But it is Eckardt who looms as a pivotal figure in the investigation. [38], According to Gillooly, Harding then approached both men and asked Eckardt if his previous back pains were better. [92][93], The attack was mentioned in Weird Al Yankovic's song "Headline News", a parody of the Crash Test Dummies hit "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm". "[21] On June 17, 1991, Harding filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. The grand jury foreman said the evidence implied Harding as "involved from the beginning or very close." Did Jeff really hit Tonya? But circulating through Portland under Gillooly's letterhead is an undated letter of recommendation for Eckardt. Claire Ferguson, president of the USFSA, decided not to suspend Harding's membership before a hearing took place. [30] Eckardt suggested cutting Kerrigan's Achilles tendon, using a beater car to run her off the road, or "just kill her," but those ideas were opposed. Harding said she understood that. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Neither Harding nor her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, has been charged in the case. A smiling, clapping Harding. [94], The event is referenced in the songs "Strange Clouds" by B.o.B featuring Lil Wayne, "Tonya Harding" by Sufjan Stevens, and TONYA by Brockhampton.[95][96]. It was 12.55am, Saturday 27 July 1996. [38] He said the message was difficult to understand, it sounded like "Tunee Can." He remembered Harding briefly talking to him and Eckardt saying Kerrigan's photo was "flattering." Before Gillooly arrived to the meeting, Smith asked Eckardt to tape-record the impending plotting for security. He allegedly hired two men, 29-year-old Derrick Smith and his nephew Shane Stant,. Tonya & Nancy: The Inside Story (TV Movie 1994) Dan Schneider as Shawn Eckhardt. They settled on injuring Kerrigan's right leg. He claimed that he then phoned Eckardt to cancel the deal. Few skaters and promoters would work with her, and she did not benefit from the ensuing boom in professional skating after the scandal. The attack took place just days before the tournament, and rendered Kerrigan unable to take part. "[97], Cobo Arena, the site of the attack, pictured here in 2007, 1994 United States Figure Skating Championships, United States Figure Skating Championships, "Third Suspect Arrested by F.B.I. I, Tonya is an American biographical film directed by Craig Gillespie. In 103 pages of FBI transcripts from interviews with four figures in the Kerrigan assault, an unappealing picture is painted: * Shawn Eric Eckardt, Harding's bodyguard, is portrayed as a . It really is a miracle, and she really is very happy.". Oscars Best Picture Winners Best Picture Winners Emmys STARmeter Awards San Diego Comic-Con New York Comic-Con Sundance Film Festival Toronto Int'l Film Festival Awards Central Festival Central All Events [1] At the time of the attack, the couple were together and still referred to each other as husband and wife. "Unfortunately, he tried to turn fantasy into fact by masterminding this stupid attack," Ron Hoevet said. Or was he following the orders of others? [52] During the meeting, he thought Eckardt was leading Gillooly to think he had many "underground" contacts. Shawn Eckardt, the 300-pound would-be bodyguard of figure skater Tonya Harding, walked out of prison Friday morning in Salem, Ore., the last of those involved in the attack on Nancy Kerrigan to be . "[53], Shane Stant first testified about the attack plot after he turned himself in to the FBI on January 14, 1994. . [36] Gillooly said he liked that idea. Shawn later admits to Jeff that he was the one who called in the death threat on Tonya. The events -- and the ramshackle cast or characters behind them -- fascinated and disturbed Portlanders and the nation. Shane Stant, the hit man who was hired to attack Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan with a collapsible baton 24 years ago, has told Inside Edition exclusively that he is regretful for the act. I, Tonya opened theatrically in the United States on December 8, 2017.. We've played chess together.". He said he was also upset for her and later spoke about figure skating politics to his friend Shawn Eckardt. One of them included Harding's bodyguard, and what happened to Shawn Eckardt is truly tragic. PORTLAND Brian Sean Griffith, the former bodyguard to Tonya Harding, has died. But when the US Olympic Committee scheduled a hearing to discuss whether she should be removed from the team, Harding filed a $25million lawsuit against the Committee, and the USOC backed down and agreed to let her skate in the Olympics. I really don't. The whole thing created such a stir that it became a national sensation, and Eckardt was a key figure throughout the whole investation. He changed his name to Jeff Stone and also went on to a life outside of the headlines. Also, Eckardt includes with his resume a letter of recommendation from Blackstone Corp. and uses as a reference a Mr. W. J. Walther, the company's purported Oregon-based representative. And NBC News reported last night that Gillooly will be arrested today. [38][39] Once this was achieved, Harding would receive endorsements and he could offer $1,000 per week for her security. She declares her innocence and wishes Gillooly well. Gillooly said that Harding had been moving her possessions into his truck when they started an argument over his former girlfriend; he declined to press charges. Star Staff. According to Gillooly, Harding replied, "Let's do it. But the year began with headlines and newscasts, tabloids and talk shows blaring one name familiar to Oregonians: Tonya Harding -- good girl gone bad. Harding said she protested that she wanted to win fairly, and asked them what they were talking about. In mid-December 1993, Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, approached Shawn Eckardt about somehow eliminating Kerrigan from the competition. June 21, 1994: Harding manages wrestler Art Barr, "The American Love Machine," for one night. Her friend Don Horn says, "She's always wanted a baby. Oct. 18-19, 1999: Harding plans makes her professional skating debut in the ESPN Professional Skating Championships in Huntington, W.Va., She places second and expects that such a strong showing will lead to offers from ice shows or TV skating specials. Eckardt replied that Smith was already driving to Portland and that he needed more information about Kerrigan a photograph and the location of the ice rink where she practiced. In 2010, the former skater also set a new land speed record for a vintage gas coupe with a speed of 97.177 mph, driving a 1931 Ford Model A. The incident ended in apologies and no criminal charges were filed. It's an 18-mile Open Ocean Paddle and each paddler must raise or contribute a minimum of $1500 to participate. The camera crew began recording again shortly after the attack and recorded Kerrigan sitting on the floor crying surrounded by arena staff. Smith told Gillooly he could solve "problems," and Gillooly said he wanted Kerrigan out of the National Championships so Harding could win an Olympic gold medal. Kerrigan could not compete in the US Championship but recovered in time to compete in the Winter Olympics. After Eckardt was shopped to the FBI by one of his friends, he implicated Gillooly who then agreed to testify against his own wife in exchange for a plea bargain effectively ending their troubled marriage. Eckardt is dead. [38], Gillooly testified that by January 1994, he and Harding were upset that the plot had apparently failed. The hitman was Shane. Formerly Shawn Eckardt, Griffith had changed his name since the attack. March 21, 1994: A Multnomah County grand jury indicts Eckardt, Smith and Stant on charges including racketeering and conspiracy to commit second-degree assault. Lurking in the background was Harding's self-anointed "bodyguard," Shawn Eckardt, a slovenly fabulist. Feb. 10, 1994: Harding sues the U.S. Olympic Committee to stop it from a planned hearing to discuss whether she should participate in the Olympics. Kerrigan was then carried away to a changing room by her father. . She agreed to reimburse Multnomah County $10,000 in legal expenses, undergo a psychiatric examination, and volunteered to give $50,000 to the Special Olympics Oregon (SOOR) charity. I, Punching Bag. [83][84][85][73] It stated there was evidence Harding fraudulently used USFSA-provided skating monies to finance the assault. Burial Details Unknown. Dec. 24, 1994: Harding skates as Mrs. Santa Claus at Clackamas Town Center during her first public skating performance since the Olympics. But my life was in shambles.. Feb. 1999: Harding says the way has been cleared for her return to skating, but United States Figure Skating Association officials say her status has not changed. [66][67][68], On February 5, 1994, the USFSA disciplinary panel stated there were reasonable grounds to believe Harding had violated the sport's code of ethics. The latter was released four months early, in September 1995, and he went on to open up a computer business in 2001, according to The New York Times. Eckardt said Harding then skated up to him and commiserated about his ongoing back pain. It was later revealed that Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, and her bodyguard, Shawn Eckhardt, were the masterminds who hired Stant to render Kerrigan incapable of competing at the 1994 Olympics. Kerrigan had been practicing skating on an ice rink in the arena shortly beforehand. Gillooly was told his money would be returned if the deed was not completed. Accounts of Stants personal rehabilitation can be read in letters of recommendation he filed with a court in Oregon when he tried to have his conviction in the Kerrigan assault expunged. Here's a timeline of the saga, compiled from reporting by The Oregonian staff and wire services: February 1991: Tough, athletic Tonya Harding lands the daring triple axel during the U.S. [18], Harding met Jeff Gillooly in 1986 when she was skating at the Clackamas Town Center; she was 15, he was 17. "[30], When Derrick Smith was first interviewed by FBI on January 12, 1994, he held to the cover story that had been agreed upon with his co-conspirators until later in the day when he confessed to his part in the plot. Feb. 1, 1994: Gillooly pleads guilty to racketeering in exchange for a 24-month sentence. Kerrigan was the American sweetheart who was one of her main competitors on Olympic ice. Hood Community College, shared an interest in espionage and survivalism, and had discussed opening a school together someday. Her pickup won't start. "[73][74] Gillooly and Eckardt pleaded guilty to racketeering, while Stant and Smith pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit second-degree assault. 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