Is Tonya Back or Not!!
- Thread starter Dee4707
- Start date
I remember pro basketball player Latrell Spreewell choking his coach--he was allowed to keep playing.
Christian Laettner stomped on a player.
Mike Tyson bit a boxer.
I say let her skate. She will soon find out she can't compete and will wither away somewhere else.
Christian Laettner stomped on a player.
Mike Tyson bit a boxer.
I say let her skate. She will soon find out she can't compete and will wither away somewhere else.
I think that for the harm she caused (which was none b/c Nancy was still able to skate) plus for the offense (battery) which is normally a few months in jail (if that), a lifetime ban was overkill. There were previous posts in which the victims of the battery suffered serious harm and the guys were still allowed to play. Now players know that battery is a risk due to the nature of those sports and in skating , there is not risk of battery except for colliding with someone at the rink. I can see punishing her for a few years, however I believed that the USFSA , Nancy Kerrigan and the professional skating world all benefited from the incident and made a tidy profit off of the increased publicity for skating. I think that it's wrong to deny Tonya the right to make a living at skating for the rest of her life.
Now I don't advocate no punishment b/c we can't let the eager skating mothers think that they can club their daughters' rivals, however I think that a 5 year ban should have sufficed. Tonya has to be a USFSA member in order to compete in any ISU event and last time I looked, the ISU is running the full show. Tonya can't even compete in professional events because she's blacklisted there as well which is really creepy when you think about it that only 2 companies run the entire figure skating show. It's like burning your bridges at one company and never being able to practice your trade again at another company.
Now I don't advocate no punishment b/c we can't let the eager skating mothers think that they can club their daughters' rivals, however I think that a 5 year ban should have sufficed. Tonya has to be a USFSA member in order to compete in any ISU event and last time I looked, the ISU is running the full show. Tonya can't even compete in professional events because she's blacklisted there as well which is really creepy when you think about it that only 2 companies run the entire figure skating show. It's like burning your bridges at one company and never being able to practice your trade again at another company.
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2003
Courts always take into consideration heat-of-passion vs. premedatation, and it weights heavily on the sentence.
I don't think that one can really equate a player losing it in the heat-of-the-moment and momentarily choking his coach with a skater who methodically planned another skater's death for weeks in advance.
I also think that we need to separate legal vs. USFSA sentences.
She cut a deal (as so many criminals do) and served her time. She's done with all that.
The USFSA however, is a club. Like it or not, they are private and can make up any rules they want. If they want to ban her for life because they hate bushy bangs or bad home perms, legally they can. She could sue, but I doubt she'd win.
There is however, no rule against her skating for another country. Notice that no one wants her though.
Excellent points, Berthes Ghost. However, I'm sure many countries have been offering Tonya big money to skate for them. It's just that Tonya is so patriotic, she just can't bring herself to skate for any other country but her home, land of the free, with boxing and boob jobs for all, the USA. Poor thing!berthes ghost said:
Rgirl
If people want to say, the crime of hindering an investigation is deserving of a lifetime ban, I can understand that point of view. However, the public has found her guilty of planning the assault- the courts did not. Sure, clubs have the right to make their own rules within certain limits. They don't have free reign. If they did,
Tonya wouldnt have gone to Lillihammer.
Basically, I don't think Tonya should be punished for anything other than hindering the investigation. That's all she's been found guilty of doing.
Tonya wouldnt have gone to Lillihammer.
Basically, I don't think Tonya should be punished for anything other than hindering the investigation. That's all she's been found guilty of doing.
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I disagree stongly with Tonya only being guilty of what she was charged with. The FBI stated many times over during that time that they had MORE than enough evidence to convict Tonya for full involvement in the planning and the execution of the escapade. Tonya simply CUT A DEAL to avoid being charged with more than "hindering the prosecution," and in that deal, other evidence was likely sealed from public/media perusal. Here's a thought: If she was innocent and could absolutely prove her innocence beyond that one charge, why didn't she go to court and fight to be exonerated? There are plenty of high profile lawyers who would have taken the case on just for the exposure, likely at no cost to her. IMO, Tonya cut a deal to avoid the possibility of a more serious conviction and real jail time. I know not everyone agrees, but I believe she was fully involved in the plot from day one. And I also believe her lifetime ban was appropriate. As a skater, I firmly believe she has no business representing a wonderful sport after she participated in a criminal act against a fellow competitor, no matter how major or minor that involvment was.
I was home sick yesterday and I watched a silly VH1 hour about "Bad Girls" and the publics fascination with them. Of course, Tonya and Nancy were mentioned, and one person commenting said it all about Tonya:
"There are many ways to defeat your competitior--how about by BEING BETTER" (than that person)???????
The sad part is, Tonya really was better. She was supremely talented, but her own laziness, poor attitude, crummy work ethic and sense of entitlement brought her down. The really sad part is that she still maintains that hard shell of entitlement and think the world owes her celebrity. Again, she is truly sad.
I was home sick yesterday and I watched a silly VH1 hour about "Bad Girls" and the publics fascination with them. Of course, Tonya and Nancy were mentioned, and one person commenting said it all about Tonya:
"There are many ways to defeat your competitior--how about by BEING BETTER" (than that person)???????
The sad part is, Tonya really was better. She was supremely talented, but her own laziness, poor attitude, crummy work ethic and sense of entitlement brought her down. The really sad part is that she still maintains that hard shell of entitlement and think the world owes her celebrity. Again, she is truly sad.
Is Tonya Back or not!!
Yazeen,
I agree with your post. Tonya was a bad apple who got caught. No excuses should be made for upbringing, etc. Nothing can excuse her dishonesty and criminal behavior. She cut a deal with court which does NOT hold her fully responsible for her actions. In my opinion, Tonya is lucky to have any fans left.
As far as her talent goes, there is plenty of talent out there. Tonya's claim of being the "one of the best skaters in the world" is laughable. Chances are when Tonya is 40 years old she will still be harping on the same issue. This is a sure sign of a loser.
Dizzy
Yazeen,
I agree with your post. Tonya was a bad apple who got caught. No excuses should be made for upbringing, etc. Nothing can excuse her dishonesty and criminal behavior. She cut a deal with court which does NOT hold her fully responsible for her actions. In my opinion, Tonya is lucky to have any fans left.
As far as her talent goes, there is plenty of talent out there. Tonya's claim of being the "one of the best skaters in the world" is laughable. Chances are when Tonya is 40 years old she will still be harping on the same issue. This is a sure sign of a loser.
Dizzy
A previous poster said that Tonya was planning another skater's death: basically she was conspiring to hurt another skater so she couldn't compete. There was no indication that she wanted to kill Nancy. Second the most a court had on her was conspiracy , hindering an investigation and a battery charge. I don't think she would have gotten more than a year in the clink for those charges.
It was smart of her to cut a deal b/c even if she was innocent (which I don't believe), she would have taken the risk that a grand jury would not have believed her.
It was smart of her to cut a deal b/c even if she was innocent (which I don't believe), she would have taken the risk that a grand jury would not have believed her.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
I get the sense of How Legends Are Made. The stories grow and grow and where the fact is nobody knows or cares. It seems she's guilty and there is no redemption for her.
One must never let the lower class rise above their station.
Joe
One must never let the lower class rise above their station.
Joe
I've always thanked God that we live in a country with legal rights and protections. In this country, legal officers- the police and FBI- can gather evidence but do not determine guilt. So that ''the FBI said'' means absolutely nothing.
I personally think, Tonya might have been better off going to trial. She would have had a better chance facing a jury in a system that values her rights. Now, she's been tried by a public that doesn't seem to think civil rights apply to everyone.
I personally think, Tonya might have been better off going to trial. She would have had a better chance facing a jury in a system that values her rights. Now, she's been tried by a public that doesn't seem to think civil rights apply to everyone.
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- Joined
- Sep 24, 2003
while i do think tonya should at least be welcomed back into skating, i don't think the usfsa should reinstate her, because the rules are rules, and she did participate in that pro event.
Actually Tonya has a good argument for the USFSA reinstating her despite her participation in a pro event b/c of her lifetime ban. If she can't compete in ISU or USFSA events, the only event she can compete in is a pro event. Plus after the 1994 Olympics, the ISU allowed skaters to compete in pro events and then they could reinstate in 1995 or 1996 deadline to regain their eligibility.
You mean like Rudi Galindo and Michelle Kwan, to name just two skaters who came from low-income backgrounds to become champions? And that's just in figure skating.Joesitz said:One must never let the lower class rise above their station.
Joe
Of course none of this is as simple as a one sentence response, but not even Longwinded Rgirl is willing to spend time boring everyone with a bunch of pros and cons. I know, you're all so disappointed
Rgirl
