Gillooly claimed that when he told Harding about plotting to injure Kerrigan, she thought it was "a good idea. According to him, Eckardt wanted to keep the idea of injuring Kerrigan a secret from Harding, but Gillooly explained that injuring a competitor might psychologically affect Harding's performance too. [6][7] Law enforcement investigators had been following and videotaping the co-conspirators since January 10, and knew about the payphone calls. But to the attorney representing Gillooly, Eckardt is a man who "led a fantasy life," and performed only one job as a bodyguard to Harding. Certified parachutist. Did Jeff really hit Tonya? Harding's lawyer, Robert Weaver, then stated he wished to speak privately with his client. He then phoned Harding asking her to pick him up. What happened to Shane Stant, who attacked Nancy Kerrigan during the Tony Harding scandal? For those unfamiliar with the story, a brief recapping, pardon the pun. Marano stated that Harding had phoned her about a "bet" regarding Nancy Kerrigan. Jan. 22, 1994: Investigators fly to Los Angeles to interview Kerrigan, who's filming a commercial there. Kerrigan, who was attacked in Detroit after a training session, only suffered bruising and managed to win Silver at that years games in Norway. Shawn Eckardt, a friend of Gillooly's who was also Harding's bodyguard before the attack, had originally been hired by the figure skater after she received an anonymous death threat. [38], According to Gillooly, Harding then approached both men and asked Eckardt if his previous back pains were better. She's a redneck, but she's my redneck. I, Tonya opened theatrically in the United States on December 8, 2017.. Gillooly said only her right leg needed to be disabled, her landing leg; he claimed to have previously verified this with Harding. But the year began with headlines and newscasts, tabloids and talk shows blaring one name familiar to Oregonians: Tonya Harding -- good girl gone bad. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. A jaw-dropping confession found in the archives of early-90s TV newsmagazine Hot Take, featuring Tonya Harding's infamous "bodyguard" Shawn Eckhardt.Learn mo. [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]. Aug. 1994: Pictures taken from the video of Tonya and Jeff Gillooly's wedding night appear in the 25th anniversary issue of Penthouse magazine. As you can tell, each relationship featured I, Tonya, is fraught with built-up animosity. Gillooly stood in her view behind the camera during the interview. [12] Shane Stant later testified that Harding was part of staging the death threat against herself. [19] In 1988, the couple moved into a home together, and Harding claimed she began experiencing physical abuse from Gillooly. The shamed US figure skater has confessed that she overheard her husband Jeff Gillooly and bodyguard Shawn Eckardt talking about carrying out an attack on one of her competitors. Neither Harding nor her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, has been charged in the case. It has a lot of people wondering: Where is Shane Stant, the Kerrigan knee-whacker, today? 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. That Eckardt inflated his credentials is undeniable. In reality, the. In 1993, Eckardt was enrolled in a paralegal course at Pioneer Pacific College and trying to build a business called World Bodyguard Services. Harding, who finished eighth at the 94 Olympics, was the subject of intense media scrutiny during the event in Lillehammer because of the alleged plot by her husband. [38], Shortly after Eckardt had spoken on the phone with Derrick Smith, he visited Gillooly and Harding at their home and quoted $4,500 to execute the plot. Feb. 12, 1994: Harding drops her lawsuit, and the Olympic committee decides to cancel its hearing. I, Punching Bag. Death. In I, Tonya, Eckardt is played by Paul Walter Hauser, and the actor nails his impression of the bodyguard. Figure Skating Championships. Read more about what happened to Jeff Gillooly after the Kerrigan attack here. Rogers doesn't discuss whether or not he consulted with Fay to hear her side of the story, and that might be because Harding and her mother have not spoken since 2002. Speaking on ABCs Truth and Lies: The Tonya Harding Story, the shamed athlete said she heard a conversation between her husband and Eckardt who she described as dumb as a post.. The interview ended with Harding saying, "No one controls my life but meif there's something in there that I don't like, I'm going to change it. "That's news to me," said Joe Walther, the man who answered the phone listed in the letter. He then escaped from the arena by smashing through a locked glass door. It could not be confirmed if Gillooly wrote the letter, however. Harding's mother, LaVona, said she opposed the marriage: "I knew Jeff had a violent streak [] he tried to break down the door because he thought [Tonya] had gone out with another boy. Eckardt and Harding's . 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 . She's allowed to continue, but the magic is gone. [38][39] Once this was achieved, Harding would receive endorsements and he could offer $1,000 per week for her security. Eckardt had dropped out of high school and was currently enrolled in a paralegal course at Pioneer Pacific Collegethat is, when he wasn't running the grandly titled World Bodyguard Services from. Shane Stant was one of the most notorious figures in the 1990s because he was nabbed for being the actual attacker of Nancy Kerrigan. [80][73][81] Harding's penalties included three years of probation, a $100,000 fine, and 500 hours community service. It was 12.55am, Saturday 27 July 1996. Arrested for their roles in the attack were Derrick Smith and Stant, two men who liked to set booby-traps and play war together on property they shared in Corbett, Ore. And there were tales of Eckardt trying to entice a fellow student, Russell "Rusty" Rietz, to "kill someone" in Detroit for $65,000. Hoevet added that Eckardt was paid $3,500 by the Harding camp to provide security as the skater arrived at Portland International Airport, and accompany her on a planned trip to last week's pre-Olympic skating exhibition in Fairfax, Va. July 11, 1994: Eckardt is sentenced to 18 months in prison. To his attorney, Eckardt "wasn't smart enough" to plot the clubbing of Kerrigan. . Counter-terrorist specialist. Nov. 3, 1994: Portland artist Deforrest unveils 60 silk-screen prints of Tonya Harding and charges $5,000 a pop. She received three years probation, 500 hours of community service and was hit with a $100,000 fine. Jan. 9, 1994: Detroit police release composite drawings of man suspected of attacking Kerrigan. Griffith died . July 21, 1995: Shane Stant, Kerrigan's assailant, is released from the Santiam Correctional Institution after serving 14 months. "[22] In summer 1991, she became engaged to mechanical engineer Mike Pliska. He wouldnt cut anybody. 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. Two days later, she received a restraining order against Gillooly: "He wrenched my arm and wrist, pulled my hair and shoved me [] he bought a shotgun, and I am scared for my safety. Russell then advised her that while concealing criminal knowledge did not violate Oregon law, lying to the FBI would violate federal law. [28][24], On August 28, 1993, Harding and Gillooly were granted a divorce. Eckardt then phoned him to say the plot involved making "an accident happen" to a skater, maybe cutting an Achilles tendon. "Despite my mistakes and rough edges," she says, "I have done nothing to violate the standards of excellence in sportsmanship that are expected in an Olympic athlete." Eckardt says Gillooly hatched the plot. Figure Skating Championship, Harding tells the press, "Let me tell you, I'm going to go there and kick some butt.". During Harding's youth, her father held various odd jobs (managed apartments, drove a truck, and worked at a bait & tackle store), yet was often underemployed due to poor health. She said she worked as a freelance writer and had written some figure skating articles about Harding, regularly trading phone calls with her. I really don't. Jan. 11, 1994: The FBI begins investigating an allegation that Eckardt and Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, orchestrated the attack on Kerrigan. According to The New York Times, Gillooly was sentence to a two-year term, while Eckardt had an 18-month sentencing. He remembered Harding briefly talking to him and Eckardt saying Kerrigan's photo was "flattering." [64][65] Harding left her home that evening to practice figure skating with her coaches, where she spoke with reporters and performed a triple Axel. [38], On December 29, 1993, Stant agreed to execute the plot and took a flight to Boston, yet discovered he could not rent a car with his girlfriend's credit card. [30] Gillooly assured her Eckardt knew people who could carry out the attack, and they could abort the plot if they did not like Eckardt's plan. Not bad for someone who would have been 16 years old at the time of his hiring. Jan. 14, 1994: Stant surrenders to the FBI in Phoenix, Ariz., and is charged with conspiring to assault Kerrigan. On December 31, Stant drove to Yarmouth, Massachusetts, reaching the Tony Kent Arena that afternoon. Stant, who was 22 years old at the time, was hired by Shawn Eckhardt, a close friend of Tonya Harding's then-husband, Jeff Gillooly. In this Jan. 12, 1992, file photo, Tonya Harding, left, and Nancy Kerrigan appear at the U.S. Shane Stant Today: Where Is the Nancy Kerrigan Attacker Now? Menu. The grand jury foreman said the evidence implied Harding as "involved from the beginning or very close." He compared the "hit" to going hunting. L And "extremely adaptable in a rapidly changing environment.". The film stars Margot Robbie (who also produced the film), Sebastian Stan, and Julianne Nicholson. And it was Eckardt's apparent remorse for the assault that led him to play a tape of the conversation for a local minister. [38] Smith wanted to know if Eckardt was still interested in moving to Phoenix to help set up an anti-terrorist training camp as they had previously discussed. Tonya Maxene Harding was born on November 12, 1970, in Portland, Oregon, to LaVona Golden (b. "[a] This footage was later broadcast around the world in news programs. 1994), This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 01:48. The interview with Diane Sawyer from 1994 is as weird as you'd expect, with Sawyer explaining to viewers that, "Eckhardt has a rsum that makes him out to be a cross between James Bond and. "He seemed like a nice guy, and I'm sure he meant well," Duggan added. Still, the movie's screenwriter, Steven Rogers, made sure to interview Gillooly and others so as not to only get Harding's side of the story. The Portlander is the first U.S. woman to do so. 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. [90], The attack and the scandal surrounding it were depicted in the 2017 film I, Tonya, with Margot Robbie portraying Harding, Ricky Russert portraying Stant, and Caitlin Carver portraying Kerrigan. The New York Times, major networks and every tabloid television show from Australia to Japan descended on Portland, setting up camp downtown across from the Justice Center Jail. 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