for your understanding and the opportunity to represent my country with the best figure
00:53:32skating performance of my life.
00:53:39Thank you very much.
00:53:41For several weeks now, the skater Tonya Harding has denied that she knew anything at all about the attack on
00:53:45Nancy Kerrigan.
00:53:47Today, Ms. Harding admitted that was not quite true.
00:53:49She didn't know anything in advance, she said, but she did learn of the attack later and did not tell
00:53:55the authorities right away.
00:53:56The Olympic Committee was trying to figure out if they were going to let her skate before she literally had
00:54:02her day in court.
00:54:03What made it difficult to throw her off the team was her culpability. She hadn't been charged.
00:54:09Are you still planning on going to the Olympics?
00:54:11Yes.
00:54:12That's still a goal?
00:54:13Yes.
00:54:14A lot of people are saying to drop out?
00:54:17I don't know. I don't listen to what other people say.
00:54:20The association said, we don't want you to be on the Olympic team, we're going to take you off the
00:54:25Olympic team, because I've been implicated in this whole scandal.
00:54:30So I then said, okay, you know what, with my attorney, I'm going to sue you for $10 million, because
00:54:35I earned the right to skate on that Olympic team.
00:54:39I did not do this. I was not involved.
00:54:43People say, well, she'll do the right thing and step down off the team. I said, the hell she will.
00:54:47Well, if you know Tanya, she's an alley cat. She'll fight and she'll claw, and she'll make you throw her
00:54:53ass off the team, and then she'll sue you.
00:54:56That's exactly what happened.
00:54:58Tanya Harding heads for Norway tomorrow to compete in the Olympics.
00:55:01That's part of the out-of-court settlement she reached with the U.S. Olympic Committee over the weekend.
00:55:06Here I go. Here I go. Going for the win.
00:55:09I'm really excited to fulfill my dream and just keep believing in me, and I'm going to go there and
00:55:16I'm going to win.
00:55:18I'm going to go out and show them. No matter what anybody thinks, I'm just going to go out and
00:55:22show them that I'm one of the best.
00:55:25And that's what I was thinking.
00:55:44Nancy's coach has described you as virtually friendless on the U.S. figure skating team, and Nancy herself said that
00:55:53she'd never hugged you before,
00:55:54and so no reason to hug you now, even if you want it.
00:55:58How do you feel you've been received by your teammates after coming up here?
00:56:02I feel that I have been received very well. Everyone has been very nice to me, and we're all excited
00:56:09to be here as a team and represent our country.
00:56:12Here in Lillehammer, an army of media people today kept close watch on Nancy Kerrigan and Tanya Harding.
00:56:18Bear in mind that CBS had paid millions of dollars to air the Winter Olympics in 94, so the Tanya
00:56:25Harding-Nancy Kerrigan story was a dream for CBS.
00:56:29They had a made-for-TV movie. Who was going to win after this terrible, dastardly deed? It was perfect.
00:56:38So CBS knew the more we covered it, the better viewership was going to be for the Olympics.
00:56:46Do you realize that the whole world is talking about you now?
00:56:49I think they're talking about all the Olympics.
00:56:51People are not, the world is not talking about you because of your figure skating. You know that, don't you?
00:56:57No, I don't. I think it has to do with the Olympics. It has a lot to do with skating
00:57:02and about Nancy and I.
00:57:04It has to do with the controversy. It has to do with the attack.
00:57:07It has to do with skating and who's going to win the gold medal.
00:57:11She was pretty smart. She could handle an interview as well as any seasoned politician.
00:57:19Two Czech judges said that they will be influenced by the fact that you failed to report what you hear
00:57:24about the attack.
00:57:25I'm not going to answer that.
00:57:25She wasn't going to answer any questions that were controversial. She was not going to answer any questions about the
00:57:31attack.
00:57:31But do you know what could happen in the future?
00:57:33I'm not going to answer that. I told you. I'm done. I'm done with this. Thanks, Connie.
00:57:40She took off her mic and walked out.
00:57:44I got so upset because, I mean, I'm there to be part of the Olympics. I'm there to skate. I'm
00:57:49not here to try and do all these interviews.
00:57:52The media is. The media is, they don't care about anything except themselves and their paycheck.
00:58:01How do you feel about facing Tanya tomorrow in the first practice session?
00:58:04We didn't want to have to skate with Tanya in the practices.
00:58:07But each country skates together in a group.
00:58:14I wrote a letter requesting on behalf of Nancy that she not have to be on the same practice session
00:58:20with Tanya.
00:58:22The Olympic Committee said, no, this problem was made in America. This is your baby.
00:58:28So that made it even more of a circus because now they're going to face each other.
00:58:33And there was this feeling it's going to be Betty and Veronica scratching each other's eyes out the moment they
00:58:38see each other.
00:58:40It was a very small skating rink.
00:58:42And it was a very small space where people could go.
00:58:45Maybe it would hold 100.
00:58:46And maybe there were 2,000 people there.
00:58:49And you were penned in.
00:58:50The railing was, people were like this.
00:58:53They were like that.
00:58:54And they were just jammed in there and they're kind of jostling for position.
00:58:58Because they had to see this moment that was about to happen.
00:59:01Every camera crew in the world went to that thing and wanted to, wanted to see, wanted to see them
00:59:07fight.
00:59:08Of course we wanted to see them fight.
00:59:10That's why we went.
00:59:12I went up right to her when I first saw her and told her how sorry I was for being
00:59:17around the people that had done this to her.
00:59:19For being involved with the people that were there.
00:59:22You know, because I mean, that used to be my husband.
00:59:25You know, but she just blew it off like it was nothing.
00:59:29I thought we were friends.
00:59:31All of us had been on tour for years.
00:59:33And for her to treat me like that, like I was nothing.
00:59:37Like she was above me.
00:59:40I mean, that was, that's rude.
00:59:45Here was this absurd situation.
00:59:49That never should have taken place.
00:59:52But there was some irony in that Nancy wore the dress that she had been attacked in.
00:59:59Just simply to make a statement saying, you are not going to take this away from me.
01:00:05You're going to have to bring more than a couple of thugs and a bad plan to take me out
01:00:11of the Olympics.
01:00:11Carrie didn't show a little edginess there.
01:00:15And Tanya was unnerved.
01:00:16There's no doubt about it.
01:00:18Nancy's a princess.
01:00:20You know, that's how everybody's seen her.
01:00:23She's a princess and I'm a pile of crap.
01:00:25So, you know, I stayed at the dorms.
01:00:27I had security with me at 24-7.
01:00:30And she got to do whatever she wanted to do.
01:00:33But that's okay.
01:00:38It's, you know what?
01:00:39It's not okay.
01:00:40It's not okay.
01:00:41How I was treated by everybody out there was not okay.
01:00:52All the anticipation that has been building for almost two months now was tonight focused on Northern Lights Hall.
01:00:59You wouldn't miss it for anything.
01:01:01The 1994 women's figure skating competition is still the most watched Olympic program in sports history.
01:01:08The ratings in 1994 were like Super Bowl ratings.
01:01:10Every bar room in the world wanted to see this thing.
01:01:18When she got out there on that ice, I knew that in her short program, I mean, everything is leading
01:01:23up to the long program.
01:01:24But in that short program, she had a triple Lutz at the beginning of her program.
01:01:28And I knew if she hits this triple Lutz, she's going to skate great.
01:01:33And she goes and she just nails this triple Lutz.
01:01:36I mean, it was gorgeous.
01:01:37And I'm like, that's it, that's it, she's got it.
01:01:41On the ice, Tonya Harding.
01:01:48I worked my whole entire life for that one moment in time.
01:01:56It was very difficult to focus.
01:01:59I tried.
01:02:00I still didn't skate great that night.
01:02:01You know, it just, it just wasn't in the cards for me.
01:02:06The standings after the technical program.
01:02:08Kerrigan in first.
01:02:10Tonya Harding wound up 10th.
01:02:12Mathematically, she may still have a chance for a medal, but it doesn't look good.
01:02:16She had a terrible short program.
01:02:18She was buried.
01:02:19So by the time the whole world was coming to watch for the medal night, where was she?
01:02:29We have breaking news going on right now at the ice skating venue.
01:02:33They announced Tonya's name and she did not show up.
01:02:37I mean, it was literally like the end of The Sound of Music, where they say, and the family von
01:02:43Trapp, and nobody shows up.
01:02:46This is something that never happens.
01:02:49If she's not out here in 45 seconds, I think they're going to disqualify her.
01:02:53I'm not sure.
01:02:55It's not going to hold me.
01:02:57Tonya Harding finally did appear on the ice.
01:03:00She looked extremely distraught, began her program, started one jump, did not complete the jump, and then skated over in
01:03:07tears to the judges' stand, where she explained that she seemed to be having some kind of problem with the
01:03:12right skate.
01:03:14My lace broke.
01:03:15I knew I couldn't continue.
01:03:19And I was going to try anyway, but I knew I couldn't.
01:03:23I would have ended up breaking my ankle.
01:03:25This was not the first time that Tonya had a mishap with her clothing or her skates.
01:03:32And there was a sense that nobody believed that Tonya's skate lace actually broke.
01:03:37They believed that she was starting over because she made a mistake.
01:03:40She was allowed to go off and make an equipment change.
01:03:43We understand that she will be skating a little bit later.
01:03:46So Tonya Harding having all kinds of problems getting her long program underway as the program does continue.
01:03:53So then you got to calm yourself down and get your thoughts back in order.
01:03:58And then your body gets cold, so you've got to keep warming up.
01:04:02So I took my skates off, and then I put them back on and retied them.
01:04:06And it was just a mess.
01:04:10Just a complete mess.
01:04:14When she got back on that ice, she wasn't even close to being a good skater, much less a great
01:04:21one.
01:04:22Much less a medal winner.
01:04:25Mm-mm.
01:04:27Tonya, what happened, babe?
01:04:28Tonya, tell us what happened.
01:04:29My lace broke on my boot, and we tried to put it back together, and the lace was too small.
01:04:34And it went out, and I just couldn't do it.
01:04:37But I was disappointed I didn't do the triple axel, because I did a beautiful one in a warm-up.
01:04:44And that would be, like, one of the last things that people would remember.
01:04:48You know, Tonya Harding, she did the triple axel at the Olympics.
01:04:51You know, it was amazing.
01:04:53But I didn't do it.
01:04:55But I think I did the best that I could under all the circumstances that was going on.
01:05:02Once Tonya's done, now the only story is, can Nancy Kerrigan make the Cinderella the comeback and win the gold
01:05:08medal?
01:05:10She was standing there at the beginning of the program.
01:05:12You could see it in her eyes.
01:05:14I am going to skate perfect tonight.
01:05:17Tonight.
01:05:23Wow.
01:05:24This is an incredible moment.
01:05:26To think that she, six weeks ago, was whacked on the knee, then had to come here and was in
01:05:34front of the media and had all this speculation.
01:05:36Then she steps on the ice and skates like that.
01:05:39I mean, that has to go down in history as one of the most heroic performances ever.
01:05:47She skated a gold medal performance.
01:05:50They didn't give her the gold.
01:05:52She didn't win.
01:05:53A teenage kid, Oksana Bayul, wins.
01:05:56Nobody had any idea who Oksana Bayul was.
01:05:59Ultimately, the gold medal went to Oksana Bayul.
01:06:04And the powers that be at CBS were not happy with that result.
01:06:12Oh, my gosh.
01:06:14No one can believe it.
01:06:15Nancy Kerrigan.
01:06:17Boop.
01:06:18She gets the silver.
01:06:19Number two.
01:06:21She was really just devastated.
01:06:24We stood backstage.
01:06:27I don't know.
01:06:28Could barely move.
01:06:29We just couldn't believe it.
01:06:31Nancy had much more technical content than did Oksana.
01:06:34And, you know, on that day, it just felt like there was a decision that had been premeditated.
01:06:41And it felt political.
01:06:43It's a little bit shocking that Nancy didn't win.
01:06:45I think she won the gold.
01:06:46I think most of America thinks she won the gold.
01:06:47Honestly, I'm not so sure that she wasn't blamed for all of the attention that this whole thing was getting,
01:06:55which she had absolutely nothing to do with.
01:07:01And I don't know, but it was a travesty.
01:07:06When they were waiting for the medals, Oksana was taking her time and she had been crying.
01:07:10I think she was putting on makeup and Nancy was getting irritated at how long it was taking.
01:07:15So she's going to get out here and pray again.
01:07:18A lot of people saw that as sour grapes, you know.
01:07:22You know, I was kind of like, I'll give the girl a break.
01:07:25Come on.
01:07:25She was under a microscope.
01:07:26Nobody could survive that.
01:07:28She was the crybaby who didn't win the gold.
01:07:31You know, I'm sorry.
01:07:32I've never said this before, but just shut up.
01:07:35Nobody wants to hear your whining, okay?
01:07:38You got a silver medal at the Olympics.
01:07:40And all you can do is poo-poo them away?
01:07:43I just don't think it's right.
01:07:46I just don't think it's right.
01:07:51Your step's right behind you.
01:07:53Excuse me, your step's behind you.
01:07:55This afternoon, Tanya Harding entered a plea of guilty.
01:07:59This ends the biggest part of what for Tanya Harding has been an unending nightmare for over two months.
01:08:07I think what set the stage for a plea bargain was that she was able to compete.
01:08:17She lost.
01:08:18And then it was a question of cutting her losses.
01:08:23I pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution.
01:08:27My attorney said either I would take that or I would have to go to jail for a year or
01:08:32something like that.
01:08:33I would just like to say that I'm really sorry that I interfered.
01:08:36I admitted to knowing after the fact.
01:08:40But because I did not report it, that's hindering prosecution.
01:08:45In the end, Harding pleaded guilty only to playing a role in the cover-up, not the attack itself.
01:08:51Her sentence?
01:08:52Three years probation.
01:08:53One hundred and sixty thousand dollars in various fines and court costs.
01:08:58Truthfully, I don't remember much about anything after the Olympics.
01:09:02Because I lost everything.
01:09:05I mean, everything.
01:09:07The United States Figure Skating Association has unanimously determined that Miss Harding will be removed as the 1994 U.S.
01:09:16ladies figure skating champion and will be banned for membership in the U.S. FSA for life.
01:09:21I never get to skate again, ever, in competition.
01:09:26I'm kicked out of the association.
01:09:29But yet, well let her skate in the Olympics, that's fine, let her skate.
01:09:33It's okay, she won't win.
01:09:36She won't get the marks that she deserves.
01:09:39She won't get anything in her life to do with skating ever again.
01:09:45Ever, ever again.
01:09:53I think Tanya deserved to be banned.
01:09:56And I think that was an incredible consequence for her.
01:10:02I mean, it was an abrupt halt like no other.
01:10:05It was really a death sentence in the sport.
01:10:09And I think that it was deserved.
01:10:13I mean, that was pretty much the worst thing that could ever happen to me.
01:10:18Because I didn't have any other source of where I could go, what I could do.
01:10:25I mean, what am I going to do with my life now?
01:10:29There was nothing to fall back on.
01:10:31Tanya went to high school until she was a sophomore.
01:10:34She got her GED, but school was not a priority.
01:10:38She had no tangible skills, other than this incredible talent.
01:10:44And now, this innate gift was completely squandered.
01:10:52We should never thank an assault for happening.
01:10:54But skating's popularity shot through the roof after this event.
01:10:59The tours that were filling up ice arenas around the country, skaters were making real bank.
01:11:05And Nancy rode that wave and rode it well.
01:11:08I mean, she went on to make millions.
01:11:11Skating was put on the map, supposedly from me.
01:11:16You know, everybody made a life and a livelihood, except me.
01:11:29It was very hard to make a living.
01:11:31I mean, I did boxing.
01:11:32It wasn't another career, of course.
01:11:35But it helped me for a few years of surviving.
01:11:40But then doing different interviews and working on cars and doing landscaping and things like that.
01:11:47And, you know, I've succeeded.
01:11:51I've been married for three and a half years.
01:11:53And I have a two and a half year old son.
01:11:56Just having my life with my husband and my son, that's what I need and want and have.
01:12:05Nancy will always be remembered for Wounded Knee.
01:12:09She's always going to be linked with Tonya.
01:12:12It's always going to be Nancy and Tonya, Nancy and Tonya, Nancy and Tonya.
01:12:15You never hear one without the other.
01:12:17But I don't think she ever would have wanted the attention that she got.
01:12:20So Nancy pretty much moved on.
01:12:23Nancy and I got married about a year and a half after the Olympics.
01:12:28And surely thereafter started having a family and now have three kids.
01:12:33And that's what drives everything at this point.
01:12:35It has been almost 20 years.
01:12:37And she really didn't want to talk about it.
01:12:41Like, she's kind of like, get over it already.
01:12:46And, but I'm sure she probably knows that it's continued to make her famous.
01:13:00All the pundits and all the smart folks, they were saying, okay, his only chance now, he's got to kneecap
01:13:05her.
01:13:05He's got to do a Tonya Harding on the front runner.
01:13:09It's so weird.
01:13:11People remember her name.
01:13:13You know, for a while, that's all she wanted.
01:13:16I'm going to be the best in the world.
01:13:17You're going to know Tonya Harding.
01:13:19And, yep, if you say Tonya Harding to anybody who's over 20 years old, 30 years old, they know right
01:13:27away, oh, yeah, she's the one.
01:13:30It's not exactly what Tonya had in mind.
01:13:32But, yeah, they know her name.
01:13:33But for all the wrong reasons.
01:13:36The one thing we will really never know is really what was Tonya's involvement in this thing.
01:13:46Did she plan it from the beginning?
01:13:47Did she tell them to do it?
01:13:50You know, I have avoided the question of whether or not I think Tonya was involved for 20 years.
01:14:08I don't know why I've avoided that question.
01:14:12I think because I really, really, really still to this day want to believe that she wasn't.
01:14:19But of course she was involved.
01:14:21Of course she was.
01:14:24Were you involved at all in the planning of?
01:14:28Of course not.
01:14:31Does it, um...
01:14:32Everybody that out there that truly knows me knows that I was not involved in any of the planning or
01:14:38anything.
01:14:41Tonya is her own worst enemy.
01:14:45And her tragic flaw is the inability to take responsibility and culpability for her actions.
01:14:55Tonya had learned to reinvent and create her own reality.
01:14:59And maybe that's a survival tactic, but it's really an unexamined life.
01:15:06You know what?
01:15:06People are going to believe what they want to believe in the past or anything.
01:15:11And like I said before, I really don't give a damn.
01:15:14I don't care because those people aren't in my life.
01:15:18The people that know me, know me and like me for me.
01:15:23And I love me.
01:15:25My husband loves me.
01:15:26My son loves me.
01:15:27And that's the most important.
01:15:31I mean, if you can't love yourself, how can you love somebody else?
01:15:34So you've got to start from point A to be able to work up to point Z.
01:15:38And that's the most important thing for me.
01:15:39I love you.
01:15:40I love you.
01:15:40And that's what I want to make you remember.
01:15:42Bye.
01:15:43Bye.
01:15:43Bye.
01:15:43Bye.
01:15:44Bye.
01:16:01Bye.
01:16:12the real life backstories from bbc news a topical podcast brings you the human interest
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