Thursday, October 22, 1998
Tyson deserves to return to ring, to revitalize his tarnished
image
COLUMN: Critical lapse in judgment should not blacklist boxer
for life
Three score and nine weeks ago the Nevada State Athletic
Commission did the right thing. It suspended indefinitely the
license of a fighter who was grossly out of line during a boxing
match.
Two days ago, the commission did the right thing once again by
reinstating him.
On June 28, 1997, Michael Gerard Tyson shocked the world by
biting Evander Holyfield’s ear in a heavyweight championship bout
 twice. The stunned crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena sat
in awe as Tyson was disqualified.
Afterward, the world wanted to know what happened to Mike
Tyson.
The commission immediately placed a freeze on Tyson’s $30
million purse.
Later, they would release the money, less a 10-percent fine of
$3 million.
On June 29, 1997, the greatest columnist of them all, Jim
Murray, printed a piece that described Tyson as a two-bit fighter.
The late Murray referred to the troubled fighter as "one disturbed
young man" who "should not be allowed to fight again."
Murray’s sentiment, of course, was widely felt. This was the
same Tyson who had served three years of a six-year prison sentence
for a rape conviction. And this was the same Tyson the world
basically feared.
This man brought to the ring a style lacking finesse, but he
made up for that with thrill and excitement en route to becoming
the youngest heavyweight champion of all time.
His technique, if you will, was commonly referred to as
non-existent. It was further believed that Tyson was not
necessarily an intelligent fighter but a powerful boxer; a
superhuman brute, so to speak.
With that in mind, just how hard is it to write someone off as
an animal when he does wrong if you already believe that he is
one?
This situation makes me recall an old saying, "Now ain’t that
the pot calling the kettle black?"
How can the most violent sport on the face of the planet deem
Tyson too violent to participate? I just don’t understand.
I implore you to put yourself in his shoes for a moment. Think
about a situation in which you are one of the best ever in the
history of the world to do your job. Then imagine that you have
some mishap and make a very bad decision. What do you expect to
happen?
In the worst-case scenario you expect to get fired, right? Maybe
you explain to your next employer where you went wrong. Or maybe,
just maybe, you exclude the previous job from your resume.
After all, you are one of the best at what you do and the past
is the past. Never does it cross your mind, however, that you will
be internationally reprimanded and prevented from doing your job
anywhere else.
When you see Mike Tyson’s career as his job, it sheds a
different light on the situation. At about age 12 he was taken into
the home of Cus D’Amato and Camille Ewald where he came under
D’Amato’s tutelage and trained as a boxer.
Tyson has described the relationship between D’Amato and himself
as a relationship between parent and child. In that nature, father
raised son to be the best there ever was at the fight game. Whether
he succeeded is arguable, but boxing is what the man knows.
Nonetheless, this is about more than boxing. It’s about a man’s
life; a man’s livelihood and his family.
Tyson feels that he lapsed into that extra-violent state because
he was concerned about his career being ended by repeated injury
from head butting. He also feared that any injuries incurred would
force him out of his job and render him unable to support his
family.
And while he did disgrace himself and the sport for that matter,
everyone has setbacks. Indeed, Tyson’s may have been an extreme
setback.
It was an extreme error in judgment, if you will. But it should
not be blown out of proportion just because he was on the grandest
stage  worldwide television.
According to the Independent Medical Evaluation for the Nevada
State Athletic Commission, Tyson sees the error in his ways. It
states Tyson "has expressed remorse about the incident, as well as
great concern that he will not be able to fulfill his obligation to
support his family if he cannot box. Mr. Tyson was adamant that he
will never let anything like that happen again."
Drunk drivers receive counseling and get their licenses back
after suspension. Alcohol and drug abusers go through
rehabilitation to avoid jail time and keep their jobs. Are they so
much better than Mike Tyson that he should be kept from returning
to work as well?
Are not the 33-page medical evaluation in favor of his return
and Tyson’s weekly psychotherapy sessions enough to get Tyson back
in good graces with the public? I say they are.
Holyfield himself said that he wouldn’t rule a rematch out
 and that was said while the wound was still fresh.
Following Tyson’s request in June 1998 for Holyfield to forgive
him, Holyfield agreed to and has sent a letter of support for
Tyson’s reinstatement.
Well, I would hope that were Murray still with us today, he
would reconsider his stance and agree with the commission’s
decision to let Iron Mike return to the ring.
Tyson is not "America’s Wolfman." He is America’s adopted son.
And this adopted son has had scrapes and scuffles throughout his
life and has learned from every one of them. He has become better
for all that he has gone through. This is no time to abandon
him.
See, Tyson has dealt with a sort of abandonment before. D’Amato
died in 1985, and Tyson describes his reaction to his mentor’s
death as that of a child losing a father. While Ewald is still
alive and supported by Tyson, Tyson’s birth parents and sister have
all passed away.
D’Amato, in addition to being like a father, was described by
Tyson as his "best friend." Having lost that line of support, Tyson
has had an extremely hard time coping with fighting, fame and
fortune. But hey, we all make mistakes, don’t we?
Give the man a chance to restore his dignity and professionalism
in front of the world.
After all, politicians do it all the time, don’t they? And I
would easily rather give Tyson a second chance than certain
destructive presidents in our past.
Even one of this century’s most celebrated ambassadors of good
will would like the man to be able to return to the arena that he
loves.
On Tuesday the greatest fighter of them all, Muhammad Ali,
through his wife Lonnie, released a statement on behalf of
Tyson.
"Let this man earn a living," the statement said. "Give him a
chance to redeem himself."
If you don’t want to listen to what I have to say, listen to
Ali.
After all that Ali has done for this nation and for the sport,
how can one in good conscience deny this request?
Carter is a seasoned sports writer determined to bring a news
element to sports. Please forward questions and comments to
[email protected]. CinQue Carter
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