1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,559 Speaker 1: This podcast is based a large part on the book 2 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:06,040 Speaker 1: Born Ready Mixed Legacy of Len Bias. Some cults are 3 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:09,200 Speaker 1: narrated by podcast producer and book author Dave and Grady 4 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:12,480 Speaker 1: from interviews done for the book. Recrings for those comments 5 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: were not available. 6 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 2: Got to that point where the second guess was coming 7 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:21,119 Speaker 2: from everywhere, and I asked. 8 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:24,079 Speaker 3: A lot of questions about course I was letting that 9 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:27,200 Speaker 3: thought was a little little strange. 10 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:30,480 Speaker 4: The inspiration that limbias was to Walt Williams and I, 11 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 4: but we also came back and contributed to the program 12 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:35,000 Speaker 4: in the rebuilding process. 13 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:37,520 Speaker 5: That ultimately led with winning the championship. 14 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 4: In two thousand and two. 15 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:39,919 Speaker 6: At this point, you. 16 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 7: Know, you're thinking, how much more you know can one 17 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 7: person dumb. 18 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:50,520 Speaker 8: And show they tried to make the fall guy poor 19 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 8: Left had no more to do with that than you 20 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:54,640 Speaker 8: are I here. 21 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: Unfortunately, in this episode of Lembias, the Mixed Legacy teammate 22 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:02,760 Speaker 1: how the death and Bias impacted members of the nineteen 23 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: eighty six of Maryland basketball would have been so sick. 24 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 9: Few were as profoundly affected by the death of Len 25 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 9: Bias as members of the nineteen eighty six Maryland basketball team. 26 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:16,480 Speaker 9: For this episode, we will focus on the impact of 27 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 9: his death on some of his teammates as well as 28 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:24,200 Speaker 9: his coach, Lefty Drizzl. This episode captures the essence of 29 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:27,160 Speaker 9: resilience as it relates to the death and legacy of 30 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 9: len Bias, the ability to recover quickly from difficulties and 31 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 9: showing toughness during those times. Some managed to endure the 32 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:41,320 Speaker 9: torrential onslaught of challenges and forge lives wiser and more 33 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 9: sturdy than they might have been without the tragedy. Others 34 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 9: struggled to escape the lingering wreckage. Dave Dickerson, Derek Lewis, 35 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 9: Keith Gatlin. Through teaching and coaching, they've managed to pass 36 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 9: along lessons they learned that tumultuous time. 37 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:04,640 Speaker 3: This generation doesn't know they've heard about their parents, know 38 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 3: their parents still no use drugs because you know then buys. 39 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 9: Tony Masenberg overcame a stop and start college career to 40 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 9: become an NBA champion. John Johnson has lived a quiet 41 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 9: life with little taste for basketball, but still idolizing his friend. 42 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:25,960 Speaker 10: It's important for me to tell my story as far 43 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:28,639 Speaker 10: as how he impacted my life. I carry him with 44 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 10: me every day. 45 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 9: Jeff Baxter is philosophical. 46 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:33,200 Speaker 11: What I what? 47 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 2: I took him down, Jerry the first we section. First 48 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:40,079 Speaker 2: thing I took was life is short. You never know 49 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 2: what's going what's going to happen? 50 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:46,080 Speaker 9: And Speedy Jones turned to God. David greg and Terry 51 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 9: Long were with Bias when he died. They both have 52 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:53,679 Speaker 9: mostly remained quiet, choosing to let Len's legacy pass with 53 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 9: minimal public reflection. Greg Nard went on to work with 54 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 9: such super stars as Tiger Woods and Michelle Wee. As 55 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 9: a marketing and management representative for Nike, Brian Palmer has 56 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:12,680 Speaker 9: coached youth sports. He has told the LN Bias story 57 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:15,519 Speaker 9: to his athletes, hoping it will help them make the 58 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:20,799 Speaker 9: right choices. Phil Nevin says he's long ago put it 59 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:26,919 Speaker 9: all behind him. Coach Trisell fared better than most, continuing 60 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 9: a career that ended with an induction into the Naismith 61 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 9: Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. 62 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,480 Speaker 5: You know, basketball has been great to me and for 63 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 5: me to get in this Hall of Fame is like 64 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 5: unbelievable and thank. 65 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:42,839 Speaker 12: You very much. 66 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:50,360 Speaker 9: Some talk to us for this podcast. Some of the 67 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 9: comments came from the book Born Ready. The Mixed Legacy 68 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 9: of Len Bias. It's a tale of one shattered team 69 00:03:56,720 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 9: that shared an enduring tragedy, the death of but it 70 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 9: was not by their own choice. 71 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 10: So I met it. We both were shooting at those 72 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 10: those tho basketball courts that are set up to lose. 73 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:15,840 Speaker 2: I think we both lost a lot of money because 74 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 2: you had to be so perfect with them with the 75 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:19,000 Speaker 2: heading Austratia. 76 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:24,040 Speaker 10: He approached me. He approached me, and we started all 77 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:25,160 Speaker 10: I remember it is what's up? Man. 78 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:31,480 Speaker 2: We gave each other five back in the day, so 79 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:33,920 Speaker 2: the handshake was different than said. We had a lot 80 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:35,239 Speaker 2: of people around just watching the shoot. 81 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 10: I do know that. 82 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:39,600 Speaker 9: That's Jeff Baxter talking about the day he met Len Bias. 83 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:42,600 Speaker 9: It was on a senior class trip in nineteen eighty 84 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 9: two to King's Dominion, an amusement park about eighty five 85 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:50,920 Speaker 9: miles south of Washington, d C. Baxter and Bias were 86 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 9: two of the top players in the Washington DC area 87 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:57,560 Speaker 9: in the summer of nineteen eighty two. They shared a 88 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 9: room on campus while attending summers. They did preseason workouts together. 89 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,600 Speaker 9: They developed a comfortable bond from the beginning. 90 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:09,960 Speaker 2: Kind of like myself, you any kind of serious or whatever, 91 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:11,880 Speaker 2: but we're both really silly. 92 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:15,440 Speaker 9: Baxter and Bias would be roommates during their four years 93 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:19,360 Speaker 9: at Maryland. During their first year, Bias and Baxter held 94 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,440 Speaker 9: their own little dance parties in the campus apartment. 95 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:25,480 Speaker 2: We would actually when we would have to have curfew, 96 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:31,840 Speaker 2: which was deplemented the night before a game, and you 97 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:33,840 Speaker 2: couldn't You couldn't go out out. You couldn't go out 98 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:34,840 Speaker 2: the apartment at all. 99 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:39,279 Speaker 10: I couldn't believe it. You get bored. He gets bored 100 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 10: stuff you hadn't done. 101 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:43,040 Speaker 2: The game is not until nine o'clock the next night, 102 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:45,200 Speaker 2: and you know it could be a Friday night. 103 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:47,479 Speaker 10: So we were a fresh movement. 104 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:51,040 Speaker 2: We would just type, turn the music, guys. Then we 105 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:58,480 Speaker 2: would dance. My southm be it dancing. It's great, not together, 106 00:05:58,680 --> 00:05:59,480 Speaker 2: but just dancing. 107 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 10: You go, okay, didn you go? It would be funny 108 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:06,720 Speaker 10: as I mean here I mean. 109 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:09,560 Speaker 2: And that's how it was just hilarious for six for 110 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:13,480 Speaker 2: a basketball player at amazing dancing. 111 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:17,440 Speaker 9: As juniors, they ventured further from campus for social outings. 112 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 9: A favorite hangout was Georgetown, a section of Washington, d C. 113 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:26,240 Speaker 9: With dozens of upscale bars and shops. One of their 114 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:30,239 Speaker 9: favorite places in Georgetown was the Saloon at Jazz Club. 115 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:35,040 Speaker 9: Baxter claims that he never saw Bias drink alcohol. As 116 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 9: for himself, Baxter says he drank only wine or champagne 117 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:40,880 Speaker 9: during celebrations. 118 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 2: Lenny would never drink one thing in front of it. 119 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 2: When we went out, we partied, we danced, we chased 120 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:50,560 Speaker 2: the girls. 121 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:53,840 Speaker 10: That's it. We didn't we didn't go out, We didn't 122 00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:56,440 Speaker 10: go out to Okay, we gotta find something for us, 123 00:06:56,480 --> 00:06:57,440 Speaker 10: so we have to go get hot. 124 00:06:57,720 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 9: Baxter did not start his first game until the Sea 125 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:03,799 Speaker 9: Your season. That year, he started thirty games and averaged 126 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:07,280 Speaker 9: nine point five points per game. One of his more 127 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 9: fond memories from that season was a night he and 128 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 9: Bias broke curfew. After a game against NC State, Along 129 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 9: with freshman John Johnson, they stopped by a party on 130 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 9: the NC State campus. The three returned to the team 131 00:07:22,640 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 9: hotel after midnight. Waiting for them were Maryland's assistant coaches 132 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 9: and head coach Lefty Drizzl. Had it not been for 133 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:34,640 Speaker 9: a summer school exam he needed to take on June nineteen, 134 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 9: Baxter would likely have stated at his girlfriend's house, where 135 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:42,239 Speaker 9: he had fallen asleep the night before. Instead, he returned 136 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:44,520 Speaker 9: to the dorm suite he shared with Bias and others 137 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:49,360 Speaker 9: shortly after midnight, expecting to study a bit more. The 138 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:53,120 Speaker 9: group was celebrating Bias's selection by the Celtics in the 139 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:54,920 Speaker 9: NBA draft heil two nights prior. 140 00:07:55,840 --> 00:08:01,520 Speaker 2: I was more so excited. Again, the thoughts too, they 141 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:08,120 Speaker 2: did happen. So my mindset wasn't who wasn't think of that, grandpantsy. Now, 142 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:13,560 Speaker 2: I'll saw a couple of hyges, a little bloodshot red. 143 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:20,720 Speaker 9: But a few hours later Bias was dead. Baxter was 144 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:23,760 Speaker 9: unaware of any drug use by Bias during their four 145 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:27,000 Speaker 9: years of Maryland. He still insists Bias did not use 146 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 9: drugs before the night he died. 147 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:32,600 Speaker 10: But I've heard things. I have not heard anything validated 148 00:08:32,679 --> 00:08:33,920 Speaker 10: that had had. 149 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:40,800 Speaker 2: Done drugs. Okay too, that's crazy. I would go on trial, 150 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:44,160 Speaker 2: not that that would matter and deny that. 151 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:48,199 Speaker 9: Baxter found solo comfort in a familiar place on the 152 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:52,600 Speaker 9: evening of June nineteenth, hours after Bias died, a place 153 00:08:52,679 --> 00:08:55,040 Speaker 9: that was special to both Baxter and Bias. 154 00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:57,560 Speaker 10: Yeah, I came to this line. 155 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:01,160 Speaker 2: It's just kind of because I was trying to just 156 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:04,559 Speaker 2: flash back this whole big in my mind, because actually 157 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:07,480 Speaker 2: I thought I didn't think, but felt like a dream. 158 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:10,480 Speaker 2: I knew it was reality, but I felt like a dream. 159 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:14,520 Speaker 2: So that's why I came. Probably was there until about 160 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:23,360 Speaker 2: three and born big job. So it's write and I 161 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:28,000 Speaker 2: think it's Kramber appertures apputures Kramber, who was a time 162 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:28,920 Speaker 2: away from it all times. 163 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:32,240 Speaker 9: Baxter spent the next few weeks at his parents' house nearby. 164 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:35,960 Speaker 9: While at home, he was surprised when even his brother 165 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:38,040 Speaker 9: asked him if he had been using drugs. 166 00:09:38,280 --> 00:09:39,960 Speaker 10: The second guess was coming from everywhere. 167 00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:43,880 Speaker 9: Baxter tried out for two NBA teams, and he feels 168 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:47,480 Speaker 9: his connection to Bias hurt his chances of making a team. 169 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:51,360 Speaker 9: He claims he was asked by one team to perform 170 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:54,800 Speaker 9: three drug tests a day for five days, more than 171 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:59,240 Speaker 9: other players during their tryouts. Baxter feels the excessive testing 172 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:01,920 Speaker 9: was due to his connection to the death of Bias. 173 00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:06,839 Speaker 9: Two years after Bias died, Baxter returned to Maryland and 174 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:11,280 Speaker 9: completed his public relations degree. For some twenty years, something 175 00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:14,920 Speaker 9: would happen every day that would make Baxter think about Bias. 176 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:19,280 Speaker 9: He now mostly reflects on his friend and teammate only 177 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 9: when asked. Baxter attended the premiere of the documentary Without 178 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 9: Bias in two thousand and nine. He recalls an emotional 179 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:32,280 Speaker 9: moment that night with former terrap and basketball star Steve Francis. 180 00:10:33,559 --> 00:10:37,520 Speaker 10: Steve Francis and he was, you know, he was crying. 181 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:40,800 Speaker 10: Oh my god. He almost couldn't stand up. And this 182 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:43,199 Speaker 10: is Steve Chief. He said, Man, the reason why I've 183 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:45,480 Speaker 10: went there, said, I went there because of all of 184 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 10: you guys playing. I mean, he was torn up. I said, man, 185 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:50,760 Speaker 10: just take care of yourself. You gave him a hug 186 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:52,400 Speaker 10: and everything. And I'm trying to watch the movie. That 187 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:55,080 Speaker 10: was like, yeah, that's crazy, but he said, he said, 188 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:57,400 Speaker 10: he said, the reason I went there because that. But 189 00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:00,559 Speaker 10: I'm sure he wanted me met Lyn because Linn to start. 190 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:04,280 Speaker 9: When thinking of Bias, Baxter tries to focus on lessons 191 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:05,760 Speaker 9: learned from his death. 192 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:12,400 Speaker 2: To me, God's choices, it's solid. Everything has been knocked 193 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:15,240 Speaker 2: into my head by my peers in our family, and 194 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:18,959 Speaker 2: I just gotta be careful what choices you do. And 195 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:21,480 Speaker 2: not all who there to be right, but certain things 196 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:22,000 Speaker 2: you got. 197 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:28,559 Speaker 9: Like Baxter. Tom Speedy Jones was a senior on the 198 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:32,360 Speaker 9: Maryland basketball team in nineteen eighty six. He admits that 199 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:35,120 Speaker 9: by the time he began his Maryland career in nineteen 200 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:39,040 Speaker 9: eighty four as a junior college transfer, he had stopped 201 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:43,440 Speaker 9: going to church. During a phone conversation in May twenty eleven, 202 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:46,760 Speaker 9: Jones said that the death of Bias reknew his faith 203 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:50,400 Speaker 9: in God. Speedy Jones told me, the sad thing is 204 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:53,000 Speaker 9: it's a hard thing to say, but it was a 205 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:56,079 Speaker 9: positive thing for me. It made me take a look 206 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:59,079 Speaker 9: at how I was living my life during that year. 207 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:03,640 Speaker 9: I was the worst. I had no respect period. Anyone 208 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:06,599 Speaker 9: would tell you if I went into a restaurant, I 209 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 9: treated everyone with disrespect. When he died, I knew I 210 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:13,679 Speaker 9: had to get my life straight. I'm here by the 211 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:17,040 Speaker 9: grace of God. John Johnson, a freshman on the team, 212 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:20,240 Speaker 9: confirms that self assessment by Jones. 213 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:24,839 Speaker 13: Speedy was always that guy. Whatever that it was also 214 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:27,719 Speaker 13: about him. I could tell he had changed. He was 215 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:32,920 Speaker 13: just he was more of a person whatever that that 216 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:38,120 Speaker 13: was more considerate of you know other people and know 217 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:42,120 Speaker 13: other people's feelings. It was just like, it's almost like 218 00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:43,120 Speaker 13: he was a different person. 219 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:45,319 Speaker 9: Jones was an All American in both high schooled and 220 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:49,440 Speaker 9: junior college. One newspaper described him as a Bias like Leaper, 221 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 9: but his Maryland career failed to reach great heights. As 222 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:57,080 Speaker 9: a senior forward, he averaged seven points and four rebounds 223 00:12:57,080 --> 00:12:59,840 Speaker 9: a game to avoid the under one of the ten 224 00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:04,480 Speaker 9: that surrounded Maryland's players. After the death of Bias, Jones 225 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:08,360 Speaker 9: fled to Europe. Jones told me, I took the first 226 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:11,360 Speaker 9: flight out to Europe. I couldn't come out of the apartment, 227 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:14,320 Speaker 9: and without a camera getting into my face, I thought 228 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:17,040 Speaker 9: I could get away from it over there, But over 229 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:20,959 Speaker 9: there were the same questions. Jones played four years of 230 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:24,880 Speaker 9: professional basketball in Europe and for several minor league teams 231 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:28,920 Speaker 9: in North America. He later became a special education teacher. 232 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 9: In two thousand and eight, he helped secure Lnice Bias 233 00:13:33,280 --> 00:13:36,120 Speaker 9: as a graduation speaker at the school where he was teaching. 234 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:43,960 Speaker 9: Keith Gatlin was the high school player of the Year 235 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:48,080 Speaker 9: in North Carolina in nineteen eighty three. Some considered him 236 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:50,800 Speaker 9: a natural to play for the tar Heels of North Carolina, 237 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:54,199 Speaker 9: but Gatland like Maryland's up tempo style, and some of 238 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:58,000 Speaker 9: his relatives lived near the Maryland campus. Maryland was high 239 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:00,400 Speaker 9: on Gatland's list of schools when he went there for 240 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:05,040 Speaker 9: a visit. Len Bias was assigned to be chaperone. Keith 241 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:07,840 Speaker 9: Gatlin told me, I hit it off with him when 242 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:10,520 Speaker 9: we first met. When you go to a campus to 243 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:13,160 Speaker 9: a visit, most of the coaches put you with somebody 244 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:17,040 Speaker 9: they know will be talkative, outgoing, show you a good time. 245 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:20,920 Speaker 9: He was that guy That visit convinced Gatlan to commit 246 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 9: to Maryland. He was the team's top point guard for 247 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:28,040 Speaker 9: three years with Bias. Gatlin finished his junior year as 248 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:31,480 Speaker 9: the team's second leading scorer. He was primed to be 249 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:35,880 Speaker 9: the team's scoring and assist leader as a senior, and 250 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:38,760 Speaker 9: at six feet and five inches tall, he had the 251 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:41,720 Speaker 9: strong potential to become at least a role player in 252 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:46,320 Speaker 9: the NBA. Gatlin attended summer school in nineteen eighty six 253 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:49,240 Speaker 9: and lived in the same four room suite as Bias. 254 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:53,840 Speaker 9: He had his last conversation with Bias before going to 255 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:58,080 Speaker 9: bed on June eighteen, and early class beckoned the next day. 256 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:02,360 Speaker 9: Gatlin told me, I said I'll see you in the morning. 257 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:06,680 Speaker 9: He said, I'll see you in the morning. Gatlin awoke 258 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:09,600 Speaker 9: the next morning and found Bias unconscious on the floor. 259 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:13,040 Speaker 9: He called Lanice Bias and told her to go to 260 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:18,880 Speaker 9: the wrong hospital. Len's death shattered Gatland's life. After Bias died, 261 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 9: Gatlin cried every day for weeks. He spent lots of 262 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:26,880 Speaker 9: time watching soap operas on television. He ordered pizza and 263 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:29,960 Speaker 9: ate it in bed. He was scared to leave his room, 264 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:34,440 Speaker 9: fearful of people whispering, hey, that's Gatlin. He was in 265 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:38,000 Speaker 9: the room when Bias died. Gatlin told me I was 266 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:40,360 Speaker 9: getting ridiculed and I had nothing to do with it. 267 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:44,560 Speaker 9: I'm thinking, this is crazy. I was guilty by association. 268 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 9: Because we played at Maryland, everybody perceived us as being 269 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:52,520 Speaker 9: a pot smoker and bad kids. I felt like everybody 270 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:55,600 Speaker 9: on the team was being targeted. I was very bitter. 271 00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:59,000 Speaker 9: We were young men having a great time in college. 272 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:03,240 Speaker 9: Gatland failed to register for classes in the fall semester 273 00:16:03,920 --> 00:16:07,800 Speaker 9: and was ruled ineligible for the next season. He admits 274 00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:11,800 Speaker 9: that his thoughts were far from basketball in school. Gatlin 275 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 9: told me, I took the wrong approach. I was young. 276 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:19,120 Speaker 9: I felt like this is not fair. Instead of handling 277 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:22,040 Speaker 9: it like an adult, I went into a shell and 278 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:25,640 Speaker 9: had the f the world mentality. This lasted the whole 279 00:16:25,720 --> 00:16:28,760 Speaker 9: year for me. Gatlin played his first home game at 280 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:32,360 Speaker 9: Colefield House since the death of Bias. On January eighth, 281 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:36,840 Speaker 9: nineteen eighty eight. Most in the sellout crowd of fourteen 282 00:16:36,920 --> 00:16:40,040 Speaker 9: thy five hundred stood and cheered for him as he 283 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:43,040 Speaker 9: entered the game for the first time about midway through 284 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:48,240 Speaker 9: the first half. Gatlan scored twelve points and led Maryland 285 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:51,800 Speaker 9: in assists with six in a fifteen point win over Clemson. 286 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:56,680 Speaker 9: Gatland was not picked in the nineteen eighty eight NBA draft. Still, 287 00:16:56,840 --> 00:17:00,360 Speaker 9: he played that summer with the Milwaukee Bucks before being cut. 288 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:05,560 Speaker 9: Gatlan recently appeared on the Go Turps podcast, hosted by 289 00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:10,320 Speaker 9: former Maryland star Travis Garrison. He explained the challenges he 290 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:12,840 Speaker 9: faced trying to make an NBA team. 291 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:16,119 Speaker 14: I went to the Milwaukee Bucks and then I went 292 00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:18,400 Speaker 14: to in the in the paces and I was told. 293 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:21,440 Speaker 15: Thank you do the wait. 294 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:23,480 Speaker 14: Things happened at Maryland bad for the community. 295 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:27,480 Speaker 16: I'm all acc all the time, Assistan leader, you know, 296 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:32,280 Speaker 16: and I'm like, I'm hooping right it comes time to 297 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:35,960 Speaker 16: get in the bag, like can't deal with I'm like, 298 00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:38,160 Speaker 16: I take a drug test for you twenty four hours. 299 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:40,119 Speaker 16: Might even say you take a drug test for you 300 00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:41,120 Speaker 16: twenty four hours. 301 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:43,439 Speaker 9: Of that, Gatland did play for pro teams in Europe 302 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:47,119 Speaker 9: for eight years. Even when he played in Europe, Gatlan 303 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:48,840 Speaker 9: couldn't escape the death of bias. 304 00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:54,240 Speaker 14: They knew that I played Maryland and lived bys for 305 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:58,920 Speaker 14: such an icon of figure lost his life. So I 306 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:02,440 Speaker 14: only had one jour Yugoslavian coach in the EuroLeague when 307 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:05,240 Speaker 14: I was in Greece. That made it a big deal 308 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:07,880 Speaker 14: and was just like, hey, well you're in that room whatever. 309 00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:09,760 Speaker 14: But oh, I told my wife I ever see him again, 310 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:12,320 Speaker 14: I'm gonna step to him. So he tried to break 311 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:13,639 Speaker 14: me mentally, but he couldn't. 312 00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:14,880 Speaker 17: But he went. 313 00:18:15,359 --> 00:18:17,360 Speaker 16: He went where you shouldn't go by saying. 314 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:19,920 Speaker 14: Stuff like when you're in that room, or or you're 315 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:22,760 Speaker 14: a part of that when you do cocaine. He went 316 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:25,840 Speaker 14: somewhere that you know, as a as an athlete and 317 00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:27,200 Speaker 14: a coach, you should never go. 318 00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:31,159 Speaker 9: Gatlin credits his mother with helping guide him through the 319 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:32,080 Speaker 9: challenging time. 320 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,280 Speaker 14: My mom rest of her soul was just like, yo, 321 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:37,600 Speaker 14: you keep doing it the right way and it come 322 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:41,919 Speaker 14: back to your tenfold. And that was poretic from her. 323 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:45,000 Speaker 14: It was the one hundred percent correct. I hung in there, 324 00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:48,200 Speaker 14: got my degree, played on a nice level, you know, 325 00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:49,080 Speaker 14: made some money. 326 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:51,200 Speaker 16: But at first it did bother me. 327 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:55,440 Speaker 14: But the grips with it, like you know, you can't 328 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:59,240 Speaker 14: control people you can control, you can control the controllables. 329 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:03,119 Speaker 9: Gatlin is an assistant coach at High Court University in 330 00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:07,080 Speaker 9: North Carolina. As a longtime coach, he has used his 331 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:11,280 Speaker 9: experiences with Bias to teach life lessons to his players. 332 00:19:12,680 --> 00:19:15,800 Speaker 9: Gatlin believes that if Bias had heeded that kind of advice, 333 00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:20,520 Speaker 9: he might still be alive. Gatlin told me on the court, 334 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:23,359 Speaker 9: Lenny was a tenacious player. When he was with his 335 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:26,359 Speaker 9: local crew, he did what they did. But when he 336 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:29,320 Speaker 9: was his own person, people said he was too soft. 337 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:33,200 Speaker 9: I tell kids, it's okay to be different. Live to 338 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:41,800 Speaker 9: your own standards. Derek Lewis was walking on the Maryland 339 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:45,520 Speaker 9: campus to take a Calculus test on June nineteenth, nineteen 340 00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:49,400 Speaker 9: eighty six, when a teammate stopped him. He told Lewis 341 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:52,840 Speaker 9: to go to a nearby hospital. Something serious had happened 342 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:53,520 Speaker 9: to Lend Bias. 343 00:19:55,359 --> 00:19:56,959 Speaker 10: I got to leave you. I was studying all night 344 00:19:57,000 --> 00:19:57,520 Speaker 10: for his test. 345 00:19:58,080 --> 00:19:58,359 Speaker 11: Who p. 346 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:01,640 Speaker 10: Said, Lewis is something happened to Linda. 347 00:20:02,359 --> 00:20:05,600 Speaker 9: Lewis raced to the hospital. He needed to find out 348 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:09,800 Speaker 9: what happened to Bias missing that test was a minor 349 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:14,000 Speaker 9: inconvenience for Lewis compared to what he endured during his 350 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:17,280 Speaker 9: last three years at Maryland. When he was five years old, 351 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:21,040 Speaker 9: Lewis moved from North Carolina to Temple Hills, Maryland, some 352 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:26,879 Speaker 9: ten miles from bias his hometown of Columbia Park. He 353 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:29,520 Speaker 9: was a high school All American and a big North 354 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:33,160 Speaker 9: Carolina fan, but Lewis, as a coach at North Carolina, 355 00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:35,399 Speaker 9: told him he'd have to sit for much of two 356 00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:40,240 Speaker 9: years until Michael Jordan was done. So Lewis picked Maryland 357 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:44,280 Speaker 9: as a freshman. Lewis and Bias, and then a junior, 358 00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:47,960 Speaker 9: were roommates on the first team trip of the nineteen 359 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:52,880 Speaker 9: eighty four eighty five season. It was at the Alaska Shootout. 360 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:58,280 Speaker 9: On the trip, Lewis witnessed the spontaneous side of Bias, So. 361 00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:02,639 Speaker 3: We ended up staying the room and taking all these 362 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:04,680 Speaker 3: real goofy pictures that he had a dicky on and 363 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:08,040 Speaker 3: no shirt and jeans rolled up and they had a 364 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:11,080 Speaker 3: hat pool that he was had one leg on. 365 00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:13,480 Speaker 10: Chad, We're taking pictures like that. So he spent the 366 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:14,240 Speaker 10: dress that night. 367 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:17,880 Speaker 9: Doing that Lewis recalls the high confidence level of Bias, 368 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:23,040 Speaker 9: you know Superman. After Bias died, Lewis struggled largely with 369 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:26,359 Speaker 9: the blame given his coach left to Grizzl for the 370 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:27,159 Speaker 9: death of Bias. 371 00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:29,919 Speaker 3: Oh, I'll go quick, because they were they were blaming them. 372 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:32,560 Speaker 3: They said it was just falling that control one and left. 373 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:34,640 Speaker 3: He can't be with us twelve hours a day. Sure, 374 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:39,399 Speaker 3: and it's twelve of us and it's ridiculous, and they 375 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:42,560 Speaker 3: made him mistament goes, you know, there's day I don't 376 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:44,159 Speaker 3: understand why he did that. 377 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:47,040 Speaker 10: And that's what this one puts me off. 378 00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:50,119 Speaker 9: The ros Lewis decided to stay at Maryland after some 379 00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:53,600 Speaker 9: comforting words from Bob Wade, who took over as coach 380 00:21:53,840 --> 00:21:55,399 Speaker 9: after Drizzel left the program. 381 00:21:55,680 --> 00:21:57,680 Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, if you was you one of the 382 00:21:57,760 --> 00:21:59,639 Speaker 3: leaves it, that's fine, he said, you know, we'd no 383 00:21:59,840 --> 00:22:06,040 Speaker 3: help that we'd love for you to stay. And he said, 384 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:11,119 Speaker 3: you healed, heal. See, I know it's tough now. I 385 00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:13,240 Speaker 3: can't say I'm not any issues. I have a different 386 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:16,440 Speaker 3: feeling about and he do. He said, I understand. I'll 387 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:17,359 Speaker 3: make a haty decision. 388 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:21,000 Speaker 9: And then and then that lady In his senior year, 389 00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:24,680 Speaker 9: Lewis led the team in scoring and rebounding, and for 390 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:27,720 Speaker 9: the second time, he earned all at that A Coast 391 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:32,600 Speaker 9: Conference second team honors. The Chicago Bulls made him a 392 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:35,439 Speaker 9: third round pick in the nineteen eighty eight NBA draft. 393 00:22:36,359 --> 00:22:39,200 Speaker 9: Lewis felt confident about his chances of making the team, 394 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:42,240 Speaker 9: he signed a two year deal that would be in 395 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:46,119 Speaker 9: effect only if he made the team. When Lewis got 396 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:49,280 Speaker 9: to training camp, the topic of bias came up often 397 00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:52,040 Speaker 9: during an interview with the Bulls staff. 398 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:55,560 Speaker 3: And I asked a lot of questions about I thought 399 00:22:55,640 --> 00:22:58,760 Speaker 3: I was learning, which I thought was little. I thought 400 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:01,880 Speaker 3: it was strange for the stays. You know how close 401 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:04,840 Speaker 3: we were as far as going with the roommates. Then 402 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:09,320 Speaker 3: you know in the road to the rooms, did we 403 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:12,960 Speaker 3: go out together? A lot of that kind of stuff 404 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:15,439 Speaker 3: to I haven't seen him do anything. 405 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:17,800 Speaker 10: Yeah, that has been that. So I was happy to 406 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:20,920 Speaker 10: be there. I was getting it thrilled about their bias 407 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:21,800 Speaker 10: and how close we were. 408 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:25,240 Speaker 9: On the second day of camp, Lewis got food poisoning 409 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:28,720 Speaker 9: from eating tuna fish. He recovered in a couple of days, 410 00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:32,040 Speaker 9: but the vomiting prevented him from keeping his blood pressure 411 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:35,880 Speaker 9: medication down. He sat out a full week and missed 412 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:38,879 Speaker 9: the team's first summer league trip. When he was able 413 00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:42,040 Speaker 9: to take the medication again, it slowed him down and 414 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:43,280 Speaker 9: made him feel groggy. 415 00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:47,159 Speaker 3: That that hurt just as much as the Probably the 416 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:51,760 Speaker 3: association in Maryland at that time they caught maybe what. 417 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:54,200 Speaker 9: Lewis was one of the last players cut from the 418 00:23:54,280 --> 00:23:57,720 Speaker 9: nineteen eighty eight eighty nine Bolls team that advanced to 419 00:23:57,800 --> 00:24:01,600 Speaker 9: the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. An emerging star on that 420 00:24:01,760 --> 00:24:03,080 Speaker 9: team was Michael Jordan. 421 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:08,399 Speaker 3: At the last day we had and Doug Collins told me, 422 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:12,600 Speaker 3: he said, yeah, would like you a good player? I 423 00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:14,760 Speaker 3: want to send down a Rocky right now. You have 424 00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:15,600 Speaker 3: a problem. 425 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:20,840 Speaker 10: Garden players your position and practice. 426 00:24:22,119 --> 00:24:23,960 Speaker 3: And I said done with all due respect, I said, 427 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:26,440 Speaker 3: I gone Michael Juan every day, twice a day for 428 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:27,520 Speaker 3: two hours. 429 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:30,720 Speaker 10: And thirty minutes, and say I haven't seen anybody else 430 00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:33,800 Speaker 10: got Michael Jordan up until now. 431 00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:38,400 Speaker 9: Lewis played one year with Rockford in the Continental Basketball Association. 432 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:42,240 Speaker 9: He then played for pro teams in France for fifteen years. 433 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:46,760 Speaker 9: He later became a health education teacher. He has talked 434 00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:49,719 Speaker 9: to students about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. 435 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:53,600 Speaker 9: For a time, pictures of Lewis, along with some other 436 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:57,719 Speaker 9: Maryland teammates flashed on his computer screen in the classroom. 437 00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:04,240 Speaker 9: One was Bias. Students wondered who Bias was. Sensing the 438 00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:08,560 Speaker 9: student's interest, Lewis decided to show the ESPN documentary without 439 00:25:08,640 --> 00:25:13,840 Speaker 9: Bias to his class. After one viewing, a student said 440 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:17,880 Speaker 9: the documentary helped teach her that abusing drugs even one time, 441 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:19,080 Speaker 9: can kill you. 442 00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:20,920 Speaker 6: Just one time. 443 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:24,520 Speaker 10: And that's the story. You know. It could have me 444 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:25,560 Speaker 10: one time till one time. 445 00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:25,879 Speaker 11: It's it. 446 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:33,920 Speaker 9: Like many of his teammates from the nineteen eighty six 447 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:38,120 Speaker 9: Maryland team, Tony Massenberg thought about transferring out of Maryland 448 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:42,200 Speaker 9: after Len Bias died, but he chose to stay instead. 449 00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:46,159 Speaker 9: Here's what Massenberg said about it in nineteen ninety in 450 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:50,480 Speaker 9: a newspaper article. Quote, I thought that I'd seen the 451 00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:53,240 Speaker 9: worse this program had to offer, So why would I 452 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:56,639 Speaker 9: leave for some place that may be even worse. I 453 00:25:56,720 --> 00:25:59,880 Speaker 9: could have said, this is it. I'm not doing this anymore. 454 00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:04,399 Speaker 9: Somebody is out to get me. I kept striving. I 455 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:06,399 Speaker 9: knew there would be a rainbow at the end of 456 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:09,480 Speaker 9: all of this. Still, it took some time for Masterberg 457 00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:12,680 Speaker 9: to work through some challenges. He learned within weeks of 458 00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:15,359 Speaker 9: bias His death that he would be suspended from the 459 00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:19,920 Speaker 9: team his sophomore season for cheating on an exam. Here's 460 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:24,479 Speaker 9: Masenburg again in nineteen ninety quote, I didn't think they 461 00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:27,400 Speaker 9: had enough evidence. I felt I may have been made 462 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:30,560 Speaker 9: an example of during the time Maryland was supposedly cleaning 463 00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 9: up their program. End quote. More academic problems forced Masburg 464 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:38,000 Speaker 9: to miss the early part of the nineteen eighty seven 465 00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:42,000 Speaker 9: eighty eight season his third year as well. He played 466 00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:45,359 Speaker 9: his first Maryland game since Bias died on December twenty 467 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:49,800 Speaker 9: eighth that season. His next season was delayed too, Masenberg 468 00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:53,639 Speaker 9: was suspended for selling complimentary tickets to the nineteen eighty 469 00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:57,919 Speaker 9: eight ACC Tournament. Said Masseburg in the nineteen ninety story, 470 00:26:58,320 --> 00:27:03,359 Speaker 9: quote lessly say there hasn't been anybody in the history 471 00:27:03,359 --> 00:27:07,800 Speaker 9: of NCAA basketball, barring injury, that has had a rougher 472 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:11,879 Speaker 9: career at one school than I have. End quote. There 473 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:15,160 Speaker 9: were signs in the nineteen eighty nine preseason that Massenburg 474 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:19,439 Speaker 9: was disheartened. New head coach Gary Williams remembered him as 475 00:27:19,560 --> 00:27:25,120 Speaker 9: lacking aggressionation in practices. Williams said this in the Washington 476 00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:29,840 Speaker 9: Post story about Massenburg that year. Quote, I wasn't sure 477 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:32,639 Speaker 9: he wanted to rebound, or play defense or any of 478 00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:35,439 Speaker 9: the other things that require the work. I think there 479 00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:38,680 Speaker 9: was a tendency to think, why me, Why did I 480 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:42,040 Speaker 9: have to go through this funny thing about the suspension. 481 00:27:42,680 --> 00:27:45,520 Speaker 9: He came back from that ready to play end quote. 482 00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:51,480 Speaker 9: Williams added to those comments in an interview for this podcast. 483 00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:53,879 Speaker 18: You know, when you have a coach and all of 484 00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:57,440 Speaker 18: a sudden he's let go that that's not a fun 485 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:00,640 Speaker 18: time for any player, regardless of felt for the coach. 486 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:03,800 Speaker 18: And I'm sure Tony has some feelings about that. 487 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:04,359 Speaker 11: You know. 488 00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:07,040 Speaker 18: The only thing I could do was make a promise. 489 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:08,920 Speaker 18: I'd try to make him as good as possible. And 490 00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:11,240 Speaker 18: you know, I didn't blow a lot of smoke at 491 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:13,040 Speaker 18: him and tell him how great he was or anything 492 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:16,080 Speaker 18: like that. But Tony was the type of player that 493 00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:19,440 Speaker 18: it was worth running your offense to get the ball 494 00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:21,000 Speaker 18: inside that first year. 495 00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:24,800 Speaker 9: By the end of his Maryland career, Massenburg was twice 496 00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:29,400 Speaker 9: selected to All Atlantic Coast Conference teams. The San Antonio 497 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:32,639 Speaker 9: Spurs picked Masenberg in the second round of the nineteen 498 00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:37,119 Speaker 9: ninety NBA Draft. In thirteen NBA seasons, he played for 499 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:40,400 Speaker 9: more than a dozen teams and won a championship with 500 00:28:40,520 --> 00:28:46,280 Speaker 9: the Spurs in two thousand and five. In twenty eleven, 501 00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:49,400 Speaker 9: Massenberg had agreed to an interview for the book Born 502 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:52,960 Speaker 9: Ready The Mixed Legacy of len Bias. Two months later, 503 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:55,600 Speaker 9: he notified me that he had a quote conflict of 504 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:59,600 Speaker 9: interest close quote and would not do the interview. It 505 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:04,360 Speaker 9: turned out Massenberg and former Maryland star Williams were working 506 00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:07,840 Speaker 9: on a book about Bias. The book was published in 507 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:13,760 Speaker 9: twenty eighteen. At a promotional appearance, Masenberg explained what inspired 508 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:17,160 Speaker 9: him to write the book, called Lessons from Lenny, The. 509 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:19,680 Speaker 4: Inspiration that Lin Bias was to Walt Williams and I 510 00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:22,720 Speaker 4: and the fact that that motivated us to not only 511 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:24,440 Speaker 4: stay at Maryland at the time when we left, but 512 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:27,120 Speaker 4: we also came back and contributed to the program in 513 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:29,920 Speaker 4: the rebuilding process that ultimately led to it winning the 514 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:32,800 Speaker 4: championship in two thousand and two. So we talk about 515 00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:35,480 Speaker 4: that journey and the lessons that we learned that actually 516 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:37,840 Speaker 4: made us better people. Because lin Bias was inspirational. 517 00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:45,520 Speaker 11: I'm surprised the Lenby's story is not being told on 518 00:29:45,560 --> 00:29:48,960 Speaker 11: a yearly basis when new athletes come into college or 519 00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 11: into high school. The Lenbis story is one of the 520 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:56,120 Speaker 11: better stories you can use to get an individual or team. 521 00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:57,040 Speaker 10: To do the right thing. 522 00:29:57,480 --> 00:30:00,479 Speaker 9: That's Dave Dickerson, a freshman on the Maryland team when 523 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:04,520 Speaker 9: Lan Bias died. From the death of Bias, Dickerson learned 524 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:09,640 Speaker 9: fortitude and perseverance. Those lessons, some twenty years later, helped 525 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:13,800 Speaker 9: him navigate through another tragedy. In April two thousand and five, 526 00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:17,680 Speaker 9: Dickerson was one of about eighty people who applied for 527 00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:21,240 Speaker 9: the head coach's job at Tulane University in New Orleans. 528 00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:24,400 Speaker 9: He was chosen in part for how he handled himself 529 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:28,000 Speaker 9: at Maryland after Bias died. A letter from former Maryland 530 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:31,920 Speaker 9: Chancellor John Slaughter to Tulane athletic director Rick Dixon helped. 531 00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:36,560 Speaker 9: In the letter, Slaughter called Dickerson a quote, pillar of 532 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:41,040 Speaker 9: calm during the storm and a national spokesperson not just 533 00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:45,840 Speaker 9: for basketball but for the university end quote. Dickerson took 534 00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:49,080 Speaker 9: over a program that recorded one winning season in five years. 535 00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:53,400 Speaker 9: Then Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the home city for 536 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:58,280 Speaker 9: Tulane men's basketball was one of five school teams forced 537 00:30:58,320 --> 00:31:00,360 Speaker 9: to relocate to the campus of Tech to Say and 538 00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:05,120 Speaker 9: M University, some four hundred miles away. Dickerson had to 539 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:08,320 Speaker 9: think of ways to keep players focused on playing basketball. 540 00:31:09,240 --> 00:31:14,120 Speaker 9: He told them the story about Len Bias. Dickerson told 541 00:31:14,200 --> 00:31:16,840 Speaker 9: me when I got them together for the first time 542 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:19,720 Speaker 9: in Texas. I told them the story about sticking with 543 00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:24,000 Speaker 9: the University of Maryland and not transferring and weathering the storm, 544 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:27,480 Speaker 9: and look where it got me. Without that story, I 545 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:30,440 Speaker 9: think I would have lost half my team. They had 546 00:31:30,520 --> 00:31:32,960 Speaker 9: to remain loyal to a coach who hadn't recruited anyone 547 00:31:33,040 --> 00:31:35,920 Speaker 9: on that team. I just told them what happened and 548 00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:39,280 Speaker 9: what type of player Bias was. I told them to 549 00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:41,360 Speaker 9: this day he was the best player I played with, 550 00:31:41,840 --> 00:31:46,440 Speaker 9: or against or saw during my coaching career. I compared 551 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:49,880 Speaker 9: him to Michael Jordan and Carl Malone and Larry Bird. 552 00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:52,640 Speaker 9: I talked to them about what happened in the morning 553 00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:56,520 Speaker 9: of June nineteenth, nineteen eighty six. I went through that 554 00:31:56,640 --> 00:31:59,720 Speaker 9: step by step. The Len Bias story was the catch 555 00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:02,920 Speaker 9: to get their attention, to get guys to be loyal, 556 00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:06,480 Speaker 9: maintaining the course, and yes, there will be some ups 557 00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:10,560 Speaker 9: and downs, tragedies here and there. We needed to continue 558 00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:13,760 Speaker 9: to work and stick together. I told them at the 559 00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:17,320 Speaker 9: end of the day, you will benefit from it. Before 560 00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:20,720 Speaker 9: taking the job at Tulane, Dickerson worked as an assistant 561 00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:25,040 Speaker 9: coach at three programs, including one season at James Madison University. 562 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:30,320 Speaker 9: The head coach then was Lefty Drizzl. In nineteen ninety six, 563 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:34,480 Speaker 9: Dickerson began a nine year career as an assistant at Maryland. 564 00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:37,720 Speaker 9: When he started, it marked the end of a boycott 565 00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:42,520 Speaker 9: of sorts for Dickerson. Here's Don Marcus, a podcast producer 566 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:45,640 Speaker 9: who covered Maryland athletics during the Gary Williams era. 567 00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:49,840 Speaker 19: I remember talking to Dave Dickerson when Gary Williams hired him, 568 00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:53,080 Speaker 19: and what struck me was something that Dave said about 569 00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:57,200 Speaker 19: his time as a player at Maryland. After graduating in 570 00:32:57,320 --> 00:33:01,680 Speaker 19: nineteen eighty nine, he didn't wear his college reigned until 571 00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:04,560 Speaker 19: he showed up in nineteen ninety six, mainly because he 572 00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:06,760 Speaker 19: didn't want to talk about the years he was at 573 00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:09,440 Speaker 19: Maryland and he didn't want to talk about the death 574 00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:10,200 Speaker 19: of one Bias. 575 00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:14,640 Speaker 9: As an assistant coach, Dickerson recruited such all Americans and 576 00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:19,320 Speaker 9: future pro players as Steve Francis and Juan Dixon. Dickerson 577 00:33:19,440 --> 00:33:21,120 Speaker 9: was an all state player in high school out of 578 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:24,240 Speaker 9: South Carolina. He played in fifteen games as a freshman, 579 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:28,160 Speaker 9: with forwards Bias and Speedy Jones ending their eligibility in 580 00:33:28,240 --> 00:33:31,840 Speaker 9: nineteen eighty six. Dickerson felt good about his chances at 581 00:33:31,920 --> 00:33:37,080 Speaker 9: forward the next season, but then Bias died and chaos 582 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:42,440 Speaker 9: became the new normal. Dickerson considered transferring, but chose to 583 00:33:42,560 --> 00:33:45,720 Speaker 9: stay at Maryland. He felt it was too risky to leave. 584 00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:49,160 Speaker 9: He also feared that if he left Maryland he would 585 00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:52,560 Speaker 9: suffer the wrath of his father, whom he called, quote 586 00:33:52,680 --> 00:33:57,239 Speaker 9: an old school guy. Close quotes, Dickerson told me, if 587 00:33:57,320 --> 00:34:00,960 Speaker 9: you start something, you finish it. I scared of my father. 588 00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:06,120 Speaker 9: In a profound understatement, Dickerson says that playing for the 589 00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:09,680 Speaker 9: Terrapians that first season after Bias died was not fun. 590 00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:13,799 Speaker 9: Dickerson told me we were viewed in a different light 591 00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:17,000 Speaker 9: than any other athlete on campus. The perception of that 592 00:34:17,200 --> 00:34:19,759 Speaker 9: team and the players on it was that we were 593 00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:22,960 Speaker 9: drug abusers, we all didn't go to class, and that 594 00:34:23,080 --> 00:34:25,239 Speaker 9: we all were all part of what happened that night. 595 00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:29,759 Speaker 9: There were stairs, people being standoffish. There weren't a lot 596 00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:32,200 Speaker 9: of people reaching out and hugging you. It was a 597 00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:36,880 Speaker 9: life altering experience. Dickerson ended his career at Maryland as 598 00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:39,600 Speaker 9: a part time starter. He was the team captain his 599 00:34:39,719 --> 00:34:42,920 Speaker 9: senior season in nineteen eighty nine and earned his government 600 00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:47,880 Speaker 9: and politics degree in nineteen ninety Perhaps his most cherished 601 00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:51,000 Speaker 9: moment from Maryland took place after his junior season in 602 00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:54,720 Speaker 9: nineteen eighty eight. That's when he met his future wife, Lorette, 603 00:34:55,200 --> 00:34:58,920 Speaker 9: a nineteen ninety one graduate of Maryland. Dickerson told me, 604 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:03,480 Speaker 9: I'm at peace with everything that happened. I don't look 605 00:35:03,560 --> 00:35:08,200 Speaker 9: back and say would a In twenty twenty one, Dickerson 606 00:35:08,239 --> 00:35:11,240 Speaker 9: began his fourth season as the men's basketball head coach 607 00:35:11,800 --> 00:35:16,040 Speaker 9: at South Carolina Upstate Thrat his coaching career, he has 608 00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:21,320 Speaker 9: answered questions about bias from players he's coached. Dickerson told me, 609 00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:24,920 Speaker 9: was he really that good? What kind of person was he? 610 00:35:25,680 --> 00:35:27,600 Speaker 9: Did you know what he was doing in that room 611 00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:30,920 Speaker 9: that night? I got those questions from my son when 612 00:35:30,960 --> 00:35:33,880 Speaker 9: he was ten years old. He did not fully understand 613 00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:36,479 Speaker 9: the scope of what happened. I talked to him about 614 00:35:36,480 --> 00:35:40,000 Speaker 9: what's right and wrong about making good decisions and the 615 00:35:40,120 --> 00:35:44,480 Speaker 9: consequences of making bad decisions. To this day, I consider 616 00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:48,040 Speaker 9: len Bias a role model. Role Models don't always make 617 00:35:48,080 --> 00:35:51,640 Speaker 9: the right decisions. When you make a bad decision, sometimes 618 00:35:51,680 --> 00:35:55,479 Speaker 9: you pay for it with your life. Len Bias taught 619 00:35:55,560 --> 00:35:57,719 Speaker 9: me more about life in the one year I spent 620 00:35:57,840 --> 00:36:01,760 Speaker 9: with him than any other person outside of my family. 621 00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:10,120 Speaker 6: I feel like, sitting next to his jerseys, can you 622 00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:11,759 Speaker 6: feel anything from this, any kind of. 623 00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:21,000 Speaker 10: Emotion knowing that you're not really. 624 00:36:22,560 --> 00:36:26,400 Speaker 13: Because he's anywhere I go, anywhere, I could feel Lendy's 625 00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:29,160 Speaker 13: present or whatever. A lot of times when I'm by myself, 626 00:36:30,040 --> 00:36:33,080 Speaker 13: I can be riding along or whatever and just break down, you. 627 00:36:33,080 --> 00:36:33,480 Speaker 11: Know what I mean. 628 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:36,440 Speaker 10: He's always with me. 629 00:36:37,080 --> 00:36:40,640 Speaker 9: Minutes earlier, John Johnson had returned to a familiar setting, 630 00:36:40,760 --> 00:36:44,680 Speaker 9: eager but wary of how everything would feel. He had 631 00:36:44,719 --> 00:36:47,240 Speaker 9: not walked through the doors of R. J. Bentley's restaurant 632 00:36:47,360 --> 00:36:51,960 Speaker 9: in College Park in more than two decades. Johnson walked 633 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:54,759 Speaker 9: into a back room in the restaurant toward the number 634 00:36:54,800 --> 00:36:57,920 Speaker 9: thirty four len Biased jersey hanging on the wall in 635 00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:02,040 Speaker 9: a glass protected frame. He did so without guidance. It 636 00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:04,360 Speaker 9: was as if he was propelled by a spiritual force 637 00:37:05,280 --> 00:37:08,400 Speaker 9: that was Back in twenty ten, Johnson was about to 638 00:37:08,480 --> 00:37:11,360 Speaker 9: sit down for his first in depth interview about Bias, 639 00:37:11,960 --> 00:37:16,439 Speaker 9: almost twenty five years after he died. As Johnson looked 640 00:37:16,480 --> 00:37:19,920 Speaker 9: back across the room, he asked, do you mind if 641 00:37:19,920 --> 00:37:23,360 Speaker 9: we sit next to Len's jersey? Not waiting for an answer, 642 00:37:23,800 --> 00:37:26,760 Speaker 9: he had it toured it. Let's sit next to Lenny, 643 00:37:26,880 --> 00:37:30,200 Speaker 9: he said. Then he talked for three hours about his 644 00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:34,560 Speaker 9: life since the death of Bias, whom he called a brother, firing. 645 00:37:34,360 --> 00:37:38,400 Speaker 20: His eyes, the person that he was, his personality, his spirit, 646 00:37:38,719 --> 00:37:44,000 Speaker 20: whatever his attitude about the game and his love for 647 00:37:44,120 --> 00:37:44,760 Speaker 20: the game. 648 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:47,920 Speaker 10: Let me keep it right there and everybody else can 649 00:37:48,080 --> 00:37:50,239 Speaker 10: have the rest what he gave to me. Whatever is 650 00:37:50,320 --> 00:37:51,800 Speaker 10: he turned, I'll always remember that. 651 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:55,400 Speaker 9: Speedy Jones, a senior on the Maryland team with Johnson, 652 00:37:55,600 --> 00:37:58,879 Speaker 9: says no member of the team was as affected by 653 00:37:58,920 --> 00:38:02,520 Speaker 9: the death of Bias as Johnson, and that includes David 654 00:38:02,560 --> 00:38:05,040 Speaker 9: greg and Terry Long, who were in the room with 655 00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:09,200 Speaker 9: Bias when he died. Dave Dickerson, a freshman with Johnson, 656 00:38:09,719 --> 00:38:14,160 Speaker 9: witnessed Bias and Johnson form a special friendship. Dickerson told me, 657 00:38:15,080 --> 00:38:17,800 Speaker 9: throughout our first year, he hit a natural bond with Lenny. 658 00:38:18,320 --> 00:38:21,920 Speaker 9: After Johnson left Maryland in nineteen eighty nine, he struggled 659 00:38:21,960 --> 00:38:26,200 Speaker 9: to even play pickup basketball games for years. During the interview, 660 00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:30,000 Speaker 9: Johnson expressed pride for not fading into a deep, prolonged 661 00:38:30,040 --> 00:38:32,160 Speaker 9: despair after Bias died. 662 00:38:32,920 --> 00:38:34,399 Speaker 13: You see the two ways that I could have gone. 663 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:36,600 Speaker 13: I could have crashed and burned or whatever. I could 664 00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:38,600 Speaker 13: have just picked myself up and used him as a 665 00:38:38,640 --> 00:38:43,120 Speaker 13: motivator and to go forward. I've never been arrested, never 666 00:38:43,239 --> 00:38:47,040 Speaker 13: been locked up. You know, my record as clean as 667 00:38:47,040 --> 00:38:51,560 Speaker 13: a whistle. Don't have any do you do, Duiy's I 668 00:38:51,640 --> 00:38:54,080 Speaker 13: had no d W eyes or whatever. 669 00:38:55,239 --> 00:38:58,080 Speaker 9: Johnson and Bias bonded within moments of meeting in the 670 00:38:58,120 --> 00:39:02,160 Speaker 9: summer of nineteen eighty four. It was on Johnson's recruiting 671 00:39:02,239 --> 00:39:05,959 Speaker 9: trip to Maryland. Johnson opened a door to a dorm 672 00:39:06,040 --> 00:39:10,640 Speaker 9: room full of Maryland basketball players. Bias tackled him almost immediately. 673 00:39:11,160 --> 00:39:14,880 Speaker 9: They started to wrestle, acting like two young teenagers testing 674 00:39:14,920 --> 00:39:15,879 Speaker 9: their competitive edge. 675 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:18,560 Speaker 13: And one of the biggest reasons why I came was 676 00:39:18,640 --> 00:39:21,680 Speaker 13: because the fact that when I got here, you know, 677 00:39:21,960 --> 00:39:24,880 Speaker 13: he and I are down and wrestling in the floor 678 00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:29,120 Speaker 13: or whatever you know. I'll never forget that now. I 679 00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:31,440 Speaker 13: had no idea who Limbias was when I was at 680 00:39:31,480 --> 00:39:34,640 Speaker 13: Senior Hospital. He walcomed me almost like a teammate. 681 00:39:35,040 --> 00:39:38,520 Speaker 9: Bro As a senior in high school, Johnson was named 682 00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:42,920 Speaker 9: the top player in Tennessee and an All American. Bias 683 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:46,040 Speaker 9: called Johnson about a dozen times while Maryland was recruiting him. 684 00:39:46,719 --> 00:39:49,600 Speaker 9: That was even more important for convincing Johnson to attend 685 00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:54,600 Speaker 9: Maryland once Bias called from Alaska while Maryland was playing 686 00:39:54,640 --> 00:39:55,960 Speaker 9: in the Great Alaska Shootout. 687 00:39:56,400 --> 00:39:58,200 Speaker 13: The thing about it, you think I care about what 688 00:39:58,360 --> 00:39:59,880 Speaker 13: happened one night in a room when you got to 689 00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:02,120 Speaker 13: calling you to Alaska. 690 00:40:02,440 --> 00:40:04,880 Speaker 9: Johnson was referring to the night Bias die. 691 00:40:05,320 --> 00:40:07,080 Speaker 10: I'm nobody. I'm just a kid that's trying to get 692 00:40:07,120 --> 00:40:09,640 Speaker 10: into a university. But he got it. 693 00:40:09,719 --> 00:40:10,080 Speaker 15: He was. 694 00:40:10,360 --> 00:40:13,920 Speaker 9: As a freshman, Johnson shared a dorm suite with Bias, 695 00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:18,280 Speaker 9: Terry Long, and Speedy Jones. He seemed to be enjoying 696 00:40:18,320 --> 00:40:22,520 Speaker 9: his first year at Maryland. Sue Tyler, an associate athletic 697 00:40:22,600 --> 00:40:26,200 Speaker 9: director at Maryland, then remembers Johnson during his freshman year 698 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:29,279 Speaker 9: as a person with a promising future and. 699 00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:36,120 Speaker 21: He was just a just a sweet, nice, upbeat, smiley 700 00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:40,319 Speaker 21: faced kid and just the brightest smile on his face 701 00:40:40,360 --> 00:40:42,600 Speaker 21: all the time, and a positive word for everybody and 702 00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:47,080 Speaker 21: find loving. And he just strutted around, and I just 703 00:40:47,239 --> 00:40:49,360 Speaker 21: knew that he was going to be somebody and he 704 00:40:49,440 --> 00:40:50,320 Speaker 21: was going to make a difference. 705 00:40:50,560 --> 00:40:52,719 Speaker 6: I mean, he was just a good guy. 706 00:40:53,560 --> 00:40:55,879 Speaker 9: Johnson finished the year with the best numbers of any 707 00:40:55,960 --> 00:40:58,719 Speaker 9: of the five Maryland freshmen. He led the class and 708 00:40:58,840 --> 00:41:02,440 Speaker 9: overall appearances with thirty and with five point eight points 709 00:41:02,480 --> 00:41:07,080 Speaker 9: per game. Johnson also ended the season enjoying his bond 710 00:41:07,200 --> 00:41:10,320 Speaker 9: with Bias. He felt it was unique for a freshman 711 00:41:10,760 --> 00:41:14,080 Speaker 9: to be spending so much time with a senior, especially 712 00:41:14,160 --> 00:41:18,320 Speaker 9: a superstar such as Bias. He remembers Bias embracing his 713 00:41:18,440 --> 00:41:22,680 Speaker 9: Tennessee country leanings. In Johnson's fondness for pop bands such 714 00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:27,360 Speaker 9: as New Addition, Bias preferred go go music, a genre 715 00:41:27,480 --> 00:41:29,360 Speaker 9: that originated in Washington, d C. 716 00:41:30,280 --> 00:41:31,719 Speaker 13: I guess he never thought he was going to be 717 00:41:32,280 --> 00:41:35,200 Speaker 13: listening to, you know, New Edition in Bobby Brown and 718 00:41:35,280 --> 00:41:37,359 Speaker 13: some of these other casts I was listening to at 719 00:41:37,400 --> 00:41:40,120 Speaker 13: the time. But you know, he started liking my music, 720 00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:43,120 Speaker 13: and I remember he started joking, joking with me about that, 721 00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:47,440 Speaker 13: you know, about how these you know, little you know, 722 00:41:47,760 --> 00:41:50,840 Speaker 13: catchy songs was starting to grow on him and. 723 00:41:50,920 --> 00:41:51,480 Speaker 10: Stuff like that. 724 00:41:51,760 --> 00:41:54,440 Speaker 9: After Bias died, Johnson says he and most of his 725 00:41:54,560 --> 00:41:57,239 Speaker 9: Maryland teammates went back to the rooms and stayed there, 726 00:41:57,719 --> 00:42:00,600 Speaker 9: relying on friends to provide food for us to a week. 727 00:42:01,840 --> 00:42:05,680 Speaker 9: They waited until the media interest waned. They turned away 728 00:42:05,719 --> 00:42:09,240 Speaker 9: a grief counselor. The first class Johnson attended after Bias 729 00:42:09,360 --> 00:42:12,600 Speaker 9: died took place in a large lecture hall. He and 730 00:42:12,719 --> 00:42:14,680 Speaker 9: a friend walked through a door at the front of 731 00:42:14,760 --> 00:42:17,880 Speaker 9: the hall, visible to the dozens of students who had 732 00:42:17,880 --> 00:42:22,680 Speaker 9: already taken their seats. The buzz of idle chatter suddenly stopped. 733 00:42:23,480 --> 00:42:26,720 Speaker 9: He walked through row after row of students, all silent, 734 00:42:27,440 --> 00:42:28,640 Speaker 9: and took a seat at the back. 735 00:42:29,960 --> 00:42:36,480 Speaker 10: Your crickets and this is that quiet? So me, I 736 00:42:36,520 --> 00:42:38,560 Speaker 10: don't know, I don't know what y'all said about that. 737 00:42:39,040 --> 00:42:42,239 Speaker 10: You know, you associated me with being a drug head? 738 00:42:42,360 --> 00:42:45,200 Speaker 10: What did you mean? So I started feeling bad about 739 00:42:45,520 --> 00:42:51,080 Speaker 10: you know, where are these people thinking? I'm not ready 740 00:42:51,120 --> 00:42:51,320 Speaker 10: for it? 741 00:42:51,640 --> 00:42:55,759 Speaker 9: Johnson stayed for about fifteen minutes and then left to 742 00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:59,439 Speaker 9: escape the pressures. Johnson spent time after bias his death 743 00:42:59,800 --> 00:43:03,400 Speaker 9: a friend's house in Columbia, Maryland. His routine once he 744 00:43:03,480 --> 00:43:06,160 Speaker 9: returned to school was going from class, to the gym, 745 00:43:06,600 --> 00:43:09,880 Speaker 9: to the training table, and to his room. He often 746 00:43:09,960 --> 00:43:15,000 Speaker 9: read scripture for comfort and considered transferring to anywhere. He 747 00:43:15,120 --> 00:43:18,359 Speaker 9: struggled with what people were saying about Bias, the team 748 00:43:19,080 --> 00:43:20,360 Speaker 9: and coach Lefty Grisel. 749 00:43:21,200 --> 00:43:23,560 Speaker 21: He seemed to be the one that was most affected 750 00:43:23,640 --> 00:43:29,120 Speaker 21: by Len's death because his posture changed. He was rounded 751 00:43:29,200 --> 00:43:31,960 Speaker 21: shoulders and he never looked up anymore. 752 00:43:32,560 --> 00:43:33,680 Speaker 6: His smile was gone. 753 00:43:34,040 --> 00:43:37,120 Speaker 21: Was I think he was deeply saddened and deeply affected 754 00:43:38,280 --> 00:43:39,879 Speaker 21: by Len's death. 755 00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:44,680 Speaker 9: Comforting words from Lenise Bias helped Johnson deal with his grief. 756 00:43:45,480 --> 00:43:48,160 Speaker 9: It happened a few months after lenn died, during a 757 00:43:48,320 --> 00:43:51,680 Speaker 9: chance meeting at a shopping mall near the Maryland campus. 758 00:43:55,000 --> 00:43:59,520 Speaker 10: He encouraged me, and I'll never forget it. She was 759 00:43:59,600 --> 00:44:02,080 Speaker 10: wanted meiggest ones or whatever. The reason why I stayed 760 00:44:03,600 --> 00:44:07,200 Speaker 10: because of the fact that she had so much to say. 761 00:44:07,960 --> 00:44:09,840 Speaker 10: Lenny loved you, and. 762 00:44:11,320 --> 00:44:15,640 Speaker 22: You keep doing what you're doing because God wants you 763 00:44:15,760 --> 00:44:18,040 Speaker 22: to be here. And she just had so much conviction 764 00:44:18,239 --> 00:44:20,440 Speaker 22: in her spirit, in her heart or whatever. I remember 765 00:44:20,480 --> 00:44:23,320 Speaker 22: after a conversation with her, me and the young. 766 00:44:23,280 --> 00:44:27,440 Speaker 10: Lady I was with, I was already shaken the Holy spirit. 767 00:44:27,600 --> 00:44:27,759 Speaker 9: You know. 768 00:44:28,440 --> 00:44:31,640 Speaker 10: She encouraged me to keep going. Man when she saw 769 00:44:31,960 --> 00:44:34,239 Speaker 10: you know, Lenny used to talk about you all the time. 770 00:44:34,719 --> 00:44:39,560 Speaker 9: Johnson also found inspiration from an unlikely source. Brian Tribble, 771 00:44:40,040 --> 00:44:42,759 Speaker 9: one of the three people with bias when he died. 772 00:44:43,400 --> 00:44:46,880 Speaker 9: It happened in a barbershop and Tocoma Park, Maryland, frequented 773 00:44:46,960 --> 00:44:50,520 Speaker 9: by Maryland players. He saw Trible sitting in a chair. 774 00:44:51,280 --> 00:44:56,040 Speaker 13: And going to barbershop trying to figure out Now, I'm 775 00:44:56,040 --> 00:44:57,600 Speaker 13: trying to sort out my feelings now. 776 00:44:57,560 --> 00:44:58,839 Speaker 10: Should I feel angry either? 777 00:45:00,200 --> 00:45:00,359 Speaker 23: Why? 778 00:45:00,400 --> 00:45:00,560 Speaker 8: When? 779 00:45:00,719 --> 00:45:02,360 Speaker 9: Was like? 780 00:45:05,080 --> 00:45:07,080 Speaker 10: Probably? Probably? 781 00:45:07,880 --> 00:45:11,080 Speaker 13: It was my first encounter with him after after the situation, 782 00:45:11,400 --> 00:45:12,279 Speaker 13: after Lynn died. 783 00:45:12,760 --> 00:45:17,120 Speaker 10: So I'm sitting there, Go back outside, get my car 784 00:45:17,600 --> 00:45:19,560 Speaker 10: where we go up? After he was in there? If 785 00:45:19,560 --> 00:45:20,479 Speaker 10: you didn't want to be in there. 786 00:45:20,360 --> 00:45:23,040 Speaker 13: With us, Yeah, I'm trying to sort out my feelings 787 00:45:23,120 --> 00:45:26,759 Speaker 13: right now about that. Better go in the barbershop, go 788 00:45:26,920 --> 00:45:30,800 Speaker 13: back in, sit down next to Brian. Don't know what 789 00:45:30,880 --> 00:45:33,080 Speaker 13: to say, don't know what to talk about. But we 790 00:45:33,239 --> 00:45:38,759 Speaker 13: just started something, just some conversation whatever, man, and Brian 791 00:45:38,840 --> 00:45:41,279 Speaker 13: looks at me and said, you know, Johnny, Lenny used 792 00:45:41,280 --> 00:45:43,920 Speaker 13: to always say that the next person that was going 793 00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:45,200 Speaker 13: to come out of here was going. 794 00:45:45,120 --> 00:45:49,040 Speaker 10: To be here, said Lennie used to tell me, he said. 795 00:45:49,040 --> 00:45:52,080 Speaker 10: I used to ask Lenny, who's gonna take over after 796 00:45:52,160 --> 00:45:56,640 Speaker 10: you leave? He said. Lenny was always saved Johnny Johnson. 797 00:45:57,320 --> 00:46:01,680 Speaker 13: So hearing Brian say say that to me and not 798 00:46:01,840 --> 00:46:04,759 Speaker 13: hearing it from Lenny or whatever, it is almost like 799 00:46:04,920 --> 00:46:05,880 Speaker 13: Lenny talking to me. 800 00:46:06,680 --> 00:46:09,919 Speaker 9: The season after the death of Bias, Johnson started every 801 00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:13,040 Speaker 9: game as a sophomore, averaging about ten points a game, 802 00:46:13,680 --> 00:46:17,400 Speaker 9: but it's playing time diminished as a junior. Interestingly, he 803 00:46:17,520 --> 00:46:19,160 Speaker 9: found ways to have fun that year. 804 00:46:19,840 --> 00:46:22,920 Speaker 24: Oh my god, it was my best year in regardless 805 00:46:22,960 --> 00:46:26,360 Speaker 24: fact that guess what. Every day when I went to 806 00:46:26,480 --> 00:46:29,200 Speaker 24: practice or whatever. Even ask any of them guys, Greg 807 00:46:29,400 --> 00:46:33,160 Speaker 24: Dave about this or whatever. They had no answer from me. 808 00:46:33,840 --> 00:46:36,960 Speaker 24: I played like Lenny and I were playing just free. 809 00:46:37,320 --> 00:46:39,440 Speaker 24: The year that I didn't play my best year at 810 00:46:39,480 --> 00:46:42,920 Speaker 24: the university in Maryland. He lad, we're having fun. 811 00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:46,640 Speaker 9: Johnson ended his senior year as one of the team's 812 00:46:46,719 --> 00:46:50,920 Speaker 9: top players, starting all twenty nine games and posting a 813 00:46:51,040 --> 00:46:56,400 Speaker 9: career best fifteen point five points per game. Still, Maryland 814 00:46:56,440 --> 00:46:59,880 Speaker 9: struggled and finished nine and twenty, and the effects of 815 00:47:00,040 --> 00:47:04,960 Speaker 9: bias his death still lingered. Johnson recalls that once while 816 00:47:05,000 --> 00:47:08,800 Speaker 9: he sat in Massenberg's dorm room, they suddenly both grew silent. 817 00:47:09,480 --> 00:47:13,080 Speaker 9: Moments later, Masenberg erupted in a spasm of crying. 818 00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:18,799 Speaker 10: See him break down like that with his life? Man, 819 00:47:20,960 --> 00:47:21,480 Speaker 10: what do I do? 820 00:47:21,719 --> 00:47:24,040 Speaker 15: You know what I mean? Oh? 821 00:47:24,200 --> 00:47:24,799 Speaker 10: What did he say? 822 00:47:25,000 --> 00:47:28,080 Speaker 13: You can't say anything or whatever because we've already been 823 00:47:28,160 --> 00:47:28,839 Speaker 13: through so much. 824 00:47:29,239 --> 00:47:30,040 Speaker 9: You know, I was older. 825 00:47:30,760 --> 00:47:34,279 Speaker 10: So did you cry along with of you? 826 00:47:34,320 --> 00:47:34,640 Speaker 9: Remember? 827 00:47:36,719 --> 00:47:36,879 Speaker 10: Man? 828 00:47:41,160 --> 00:47:41,920 Speaker 12: You know it's. 829 00:47:44,080 --> 00:47:50,960 Speaker 10: I just remember a big fellow broke down, and I'm 830 00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:52,279 Speaker 10: pretty sure I tear up to. 831 00:47:54,880 --> 00:47:57,960 Speaker 9: Johnson admits that during his senior year, he and a 832 00:47:58,040 --> 00:48:01,080 Speaker 9: couple other players threatened to quit the team. They had 833 00:48:01,160 --> 00:48:04,440 Speaker 9: just lost to eighth rank North Carolina in late January. 834 00:48:04,960 --> 00:48:06,279 Speaker 9: The record was six and eight. 835 00:48:07,120 --> 00:48:10,359 Speaker 10: Now we're trying to shake off, you know, the death 836 00:48:10,360 --> 00:48:15,000 Speaker 10: ofly In by Camis. Everybody was just at their breaking fee. 837 00:48:15,120 --> 00:48:16,920 Speaker 10: But me, I was done with it. 838 00:48:17,000 --> 00:48:17,279 Speaker 15: I was. 839 00:48:19,160 --> 00:48:20,799 Speaker 10: I was ready to pack it in. What you going 840 00:48:20,880 --> 00:48:26,480 Speaker 10: to do tonight? Rokan Scholarship. I'm already going graduate, so 841 00:48:26,840 --> 00:48:27,480 Speaker 10: what do I call? 842 00:48:28,360 --> 00:48:31,080 Speaker 9: Johnson and the others decided to play through the year 843 00:48:32,280 --> 00:48:35,520 Speaker 9: that allowed Johnson and Massenburg to share a tribute to Bias. 844 00:48:36,239 --> 00:48:39,920 Speaker 9: It took place in the first round of the ACC Tournament. Maryland, 845 00:48:40,080 --> 00:48:44,000 Speaker 9: the lowest seed, defeated top seed at NC State seventy 846 00:48:44,080 --> 00:48:47,440 Speaker 9: one to forty nine. It was Maryland's biggest win of 847 00:48:47,480 --> 00:48:50,040 Speaker 9: the season, and on the last play of the game, 848 00:48:50,600 --> 00:48:53,600 Speaker 9: Johnson took an outlet pass off a rebound and looked 849 00:48:53,680 --> 00:48:56,919 Speaker 9: up court as Maryland began to break away. He threw 850 00:48:56,960 --> 00:49:00,560 Speaker 9: a lob pass to Massenburg, who responded with a resounding 851 00:49:00,880 --> 00:49:04,960 Speaker 9: Bias like dunk. Massenberg then ran to Johnson for an 852 00:49:04,960 --> 00:49:10,279 Speaker 9: emotional embrace. Said Johnson at the time, quote, it was 853 00:49:10,480 --> 00:49:14,680 Speaker 9: like an exclamation point to my career, me saying to Tony, Hey, 854 00:49:14,719 --> 00:49:18,359 Speaker 9: big fella, this is my last pass to you. Tear 855 00:49:18,400 --> 00:49:21,920 Speaker 9: that rim down and let's have a little Lenny Bias celebration. 856 00:49:22,400 --> 00:49:23,040 Speaker 10: Close quote. 857 00:49:23,880 --> 00:49:27,080 Speaker 9: Johnson did not have reason to celebrate basketball much after that. 858 00:49:27,840 --> 00:49:30,400 Speaker 9: Maryland lost its next game in the tournament and was 859 00:49:30,480 --> 00:49:34,160 Speaker 9: done for the season. He says a scheduled tryout for 860 00:49:34,200 --> 00:49:38,719 Speaker 9: the Celtics never happened due to injury. His passion for 861 00:49:38,880 --> 00:49:42,360 Speaker 9: basketball continued to fade. He would not even play in 862 00:49:42,440 --> 00:49:45,279 Speaker 9: a pickup game. It was not an easy decision for 863 00:49:45,440 --> 00:49:49,320 Speaker 9: Johnson to discuss bias in twenty ten. He had not 864 00:49:49,440 --> 00:49:52,400 Speaker 9: talked with the media about him since nineteen ninety. In 865 00:49:52,480 --> 00:49:56,680 Speaker 9: a Washington Post feature about Massenburg, as he considered doing 866 00:49:56,760 --> 00:50:00,120 Speaker 9: the interview, he consulted the Bible to. 867 00:50:00,120 --> 00:50:02,520 Speaker 10: Say that he wasn't an anger because the fact that how. 868 00:50:02,440 --> 00:50:06,200 Speaker 13: Many people didn't say, how many people actually went to Christ, 869 00:50:06,320 --> 00:50:08,480 Speaker 13: because the fact that they threw away a lot of 870 00:50:08,560 --> 00:50:12,120 Speaker 13: drugs that in the same night they found out and 871 00:50:12,920 --> 00:50:14,399 Speaker 13: decided they were going to change their. 872 00:50:14,320 --> 00:50:17,360 Speaker 10: Lives for the better. In my estimation, whatever, he was 873 00:50:17,400 --> 00:50:17,960 Speaker 10: a angelist. 874 00:50:18,200 --> 00:50:20,680 Speaker 13: But you know, if you think about it, you know 875 00:50:21,719 --> 00:50:23,520 Speaker 13: how many other people look at him and change it 876 00:50:23,640 --> 00:50:26,040 Speaker 13: because of the fact that he saved their lives. 877 00:50:27,760 --> 00:50:30,120 Speaker 10: Without a lambias. Whatever, Where would those people? Do? 878 00:50:30,600 --> 00:50:30,800 Speaker 11: You know? 879 00:50:37,880 --> 00:50:40,360 Speaker 9: Terry Long was one of three people with len bias 880 00:50:40,440 --> 00:50:42,719 Speaker 9: when he had the heart attack that led to his death. 881 00:50:43,080 --> 00:50:46,120 Speaker 9: Long achieved more notoriety for his connection to the death 882 00:50:46,560 --> 00:50:50,000 Speaker 9: of the Maryland Star than for his accomplishments on a 883 00:50:50,080 --> 00:50:54,719 Speaker 9: basketball court. For most of his Maryland career, Long played 884 00:50:54,760 --> 00:50:57,520 Speaker 9: a supportive role as a six foot eight inch forward. 885 00:50:58,200 --> 00:51:01,040 Speaker 9: He was not a frequent starter until his junior year. 886 00:51:02,040 --> 00:51:05,600 Speaker 9: Long averaged less than four points and four rebounds a game. 887 00:51:06,200 --> 00:51:10,840 Speaker 9: A Washington Post story described Long as a polite, soft 888 00:51:10,920 --> 00:51:15,000 Speaker 9: spoken sword with an easy smile but an anxious demeanor. 889 00:51:15,400 --> 00:51:17,960 Speaker 9: The birth of a daughter about eighteen months before the 890 00:51:18,080 --> 00:51:22,120 Speaker 9: death of Bias was an additional challenge for Long, said 891 00:51:22,200 --> 00:51:25,920 Speaker 9: Long in March nineteen eighty six. It was something for 892 00:51:26,040 --> 00:51:29,320 Speaker 9: me to get adjusted to. It's made me mature faster. 893 00:51:31,480 --> 00:51:35,560 Speaker 9: Long claims that Bias introduced him to cocaine in nineteen 894 00:51:35,600 --> 00:51:39,520 Speaker 9: eighty four, at the beginning of a sophomore season. He 895 00:51:39,640 --> 00:51:43,359 Speaker 9: says Bias gave him the drug in a folded dollar bill. 896 00:51:44,000 --> 00:51:46,760 Speaker 9: Speedy Jones was a senior on the team in nineteen 897 00:51:46,800 --> 00:51:51,040 Speaker 9: eighty six. Long's cocaine connection to Bias was not a 898 00:51:51,120 --> 00:51:56,440 Speaker 9: surprise to Jones. Jones told me Terry Long was hooked 899 00:51:56,480 --> 00:52:01,120 Speaker 9: on cocaine. If Bias hadn't died, Long might have died 900 00:52:01,280 --> 00:52:05,880 Speaker 9: from cocaine. Long was charged with possessing cocaine and obstructing 901 00:52:06,160 --> 00:52:09,759 Speaker 9: justice related to bias his death, but the charges were 902 00:52:09,840 --> 00:52:14,480 Speaker 9: dismissed in exchange for his testimony against Brian Tribble, another 903 00:52:14,600 --> 00:52:18,280 Speaker 9: person with Bias. When he died, Long's life took dramatic 904 00:52:18,400 --> 00:52:21,360 Speaker 9: turns after the death of Bias. He returned to the 905 00:52:21,440 --> 00:52:25,040 Speaker 9: Maryland campus two days later along with the police escort. 906 00:52:25,960 --> 00:52:30,000 Speaker 9: He had received death threats. In October nineteen eighty six, 907 00:52:30,600 --> 00:52:34,760 Speaker 9: Long was suspended indefinitely from the team following his indictment. 908 00:52:35,840 --> 00:52:39,680 Speaker 9: He withdrew from Maryland in late December nineteen eighty six. 909 00:52:40,800 --> 00:52:43,799 Speaker 9: Derek Lewis was a sophomore on the team when Bias died. 910 00:52:44,400 --> 00:52:44,920 Speaker 10: He doesn't. 911 00:52:45,160 --> 00:52:46,840 Speaker 3: He doesn't talk about it at all. Every once in 912 00:52:46,880 --> 00:52:50,279 Speaker 3: a while, yeah, he'll call and say happy birthday, but 913 00:52:50,520 --> 00:52:52,759 Speaker 3: he doesn't. He doesn't discuss it at all. I think 914 00:52:52,840 --> 00:52:55,640 Speaker 3: because he was in the room and people have so 915 00:52:55,719 --> 00:52:57,600 Speaker 3: many questions as what does Havy have. 916 00:52:57,719 --> 00:53:00,120 Speaker 9: But during a brief phone call in the spring of 917 00:53:00,239 --> 00:53:03,880 Speaker 9: twenty eleven, Long was asked to talk about how bias 918 00:53:03,960 --> 00:53:09,160 Speaker 9: His death has affected his life. He responded politely and calmly, 919 00:53:09,560 --> 00:53:14,279 Speaker 9: saying I'm not interested. In subsequent calls, he provided only 920 00:53:14,360 --> 00:53:19,120 Speaker 9: brief background information. Long has not talked publicly about the 921 00:53:19,200 --> 00:53:21,759 Speaker 9: death of Bias. He is the only one who was 922 00:53:21,840 --> 00:53:24,680 Speaker 9: with Bias when he passed out, who has not done so. 923 00:53:25,440 --> 00:53:28,160 Speaker 9: A few years ago, Long, in a phone call, agreed 924 00:53:28,239 --> 00:53:31,440 Speaker 9: to an interview, but it has not yet been secured. 925 00:53:32,080 --> 00:53:35,400 Speaker 9: He has not returned multiple follow up phone messages and 926 00:53:35,600 --> 00:53:39,160 Speaker 9: text messages. Long returned to the Maryland campus for the 927 00:53:39,239 --> 00:53:42,680 Speaker 9: first time when the school's athletic department honored their coach 928 00:53:43,239 --> 00:53:46,799 Speaker 9: left in Brazil at a Maryland basketball game against North 929 00:53:46,840 --> 00:53:51,320 Speaker 9: Carolina State in two thousand and three. Here's Jeff Baxter, 930 00:53:51,880 --> 00:53:53,919 Speaker 9: a senior on the team in nineteen eighty six. 931 00:53:55,000 --> 00:54:00,840 Speaker 2: I think Terry's deeply about I have not bought that 932 00:54:00,920 --> 00:54:05,200 Speaker 2: because I think it's it's a time and place for everything. Well, 933 00:54:05,239 --> 00:54:08,239 Speaker 2: I think he's very stand office. Yeah, I think that's 934 00:54:08,280 --> 00:54:10,960 Speaker 2: the biggest piece. I think he's hurt heart. I think 935 00:54:11,000 --> 00:54:12,840 Speaker 2: I think I think Terry Terry. 936 00:54:12,680 --> 00:54:17,120 Speaker 10: Phils that this is his I will I will. I 937 00:54:17,200 --> 00:54:19,200 Speaker 10: think I think he will put that type of pressure 938 00:54:19,200 --> 00:54:19,640 Speaker 10: on himself. 939 00:54:19,840 --> 00:54:23,680 Speaker 9: Speedy Jones says Long broke down and quote told him 940 00:54:23,760 --> 00:54:28,480 Speaker 9: everything end quote about how Bias died, but Jones did 941 00:54:28,520 --> 00:54:32,439 Speaker 9: not provide details. He says that every time he talks 942 00:54:32,480 --> 00:54:35,479 Speaker 9: too long about Bias, he can still see the pain 943 00:54:36,000 --> 00:54:40,560 Speaker 9: in Long's eyes. Keith Gatlin, who entered Maryland the same 944 00:54:40,640 --> 00:54:44,200 Speaker 9: year as Long, talks with him occasionally and visits him 945 00:54:44,200 --> 00:54:48,560 Speaker 9: in Baltimore. He wishes Long would talk. Gatlin told me 946 00:54:49,200 --> 00:54:52,759 Speaker 9: it would be therapeutic for Terry, and the perception of 947 00:54:52,920 --> 00:54:55,440 Speaker 9: Terry that he was a bad guy. We're not a 948 00:54:55,520 --> 00:55:03,640 Speaker 9: good kid is something that is really not true. More 949 00:55:03,680 --> 00:55:07,200 Speaker 9: than any other member of Maryland's nineteen eighty five eighty sixteen, 950 00:55:08,120 --> 00:55:10,960 Speaker 9: David Greg lives in the large and looming shadow of 951 00:55:11,080 --> 00:55:15,399 Speaker 9: Len Bias. As a player at Maryland, Greg was six 952 00:55:15,480 --> 00:55:19,120 Speaker 9: feet nine inches tall and just under two hundred pounds. 953 00:55:20,120 --> 00:55:23,680 Speaker 9: Greg could have passed as Bias's brother. In fact, they 954 00:55:23,800 --> 00:55:27,600 Speaker 9: jokingly referred to each other as cousins. Like Bias, he 955 00:55:27,760 --> 00:55:31,800 Speaker 9: was born in Washington, d c. Like Bias, Greg seemed 956 00:55:31,800 --> 00:55:36,040 Speaker 9: to share an endearing personality. Like Bias, Greg played for 957 00:55:36,120 --> 00:55:40,160 Speaker 9: the same coach, Bob Wagner, at the same high school, Northwestern. 958 00:55:41,000 --> 00:55:45,360 Speaker 9: At Northwestern, Greg was MacDonald's All America, something Bias did 959 00:55:45,440 --> 00:55:49,960 Speaker 9: not achieve. Like Bias, Greg was very familiar with Maryland basketball. 960 00:55:50,360 --> 00:55:51,240 Speaker 10: While in high school. 961 00:55:51,840 --> 00:55:54,600 Speaker 9: Greg was one of three people with Bias when he 962 00:55:54,680 --> 00:55:57,919 Speaker 9: had the heart attack that led to his death. Mike 963 00:55:58,000 --> 00:56:01,080 Speaker 9: Marrison has known Greg since the third grade and was 964 00:56:01,120 --> 00:56:02,080 Speaker 9: a high school teammate. 965 00:56:02,719 --> 00:56:05,399 Speaker 25: So all the home games we had tickets on Press Road, 966 00:56:05,760 --> 00:56:07,440 Speaker 25: so me and mister Wagner and Dave would go to 967 00:56:07,480 --> 00:56:10,399 Speaker 25: all the games. We were We were at the game 968 00:56:10,440 --> 00:56:12,480 Speaker 25: when Michael Jordan did the Rock the Cradle dumb. We 969 00:56:12,520 --> 00:56:14,680 Speaker 25: were sitting on the baseline. We were talking in before 970 00:56:14,719 --> 00:56:17,400 Speaker 25: and after game. So Lynn would come back to the 971 00:56:17,440 --> 00:56:20,440 Speaker 25: gym some days before games and shooting our gym. So 972 00:56:20,600 --> 00:56:23,440 Speaker 25: we were constantly in contact with him. We will constantly 973 00:56:23,560 --> 00:56:27,280 Speaker 25: see him, so you know, you know, David was excited 974 00:56:27,280 --> 00:56:29,560 Speaker 25: about going to Maryland. He was working real hard to 975 00:56:29,640 --> 00:56:32,319 Speaker 25: wait room with mister Wagner and Lynn's. 976 00:56:32,520 --> 00:56:35,399 Speaker 9: Charles Payne met Greg when both were eleven years old 977 00:56:35,800 --> 00:56:39,279 Speaker 9: and also played high school basketball with Greg. He says 978 00:56:39,320 --> 00:56:41,480 Speaker 9: Greg came out of a shell at Maryland. 979 00:56:41,480 --> 00:56:44,000 Speaker 6: But he was always the quiet one, you know, he 980 00:56:44,160 --> 00:56:47,080 Speaker 6: just kind of followed our lead, you know, and you know, 981 00:56:47,120 --> 00:56:50,600 Speaker 6: a great, great guy. Everybody loved to be around him. 982 00:56:50,640 --> 00:56:52,680 Speaker 6: But he loved to laugh and have fun and have 983 00:56:52,760 --> 00:56:53,359 Speaker 6: a good time. 984 00:56:54,040 --> 00:56:57,359 Speaker 9: At Maryland. The good time seemed to continue after Greg 985 00:56:57,440 --> 00:57:01,480 Speaker 9: settled in. Greg admitted in him Miami Herald report in 986 00:57:01,640 --> 00:57:04,879 Speaker 9: nineteen eighty eight that he stopped going to classes during 987 00:57:04,920 --> 00:57:09,120 Speaker 9: the second semester of his freshman year. He chose instead 988 00:57:09,200 --> 00:57:13,440 Speaker 9: to quote date girls, talk to friends, just hang out 989 00:57:13,760 --> 00:57:18,400 Speaker 9: close quote. Maryland teammate Terry Long said in court testimony 990 00:57:18,880 --> 00:57:22,120 Speaker 9: that he snorted cocaine with Greg and Bias at Brian 991 00:57:22,200 --> 00:57:26,040 Speaker 9: Tribble's apartment. It was after a game against NC State 992 00:57:26,160 --> 00:57:30,320 Speaker 9: in College Park on January twenty three, nineteen eighty six. 993 00:57:32,040 --> 00:57:34,680 Speaker 9: Greg was in his dorm room talking on the phone 994 00:57:35,120 --> 00:57:37,640 Speaker 9: when Bias knocked on his door in the early morning 995 00:57:37,720 --> 00:57:42,439 Speaker 9: hours of June nineteenth, nineteen eighty six. Bias wanted Greg 996 00:57:42,520 --> 00:57:44,920 Speaker 9: to help celebrate the start of his new career with 997 00:57:45,040 --> 00:57:50,200 Speaker 9: the Celtics. After they started consuming cocaine, Greg became concerned 998 00:57:50,240 --> 00:57:53,160 Speaker 9: that Bias was snorting too much of it, but he 999 00:57:53,280 --> 00:57:56,360 Speaker 9: did not know how to tell Bias to stop. Payne 1000 00:57:56,400 --> 00:58:00,160 Speaker 9: remembers getting a call later that morning that woke him up, and. 1001 00:58:00,520 --> 00:58:02,720 Speaker 7: It was Dave and he was just telling me. He 1002 00:58:02,880 --> 00:58:05,440 Speaker 7: was like, hey, man, I need you to come get me. 1003 00:58:05,520 --> 00:58:08,560 Speaker 7: I could immediately I could tell something was wrong. And 1004 00:58:08,640 --> 00:58:09,680 Speaker 7: I said, what do you mean you need me to 1005 00:58:09,720 --> 00:58:11,120 Speaker 7: come and get you. He goes, I just need you 1006 00:58:11,200 --> 00:58:12,720 Speaker 7: to come get me. I said, well, what's going on? 1007 00:58:12,880 --> 00:58:14,600 Speaker 7: And then he tells me, he goes, man, let me 1008 00:58:14,800 --> 00:58:15,120 Speaker 7: just die. 1009 00:58:15,200 --> 00:58:15,960 Speaker 10: I said what. 1010 00:58:17,080 --> 00:58:20,320 Speaker 6: He goes, Yeah, he just he just died. 1011 00:58:20,320 --> 00:58:23,840 Speaker 7: I said, how, I said, you know what, wait until 1012 00:58:23,840 --> 00:58:26,400 Speaker 7: I get there. And so he gets in my car 1013 00:58:26,680 --> 00:58:29,720 Speaker 7: and he explains to me, you know, what had happened. 1014 00:58:30,680 --> 00:58:30,960 Speaker 16: And so. 1015 00:58:32,560 --> 00:58:33,160 Speaker 6: I'm shocked. 1016 00:58:33,200 --> 00:58:36,360 Speaker 7: I'm trying to deal with that news myself, but at 1017 00:58:36,360 --> 00:58:38,320 Speaker 7: the same time, I'm trying to be there for him. 1018 00:58:39,280 --> 00:58:42,360 Speaker 9: Payne gave Gregor ride to the house of coach Lefty forsell. 1019 00:58:43,240 --> 00:58:45,360 Speaker 7: You know, Lefty let me in just like I was 1020 00:58:45,800 --> 00:58:48,720 Speaker 7: a part of the team, and so we were just 1021 00:58:48,840 --> 00:58:53,040 Speaker 7: sitting there and you know, Lefty came in and he 1022 00:58:53,160 --> 00:58:57,560 Speaker 7: started talking. He started talking to the team and telling 1023 00:58:57,640 --> 00:59:01,040 Speaker 7: them about you know how you know tragic this is. 1024 00:59:01,400 --> 00:59:03,960 Speaker 6: But you know Lynn was ready. You know, Lynn was 1025 00:59:04,040 --> 00:59:05,040 Speaker 6: a good, good guy. 1026 00:59:05,240 --> 00:59:08,440 Speaker 7: He's a Christian, He's he's okay, and you know, we 1027 00:59:08,640 --> 00:59:11,200 Speaker 7: know that this is going This is is very shocking 1028 00:59:11,360 --> 00:59:12,280 Speaker 7: and hard to deal with. 1029 00:59:13,040 --> 00:59:14,680 Speaker 10: You know, We're going to have people for you guys 1030 00:59:14,720 --> 00:59:15,960 Speaker 10: to talk to if you need it. 1031 00:59:16,800 --> 00:59:18,560 Speaker 7: Just going kind of back and forth because you know, 1032 00:59:18,560 --> 00:59:20,760 Speaker 7: At this point, Lefty doesn't know the story. 1033 00:59:20,840 --> 00:59:24,120 Speaker 6: He doesn't really know what's happened himself. 1034 00:59:24,520 --> 00:59:26,520 Speaker 9: Payne then took Greg to his mother's house. 1035 00:59:27,360 --> 00:59:29,960 Speaker 7: The next couple of days really just got crazy when 1036 00:59:30,040 --> 00:59:32,880 Speaker 7: all of a sudden, you know, criminal charges are going 1037 00:59:32,960 --> 00:59:35,720 Speaker 7: to be brought against him and everybody in the room, 1038 00:59:35,920 --> 00:59:40,920 Speaker 7: and then death threats. But clearly they got David and 1039 00:59:41,440 --> 00:59:44,600 Speaker 7: Terry Long out of town. I can't remember how long 1040 00:59:44,680 --> 00:59:46,720 Speaker 7: it was, but I know they left town for a while. 1041 00:59:47,480 --> 00:59:49,760 Speaker 9: Greg and Long later went to the house owned by 1042 00:59:49,800 --> 00:59:52,000 Speaker 9: Bob Wagner, Greg's high school coach. 1043 00:59:52,680 --> 00:59:56,439 Speaker 26: Well, Lufty, you know, can can David and Terry stay 1044 00:59:56,480 --> 00:59:59,080 Speaker 26: there until their parents could get with their. 1045 00:59:58,960 --> 01:00:02,400 Speaker 10: Attorneys to get record? Can they stay where my house? Okay? 1046 01:00:02,560 --> 01:00:03,600 Speaker 10: So they stayed upstairs. 1047 01:00:03,640 --> 01:00:06,200 Speaker 6: I had a little upstairs that I often had rented. 1048 01:00:06,040 --> 01:00:08,880 Speaker 5: One to make extra money to pay my pills. 1049 01:00:09,520 --> 01:00:14,680 Speaker 10: Again, and then I had to go someplace. 1050 01:00:14,760 --> 01:00:17,240 Speaker 26: When I came back, day were gone there they'd gotten 1051 01:00:17,240 --> 01:00:17,880 Speaker 26: their attorneys. 1052 01:00:18,120 --> 01:00:20,439 Speaker 9: Greg spent the next two weeks at his mother's house. 1053 01:00:21,000 --> 01:00:24,960 Speaker 9: He stayed mostly to himself. A grand jury indicted Greg 1054 01:00:25,080 --> 01:00:28,640 Speaker 9: for possession of cocaine an obstruction of justice related to 1055 01:00:28,720 --> 01:00:32,080 Speaker 9: the death of bias. The charges were dropped in exchange 1056 01:00:32,120 --> 01:00:36,200 Speaker 9: for testifying against Brian Tribble at Tribble's trial. Greg was 1057 01:00:36,240 --> 01:00:39,520 Speaker 9: suspended from the Maryland team for the next season, but 1058 01:00:39,640 --> 01:00:44,040 Speaker 9: he continued to attend classes and played in occasional pickup games. 1059 01:00:44,600 --> 01:00:47,880 Speaker 9: In early July nineteen eighty seven, Greg announced that he 1060 01:00:47,920 --> 01:00:51,200 Speaker 9: would transfer from Maryland. Said Greg at the time, quote, 1061 01:00:51,760 --> 01:00:56,320 Speaker 9: it's been very tough. Wherever I go, people point and say, oh, 1062 01:00:56,520 --> 01:00:59,840 Speaker 9: there goes David Greg. I've been getting more attention for 1063 01:01:00,080 --> 01:01:03,760 Speaker 9: this than I did for my basketball close quote. Greg 1064 01:01:03,920 --> 01:01:06,880 Speaker 9: wasn't sure what to do next. Payne was starting his 1065 01:01:07,040 --> 01:01:10,680 Speaker 9: junior year as a player at Florida International University and 1066 01:01:10,800 --> 01:01:11,400 Speaker 9: had an idea. 1067 01:01:12,000 --> 01:01:15,040 Speaker 6: So the next move was what you know, what are 1068 01:01:15,040 --> 01:01:15,480 Speaker 6: you going to do? 1069 01:01:15,520 --> 01:01:17,440 Speaker 7: Where do you want to go? My coach was like, hey, 1070 01:01:17,520 --> 01:01:20,000 Speaker 7: do you think he would like to come here? You know, 1071 01:01:20,240 --> 01:01:22,880 Speaker 7: get him away from that area. You know, we're in 1072 01:01:22,880 --> 01:01:25,080 Speaker 7: an up and coming program. You know, it won't be 1073 01:01:25,160 --> 01:01:28,600 Speaker 7: as many people going after him, So you know, I 1074 01:01:28,720 --> 01:01:29,600 Speaker 7: reached out to Dave and. 1075 01:01:29,640 --> 01:01:30,280 Speaker 6: He was interested. 1076 01:01:30,960 --> 01:01:34,240 Speaker 9: Rick Walker was the coach of Florida International at the time. 1077 01:01:35,360 --> 01:01:39,200 Speaker 27: I had seen David play on television and he reminded 1078 01:01:39,320 --> 01:01:42,000 Speaker 27: me of a young Sam Perkins. 1079 01:01:42,400 --> 01:01:44,120 Speaker 10: David was the top of the line. 1080 01:01:44,360 --> 01:01:47,720 Speaker 27: We were still an independent at that time, so we 1081 01:01:48,160 --> 01:01:51,640 Speaker 27: had just this would have been our first or second 1082 01:01:51,720 --> 01:01:56,120 Speaker 27: year in Division one. But this gave us a credibility 1083 01:01:56,560 --> 01:02:00,160 Speaker 27: in terms of recruiting, in terms of having a bigger. 1084 01:02:00,440 --> 01:02:04,240 Speaker 9: But it seemed like a good opportunity for Greg. A 1085 01:02:04,320 --> 01:02:08,480 Speaker 9: Miami Herald story in June nineteen eighty eight tauted Greg's 1086 01:02:08,520 --> 01:02:13,080 Speaker 9: pending arrival at FIU. It all goes well at RED, 1087 01:02:13,760 --> 01:02:17,720 Speaker 9: he could be the player who lifts the program to respectability. 1088 01:02:18,280 --> 01:02:21,040 Speaker 9: But all did not go as well as hoped. First, 1089 01:02:21,600 --> 01:02:24,960 Speaker 9: Greg had to wait to play for FFIU. He was 1090 01:02:25,120 --> 01:02:29,360 Speaker 9: academically ineligible, so he took classes at Miami Dade Junior 1091 01:02:29,440 --> 01:02:32,760 Speaker 9: College and FIU throughout that first year. 1092 01:02:33,800 --> 01:02:36,400 Speaker 7: And so David didn't want to use any of his 1093 01:02:36,520 --> 01:02:38,960 Speaker 7: eligibility in his basket, so he was just going to 1094 01:02:39,040 --> 01:02:41,919 Speaker 7: go there to get his school work so he could 1095 01:02:41,960 --> 01:02:43,800 Speaker 7: transfer into FIU full time. 1096 01:02:44,120 --> 01:02:45,600 Speaker 10: So what he did was he was a full time 1097 01:02:45,640 --> 01:02:46,200 Speaker 10: student at. 1098 01:02:46,120 --> 01:02:48,840 Speaker 7: Daye North and he took like two classes at FIU 1099 01:02:49,160 --> 01:02:50,840 Speaker 7: so he could live on campus at FIU. 1100 01:02:51,080 --> 01:02:54,840 Speaker 6: So the basketball coach at Dayton North wanted him to, 1101 01:02:55,400 --> 01:02:57,320 Speaker 6: you know, play, and Dave was. 1102 01:02:57,320 --> 01:02:58,400 Speaker 10: Like, now, I'm not going to play. 1103 01:02:58,400 --> 01:03:01,480 Speaker 6: I'm just going to focus on my academics. And he did, 1104 01:03:01,720 --> 01:03:02,600 Speaker 6: and he did. 1105 01:03:02,520 --> 01:03:05,120 Speaker 9: Well, and Greg joined the FIU team in the fall 1106 01:03:05,200 --> 01:03:08,880 Speaker 9: of nineteen eighty eight. His start with the team lacked inspiration, 1107 01:03:09,280 --> 01:03:11,960 Speaker 9: says Walker, than the FIU coach. 1108 01:03:12,080 --> 01:03:16,000 Speaker 27: The reality was, there was not that fire that was 1109 01:03:16,040 --> 01:03:18,720 Speaker 27: there that I thought might have been there. 1110 01:03:20,520 --> 01:03:21,160 Speaker 10: Prior to this. 1111 01:03:21,960 --> 01:03:24,360 Speaker 5: So I thought he was lacking a little. 1112 01:03:24,120 --> 01:03:26,160 Speaker 10: Bit of self motivation. 1113 01:03:26,400 --> 01:03:28,640 Speaker 27: You know, if we were talking of fire from one 1114 01:03:28,720 --> 01:03:30,840 Speaker 27: to ten, his was about a sixth. 1115 01:03:31,640 --> 01:03:34,720 Speaker 9: Greg then found a spark in late December nineteen eighty eight. 1116 01:03:35,280 --> 01:03:38,880 Speaker 9: In his third game for FIU, he scored eighteen points 1117 01:03:38,920 --> 01:03:42,320 Speaker 9: and grabbed eleven rebounds and a home loss to Radford 1118 01:03:42,640 --> 01:03:45,840 Speaker 9: in front of only four hundred and seventy six spectators. 1119 01:03:46,720 --> 01:03:49,600 Speaker 9: He appeared to enjoy playing the game more than he 1120 01:03:49,800 --> 01:03:50,920 Speaker 9: ever had in his life. 1121 01:03:51,360 --> 01:03:54,160 Speaker 6: We're in school, We're just having a good time. He 1122 01:03:54,280 --> 01:03:55,400 Speaker 6: had some really good games. 1123 01:03:55,400 --> 01:03:56,240 Speaker 10: I mean he was playing. 1124 01:03:56,320 --> 01:03:58,480 Speaker 6: I mean, it was it was fun. I mean, I 1125 01:03:58,560 --> 01:04:01,000 Speaker 6: think for the first time in while, you know that 1126 01:04:01,160 --> 01:04:03,520 Speaker 6: he was starting to feel like his true self. 1127 01:04:03,960 --> 01:04:08,800 Speaker 9: Through early February, Greg played twelve games for FIU, averaging 1128 01:04:08,880 --> 01:04:13,760 Speaker 9: sixteen point seven points and seven point eight rebounds, but 1129 01:04:13,920 --> 01:04:17,280 Speaker 9: that momentum stopped suddenly on February seven, nineteen eighty nine. 1130 01:04:18,080 --> 01:04:23,680 Speaker 9: That's when FIU placed Greg on indefinite academic suspension. An 1131 01:04:23,760 --> 01:04:27,360 Speaker 9: official at Miami Dade had claimed Greg did not earn 1132 01:04:27,440 --> 01:04:32,400 Speaker 9: what was described as appropriate credits in three classes at 1133 01:04:32,440 --> 01:04:36,280 Speaker 9: the school. Charles Payne explains what happened. 1134 01:04:36,440 --> 01:04:40,240 Speaker 7: So, in the spring semester Dave had to take there 1135 01:04:40,240 --> 01:04:43,800 Speaker 7: were he needed two classes, right, so I think one 1136 01:04:43,880 --> 01:04:47,840 Speaker 7: class ended, one class ended at twelve forty. Let's say 1137 01:04:47,840 --> 01:04:49,800 Speaker 7: it started ended at twelve forty, but one of the 1138 01:04:49,840 --> 01:04:53,240 Speaker 7: classes began at twelve fifteen, so they overlapped. So he 1139 01:04:53,320 --> 01:04:56,240 Speaker 7: had to give special permission to take those classes. He 1140 01:04:56,400 --> 01:04:59,040 Speaker 7: registered for those classes. They knew of the overlap, they 1141 01:04:59,120 --> 01:05:01,760 Speaker 7: were fine with it. He did all of He did 1142 01:05:01,960 --> 01:05:05,600 Speaker 7: all the work for those classes when he finished, and 1143 01:05:05,720 --> 01:05:07,760 Speaker 7: he got his degree and he transferred over to FIU, 1144 01:05:07,840 --> 01:05:08,160 Speaker 7: all of that. 1145 01:05:09,000 --> 01:05:11,600 Speaker 6: But the head coach went back, looked at his. 1146 01:05:11,840 --> 01:05:15,240 Speaker 7: Schedule, saw that he took those two classes, and then 1147 01:05:15,320 --> 01:05:18,760 Speaker 7: he brought it to the attention of you know, Day North, 1148 01:05:18,880 --> 01:05:20,840 Speaker 7: to some other you know I guess I don't know 1149 01:05:21,600 --> 01:05:22,600 Speaker 7: who wouldn't. 1150 01:05:22,200 --> 01:05:24,920 Speaker 6: Step up and say, hey, we approved this, we let 1151 01:05:24,960 --> 01:05:25,520 Speaker 6: the guy do it. 1152 01:05:25,880 --> 01:05:29,400 Speaker 7: But once that coach exposed it, then what they did 1153 01:05:29,720 --> 01:05:32,840 Speaker 7: was they took those two classes away from me. I 1154 01:05:33,040 --> 01:05:35,280 Speaker 7: just think that he didn't like the fact that he 1155 01:05:35,400 --> 01:05:37,960 Speaker 7: didn't play for him and that he went to FIU. 1156 01:05:38,360 --> 01:05:41,560 Speaker 9: Greg had an option to keep playing at FIU, but 1157 01:05:41,680 --> 01:05:43,520 Speaker 9: he needed to set out the rest of the year 1158 01:05:44,040 --> 01:05:47,000 Speaker 9: and take the classes in question again at Miami Dade 1159 01:05:47,520 --> 01:05:52,680 Speaker 9: before he could return. FIU coach Rick Walker was devastated. 1160 01:05:53,160 --> 01:05:56,400 Speaker 27: I'm like, what, I know, I had to set the 1161 01:05:56,480 --> 01:06:01,920 Speaker 27: team down, but I had to tell everybody and they 1162 01:06:02,080 --> 01:06:06,720 Speaker 27: had to rule him ineligible. He was disappointed, the kids 1163 01:06:06,760 --> 01:06:09,880 Speaker 27: were disappointed. I mean, it was like, or here we 1164 01:06:10,000 --> 01:06:11,680 Speaker 27: go again, something else negative. 1165 01:06:11,880 --> 01:06:12,720 Speaker 6: And I tried my. 1166 01:06:12,840 --> 01:06:14,960 Speaker 7: Best to like get to him and just say, hey, look, man, 1167 01:06:15,040 --> 01:06:17,760 Speaker 7: I know that's disappointing. I know it's not fair, and 1168 01:06:17,880 --> 01:06:20,919 Speaker 7: I know you did the work, but just do it again, 1169 01:06:20,960 --> 01:06:23,400 Speaker 7: because I didn't because I knew if he didn't do 1170 01:06:23,600 --> 01:06:27,080 Speaker 7: that that he would go home and just not play 1171 01:06:27,120 --> 01:06:29,840 Speaker 7: anymore and not go to school anymore. But I just 1172 01:06:30,160 --> 01:06:32,439 Speaker 7: I just didn't want to see him you know, give 1173 01:06:32,520 --> 01:06:35,720 Speaker 7: in to, you know, the bad actions of adults. 1174 01:06:36,400 --> 01:06:39,120 Speaker 9: Greg would have none of it. He left for home 1175 01:06:39,320 --> 01:06:43,840 Speaker 9: two days later, disgruntled and disheartened. His family could not 1176 01:06:43,960 --> 01:06:46,479 Speaker 9: afford to pay for him to take the classes again. 1177 01:06:46,800 --> 01:06:50,320 Speaker 7: At this point, you know, you're thinking, how much more, 1178 01:06:51,040 --> 01:06:53,200 Speaker 7: you know can one person endure? 1179 01:06:53,360 --> 01:06:57,280 Speaker 9: Greg since then has endured more challenges. Court record show 1180 01:06:57,760 --> 01:06:59,920 Speaker 9: that he was charged with driving under the influence of 1181 01:07:00,080 --> 01:07:04,840 Speaker 9: alcohol in September twenty ten, and in two thousand and eight, 1182 01:07:05,440 --> 01:07:08,560 Speaker 9: he lost his nine year old son to brain cancer. 1183 01:07:09,160 --> 01:07:12,160 Speaker 25: His death and Len's death are the only two times 1184 01:07:12,200 --> 01:07:13,360 Speaker 25: I've ever seen that man cry. 1185 01:07:14,040 --> 01:07:17,640 Speaker 9: Greg has attended Maryland basketball games, but he appears to 1186 01:07:17,760 --> 01:07:21,160 Speaker 9: have kept a low profile among his Maryland teammates over 1187 01:07:21,240 --> 01:07:26,000 Speaker 9: the last thirty five years. Neither Jeff Baxter nor Derrek Lewis, 1188 01:07:26,480 --> 01:07:29,760 Speaker 9: who both live in the Washington, DC area, knew how 1189 01:07:29,800 --> 01:07:34,280 Speaker 9: to contact Greg or where he was living. Speedy Jones 1190 01:07:34,320 --> 01:07:37,880 Speaker 9: has tried to counsel Greg. Jones would not elaborate on 1191 01:07:38,040 --> 01:07:42,920 Speaker 9: Greg's issues. Jones told me he's dealing with some personal 1192 01:07:43,000 --> 01:07:46,800 Speaker 9: issues as a result of Len's death. I don't know 1193 01:07:46,920 --> 01:07:49,480 Speaker 9: that he's ever sought help to deal with it. I 1194 01:07:49,600 --> 01:07:52,480 Speaker 9: think he needs to. I told him he needs to. 1195 01:07:53,280 --> 01:07:56,600 Speaker 9: Here's Bob Wagner, the high school coach for both Greg 1196 01:07:56,800 --> 01:07:57,440 Speaker 9: and Bias. 1197 01:07:58,280 --> 01:07:59,919 Speaker 10: I don't know if Dad's ever been the same. 1198 01:08:00,760 --> 01:08:05,240 Speaker 26: David was not a strong psychological person to begin I 1199 01:08:05,320 --> 01:08:07,160 Speaker 26: didn't want him to go to Maryland because. 1200 01:08:06,920 --> 01:08:08,840 Speaker 10: I didn't want to be with Lennard. 1201 01:08:15,120 --> 01:08:18,519 Speaker 28: Lefty Drizzel came to Maryland in nineteen sixty nine. He 1202 01:08:18,680 --> 01:08:21,040 Speaker 28: turned a team that had a pension for losing and 1203 01:08:21,160 --> 01:08:24,120 Speaker 28: made them a national power where they were always winning. 1204 01:08:24,680 --> 01:08:28,000 Speaker 23: Marylynd He had nothing for Why gouttie, I'm called absolutely nothing. 1205 01:08:28,920 --> 01:08:31,680 Speaker 9: That's a clip from a video about former Maryland head 1206 01:08:31,760 --> 01:08:35,800 Speaker 9: coach left To Drizzel, produced by a Washington, DC area 1207 01:08:35,920 --> 01:08:40,720 Speaker 9: television news station in nineteen eighty six. Perhaps it's a 1208 01:08:40,760 --> 01:08:44,280 Speaker 9: bit of hyperbole to say Maryland basketball had nothing before 1209 01:08:44,400 --> 01:08:48,160 Speaker 9: Drizzel became the school's basketball coach, but there was not 1210 01:08:48,240 --> 01:08:51,559 Speaker 9: a whole lot to brag about. Maryland had only four 1211 01:08:51,680 --> 01:08:56,200 Speaker 9: winning seasons in the nineteen sixties, along with no national rankings. 1212 01:08:57,320 --> 01:09:00,760 Speaker 9: By the early nineteen eighties, Drizzel had built a well 1213 01:09:00,840 --> 01:09:04,679 Speaker 9: deserved reputation as a pioneer and a pretty good self 1214 01:09:04,760 --> 01:09:07,599 Speaker 9: promoter among college basketball coaches. 1215 01:09:08,920 --> 01:09:12,000 Speaker 28: One of the winningest coaches in ACC and NCAA history 1216 01:09:12,160 --> 01:09:14,800 Speaker 28: is our next legend from Maryland, with seven hundred and 1217 01:09:14,880 --> 01:09:19,200 Speaker 28: eighty six career wins. Arriving in College Park in nineteen seventy, 1218 01:09:19,479 --> 01:09:22,519 Speaker 28: he built the Terrapins into a national power and twice 1219 01:09:22,680 --> 01:09:26,000 Speaker 28: was named ACC Coach of the Year. His nineteen seventy 1220 01:09:26,000 --> 01:09:29,280 Speaker 28: four Terrapins played NC State in the ACC Championship Game, 1221 01:09:29,560 --> 01:09:34,160 Speaker 28: which even today many consider the greatest game in conference history. 1222 01:09:34,680 --> 01:09:37,960 Speaker 9: That clip came from an Atlantic Coast Conference Legends brunch 1223 01:09:38,000 --> 01:09:41,679 Speaker 9: in two thousand and eight. In another video released shortly 1224 01:09:41,800 --> 01:09:44,760 Speaker 9: after he resigned as Maryland's coach, in nineteen eighty six, 1225 01:09:45,640 --> 01:09:49,479 Speaker 9: a local television network aired a tribute to Drasel. It 1226 01:09:49,640 --> 01:09:52,599 Speaker 9: featured a typical confident comment from the coach. 1227 01:09:53,360 --> 01:09:55,599 Speaker 23: I would like to brag. See that's why y'all don't 1228 01:09:55,640 --> 01:09:58,599 Speaker 23: think I can coach. But I'm bragging today, Okay, because 1229 01:09:58,640 --> 01:10:00,360 Speaker 23: I don't like to talk about what i'd doing, what 1230 01:10:00,479 --> 01:10:03,759 Speaker 23: I don't do. But don't ever say that I can't coach. 1231 01:10:04,320 --> 01:10:06,000 Speaker 23: I may not be a good speaker, I may not 1232 01:10:06,160 --> 01:10:08,040 Speaker 23: be intelligent as some of these other coaches. 1233 01:10:08,120 --> 01:10:09,840 Speaker 10: I may not throw you a whole lot of x 1234 01:10:10,000 --> 01:10:12,479 Speaker 10: is and oh crap, but I can coach. We were 1235 01:10:12,520 --> 01:10:13,960 Speaker 10: in the top ten my whole career. 1236 01:10:14,960 --> 01:10:17,040 Speaker 17: How many Maryland teams are in the final top ten? 1237 01:10:17,960 --> 01:10:20,680 Speaker 9: That was Tom McMillan, a three time All American at 1238 01:10:20,720 --> 01:10:24,760 Speaker 9: Maryland in the early nineteen seventies, And the answer, only 1239 01:10:24,920 --> 01:10:29,040 Speaker 9: five teams that did not include McMillan have finished in 1240 01:10:29,160 --> 01:10:32,760 Speaker 9: the top ten in the final Associated Press national poll. 1241 01:10:33,439 --> 01:10:37,519 Speaker 9: Over the course of some seventy years after Lembias died, 1242 01:10:38,120 --> 01:10:42,160 Speaker 9: the perception of Drizzel had changed dramatically. In the mind 1243 01:10:42,240 --> 01:10:45,280 Speaker 9: of his critics, Drizzel had morphed into a coach who 1244 01:10:45,520 --> 01:10:49,240 Speaker 9: was at worst indifferent to the academic needs of his 1245 01:10:49,360 --> 01:10:54,320 Speaker 9: players and at best blind to their off court mishaps. 1246 01:10:55,200 --> 01:10:57,840 Speaker 9: This all made Drizl a prime target of blame for 1247 01:10:57,960 --> 01:11:02,320 Speaker 9: the death of Bias. Russ Potts is a Maryland graduate 1248 01:11:02,400 --> 01:11:05,719 Speaker 9: from the nineteen sixties. He was also the first marketing 1249 01:11:05,800 --> 01:11:10,920 Speaker 9: director for Maryland's athletic department. Potts took that position one 1250 01:11:11,040 --> 01:11:13,200 Speaker 9: year after Drizzel started at Maryland. 1251 01:11:13,479 --> 01:11:17,880 Speaker 8: Whenever you have a tragedy, whether it's Pearl Harbor or 1252 01:11:18,040 --> 01:11:20,920 Speaker 8: nine to eleven or whatever, you're going to always have 1253 01:11:21,040 --> 01:11:24,960 Speaker 8: a fall guy. And so they tried to make the 1254 01:11:25,080 --> 01:11:28,160 Speaker 8: Lefty the fall guy. Well what poor Lefty had no 1255 01:11:28,320 --> 01:11:32,320 Speaker 8: more to do with that than you or I did, unfortunately, and. 1256 01:11:33,240 --> 01:11:35,360 Speaker 9: He was in the wrong place at the wrong. 1257 01:11:35,320 --> 01:11:39,760 Speaker 8: Time, and it was a tragic happening that still to 1258 01:11:39,880 --> 01:11:42,799 Speaker 8: this day affects the University of Maryland. 1259 01:11:43,120 --> 01:11:44,040 Speaker 9: Here's McMillan. 1260 01:11:44,439 --> 01:11:50,000 Speaker 17: It really bothers Lefty that his tenure at Maryland ended 1261 01:11:50,040 --> 01:11:53,080 Speaker 17: this way. It was really it was very tragic for 1262 01:11:53,200 --> 01:11:55,479 Speaker 17: him because he did so much for Maryland and then 1263 01:11:56,760 --> 01:11:59,960 Speaker 17: they have this one incident, which was a terrible mistake. 1264 01:12:00,520 --> 01:12:05,480 Speaker 9: That mistake, Len Bias abusing cocaine and then dying transformed 1265 01:12:05,560 --> 01:12:09,320 Speaker 9: Drizzel from a Maryland basketball icon to a maligned and 1266 01:12:09,439 --> 01:12:13,360 Speaker 9: minimized figure. By those who struggled to understand the death 1267 01:12:13,439 --> 01:12:18,040 Speaker 9: of Bias, it was a situation few could foresee at 1268 01:12:18,080 --> 01:12:20,000 Speaker 9: the start of Drizzel's Maryland career. 1269 01:12:21,080 --> 01:12:22,160 Speaker 14: Nudged mister Child. 1270 01:12:25,240 --> 01:12:28,320 Speaker 9: By the early nineteen seventies, sell out crowds with a 1271 01:12:28,439 --> 01:12:33,280 Speaker 9: norm at Maryland's home arena, cole Fieldhouse. Some fourteen thousand 1272 01:12:33,360 --> 01:12:37,400 Speaker 9: fans wanted to watch a trio of eventual All Americans 1273 01:12:37,640 --> 01:12:42,160 Speaker 9: as well as impact players in the NBA McMillan, Len Elmore, 1274 01:12:42,439 --> 01:12:47,400 Speaker 9: and John Lucas. Early in his career, Drizzell boldly promised 1275 01:12:47,479 --> 01:12:51,280 Speaker 9: to turn Maryland into the UCLA of the East. If 1276 01:12:51,360 --> 01:12:53,880 Speaker 9: not for two teams, he just might have done so. 1277 01:12:54,960 --> 01:12:59,840 Speaker 9: One was the real UCLA, which continued to dominate college basketball. 1278 01:13:00,640 --> 01:13:05,440 Speaker 9: The other was North Carolina State, which interrupted UCLA's championship 1279 01:13:05,560 --> 01:13:10,360 Speaker 9: run in nineteen seventy four, but the Terps were still 1280 01:13:10,400 --> 01:13:13,280 Speaker 9: among the best teams in the country. In four different 1281 01:13:13,320 --> 01:13:18,639 Speaker 9: regular seasons between nineteen seventy and nineteen eighty, Drizzell's team 1282 01:13:18,800 --> 01:13:22,920 Speaker 9: reached number two in the rankings. Four times they finished 1283 01:13:23,040 --> 01:13:26,599 Speaker 9: in the top ten. In his seventeen years as Maryland's 1284 01:13:26,600 --> 01:13:31,760 Speaker 9: head coach, Drizzel won only one ACC Tournament title, and 1285 01:13:31,880 --> 01:13:36,280 Speaker 9: it was with Bias. In nineteen eighty four, Bias, then 1286 01:13:36,320 --> 01:13:40,919 Speaker 9: a sophomore, won the tournament's MVP Award. Bias praised Bdrizel's 1287 01:13:40,960 --> 01:13:44,640 Speaker 9: influence on him in a nineteen eighty six Maryland basketball 1288 01:13:44,680 --> 01:13:45,439 Speaker 9: recruiting video. 1289 01:13:46,840 --> 01:13:48,560 Speaker 29: He told me the things that I could do, and 1290 01:13:48,680 --> 01:13:50,439 Speaker 29: he put a lot of faith in me and told 1291 01:13:50,479 --> 01:13:51,880 Speaker 29: me that I will be able to score and I 1292 01:13:51,960 --> 01:13:52,880 Speaker 29: will be able to rebound. 1293 01:13:52,920 --> 01:13:53,640 Speaker 11: Now I can do it. 1294 01:13:53,920 --> 01:13:55,840 Speaker 29: And when you got a coach that puts confidence and 1295 01:13:55,920 --> 01:13:58,200 Speaker 29: faith in you like that, you can't go out but play. 1296 01:13:59,040 --> 01:14:01,679 Speaker 9: Here's Drizzell in that same recruiting video. 1297 01:14:01,840 --> 01:14:04,000 Speaker 23: Of course, having let Ad Biased being the player of 1298 01:14:04,040 --> 01:14:06,479 Speaker 23: the year in the ACC and make first Team All ACC, 1299 01:14:06,800 --> 01:14:09,599 Speaker 23: First Team of AP and first Team UP is all American. 1300 01:14:09,960 --> 01:14:12,519 Speaker 23: You know, you know, in my opinion, he was probably 1301 01:14:12,600 --> 01:14:13,679 Speaker 23: player of the year in the country. 1302 01:14:14,080 --> 01:14:18,320 Speaker 9: Criticism towards Drizzel replaced praise for him after the death 1303 01:14:18,360 --> 01:14:21,880 Speaker 9: of Bias. Some of it came from the Bias family. 1304 01:14:22,479 --> 01:14:25,679 Speaker 9: Bob Wagner, Len's high school coach and a friend of Grizel, 1305 01:14:26,360 --> 01:14:29,800 Speaker 9: remembers a moment of hostility from Len's father. It was 1306 01:14:29,840 --> 01:14:34,000 Speaker 9: at Bias's wake. Once there, Drizzl and Wagner walked over 1307 01:14:34,080 --> 01:14:36,760 Speaker 9: to James Bias to offer condolences. 1308 01:14:38,520 --> 01:14:43,640 Speaker 26: At the wake, I wrote down with Lefty because we 1309 01:14:43,680 --> 01:14:46,120 Speaker 26: didn't know where we were going. We come into the 1310 01:14:46,240 --> 01:14:49,400 Speaker 26: church and I know mister Bias was still hurt and upset. 1311 01:14:50,360 --> 01:14:54,080 Speaker 26: But Lefty walks over to give his condolences and mister 1312 01:14:54,160 --> 01:14:56,599 Speaker 26: Bias says something like the Lefty like, you stay away 1313 01:14:56,640 --> 01:14:56,920 Speaker 26: from me. 1314 01:14:57,160 --> 01:15:01,439 Speaker 9: You killed myself. Media reports claimed instructed a coach to 1315 01:15:01,560 --> 01:15:05,200 Speaker 9: clean the room in which Bias died before police arrived. 1316 01:15:06,080 --> 01:15:09,240 Speaker 9: Dresel admitted that he instructed the coach to clean the room, 1317 01:15:09,800 --> 01:15:12,920 Speaker 9: but the coach, Oliver Parnell, did not do so, in 1318 01:15:13,080 --> 01:15:17,360 Speaker 9: part due to a police presence. Assistant coach Jeff Atkins 1319 01:15:17,439 --> 01:15:20,439 Speaker 9: went to the room with Parnell. Atkins told me that 1320 01:15:20,560 --> 01:15:24,200 Speaker 9: when they reached the Washington Hall dorm, where Bias's suite 1321 01:15:24,360 --> 01:15:28,559 Speaker 9: was located, police would not let them pass a secured area. 1322 01:15:30,040 --> 01:15:33,760 Speaker 9: Trozzelle is not charged with a crime. During this time, 1323 01:15:34,320 --> 01:15:37,400 Speaker 9: Drizell indicated he would not back down from the challenges 1324 01:15:37,680 --> 01:15:38,320 Speaker 9: facing him. 1325 01:15:38,920 --> 01:15:40,840 Speaker 5: If you know me, I do the best when my 1326 01:15:40,960 --> 01:15:43,599 Speaker 5: back's up against the wall, right. I like for people 1327 01:15:43,680 --> 01:15:45,720 Speaker 5: get me in a corner and get me around the neck. 1328 01:15:46,000 --> 01:15:47,240 Speaker 10: Then I like to get out of there. 1329 01:15:48,200 --> 01:15:52,400 Speaker 9: But the forces against Rizel grew too strong. Chancellor John 1330 01:15:52,520 --> 01:15:56,400 Speaker 9: Slaughter felt that Drizzel had not provided the leadership needed 1331 01:15:56,640 --> 01:16:01,160 Speaker 9: At the time he removed Brizel's coach. Slaughter told me 1332 01:16:01,800 --> 01:16:04,200 Speaker 9: my conclusion was we were not going to turn that 1333 01:16:04,320 --> 01:16:07,400 Speaker 9: around unless the change was made. I could come up 1334 01:16:07,439 --> 01:16:10,080 Speaker 9: with a whole lot of reasons, but I consider that 1335 01:16:10,160 --> 01:16:13,639 Speaker 9: a closed chapter. I don't want to open it anymore. 1336 01:16:14,360 --> 01:16:18,240 Speaker 9: I like Lefty a great deal. I'm not sure it's reciprocated. 1337 01:16:19,840 --> 01:16:23,400 Speaker 9: When asked about his feelings towards Slaughter, Driselle told me, 1338 01:16:24,080 --> 01:16:26,920 Speaker 9: no comment. I have a lot of feelings about Slaughter, 1339 01:16:27,280 --> 01:16:31,639 Speaker 9: but I'd rather not say. Mally Glassman was a reporter 1340 01:16:31,760 --> 01:16:35,280 Speaker 9: for the Baltimore Sun covering Maryland basketball at the time. 1341 01:16:35,880 --> 01:16:40,800 Speaker 30: He was a chancellor who was very concerned about the 1342 01:16:40,880 --> 01:16:45,560 Speaker 30: reputation of himself and the school, and the reputation was 1343 01:16:45,640 --> 01:16:50,800 Speaker 30: in tatters, as you say, academically when the revelations came 1344 01:16:50,880 --> 01:16:54,280 Speaker 30: out that these kids weren't going to class. And this 1345 01:16:54,600 --> 01:16:57,160 Speaker 30: wasn't the first year that this had happened, that there 1346 01:16:57,240 --> 01:17:01,960 Speaker 30: was a history of lefties players not staying in school, 1347 01:17:02,320 --> 01:17:07,240 Speaker 30: not graduating. But Lefty he wouldn't have gone. He wouldn't 1348 01:17:07,240 --> 01:17:11,479 Speaker 30: have left of his own accord, and he fought it 1349 01:17:11,600 --> 01:17:12,200 Speaker 30: till the end. 1350 01:17:12,880 --> 01:17:15,880 Speaker 9: Trizell claims he was asked to remain as coach for 1351 01:17:16,000 --> 01:17:19,280 Speaker 9: one more year and then resigned with nine years left 1352 01:17:19,320 --> 01:17:24,519 Speaker 9: on us contract. Drissell told me, my lawyer said, we 1353 01:17:24,640 --> 01:17:27,479 Speaker 9: can fight this thing and you can keep your job, 1354 01:17:28,120 --> 01:17:30,960 Speaker 9: but I'd be working for free because his fees would 1355 01:17:30,960 --> 01:17:34,640 Speaker 9: be so big. I said, let's settle. It was a 1356 01:17:34,720 --> 01:17:37,760 Speaker 9: great seventeen years at Maryland, except for my last year. 1357 01:17:38,560 --> 01:17:43,639 Speaker 9: Trizell's lawyer was famed Washington defense attorney Edward Bennett. Williams 1358 01:17:44,240 --> 01:17:47,800 Speaker 9: Russ Potts, Maryland's first marketing manager, was a good friend 1359 01:17:47,840 --> 01:17:51,320 Speaker 9: of Durzel. He reached out to Williams after it became 1360 01:17:51,400 --> 01:17:55,080 Speaker 9: a parent that Brazil's future employment at Maryland was in jeopardy. 1361 01:17:55,560 --> 01:17:59,280 Speaker 8: I called ed Williams and I asked ed Williams if 1362 01:17:59,360 --> 01:18:07,439 Speaker 8: he would represent Lefty in this terrible mess at Maryland. 1363 01:18:07,760 --> 01:18:11,959 Speaker 8: And I pleaded with him. I said, please please represent 1364 01:18:12,080 --> 01:18:15,280 Speaker 8: him because he has no idea in what's going to happen. 1365 01:18:16,040 --> 01:18:20,240 Speaker 8: Get Lefty to call me tonight. And so I said, 1366 01:18:20,439 --> 01:18:23,720 Speaker 8: you need to call in Williams at home tonight, and 1367 01:18:23,880 --> 01:18:29,000 Speaker 8: he did. But he said, Lefty effective immediately this very second. 1368 01:18:29,080 --> 01:18:33,080 Speaker 8: If you say one word about this case, if you 1369 01:18:33,400 --> 01:18:37,759 Speaker 8: so much as say a comma or a sema Colman, 1370 01:18:38,320 --> 01:18:42,720 Speaker 8: I will not represent you affective Immediately you shut up. 1371 01:18:43,240 --> 01:18:45,759 Speaker 6: I do all the talking. 1372 01:18:47,200 --> 01:18:50,320 Speaker 8: That was a hell of a challenge for Lefty because 1373 01:18:50,360 --> 01:18:54,760 Speaker 8: getting Lefty to shut up was not easy, and they 1374 01:18:54,840 --> 01:18:59,320 Speaker 8: had a meeting with Williams and the President and the 1375 01:18:59,479 --> 01:19:00,720 Speaker 8: Universe Attorney. 1376 01:19:01,200 --> 01:19:05,680 Speaker 9: Drizzell resigned on October twenty nine, nineteen eighty six, and 1377 01:19:05,800 --> 01:19:09,200 Speaker 9: received a comfortable settlement. He was paid one hundred and 1378 01:19:09,200 --> 01:19:12,960 Speaker 9: twenty thousand dollars a year for nine years, the remainder 1379 01:19:13,120 --> 01:19:16,680 Speaker 9: of his tenure coaching contract, and he could continue his 1380 01:19:16,800 --> 01:19:20,040 Speaker 9: basketball camps at the school for the same length of time. 1381 01:19:21,400 --> 01:19:25,200 Speaker 9: Drazell collected the full salary even after he left. As 1382 01:19:25,280 --> 01:19:28,840 Speaker 9: Pots recalls, Williams took a hard stance with Maryland while 1383 01:19:28,880 --> 01:19:33,600 Speaker 9: representing Brazell. He recounts the following story from a conversation 1384 01:19:33,760 --> 01:19:36,679 Speaker 9: he had with Williams shortly after the meeting. 1385 01:19:37,920 --> 01:19:38,000 Speaker 29: And. 1386 01:19:39,520 --> 01:19:43,840 Speaker 8: The Maryland attorney arrogantly walked into room and he laid 1387 01:19:43,880 --> 01:19:45,280 Speaker 8: a contract on the desk. 1388 01:19:45,800 --> 01:19:46,000 Speaker 10: Left. 1389 01:19:46,040 --> 01:19:48,439 Speaker 8: He had eight and a half years left on his contract, 1390 01:19:49,400 --> 01:19:52,960 Speaker 8: and Maryland offered him a year and a half. They 1391 01:19:53,080 --> 01:19:57,160 Speaker 8: laid that on the table and ed Williams looked at it. 1392 01:19:57,320 --> 01:20:01,280 Speaker 8: He jumped up and grabbed the contract. He tore it 1393 01:20:01,400 --> 01:20:03,800 Speaker 8: to shreds in front of me. He said, I'll see 1394 01:20:03,840 --> 01:20:07,760 Speaker 8: you in hell. Before we'd ever signed this. You want 1395 01:20:07,800 --> 01:20:11,639 Speaker 8: to go to war, We'll go to war. The next day, 1396 01:20:12,439 --> 01:20:16,280 Speaker 8: the next day, they called Williams and gave lasty All 1397 01:20:16,400 --> 01:20:17,439 Speaker 8: eight and a half years. 1398 01:20:18,040 --> 01:20:21,719 Speaker 9: Brazila added more context to the negotiation on a phone 1399 01:20:21,800 --> 01:20:25,679 Speaker 9: call in the summer of twenty twenty, so Slaughter called 1400 01:20:25,720 --> 01:20:26,360 Speaker 9: back tomorrow. 1401 01:20:26,520 --> 01:20:28,240 Speaker 23: He said, your contract is good. 1402 01:20:28,640 --> 01:20:33,320 Speaker 5: We've got to pay left before it nine years and he. 1403 01:20:33,400 --> 01:20:36,360 Speaker 6: Can stay here as an athletic. 1404 01:20:35,960 --> 01:20:40,200 Speaker 5: Director for two years and he will get the same. 1405 01:20:40,120 --> 01:20:42,960 Speaker 22: Salary he will be making as. 1406 01:20:42,880 --> 01:20:43,599 Speaker 12: The head coach. 1407 01:20:44,040 --> 01:20:47,760 Speaker 5: He can also have his basketball camp and used the 1408 01:20:47,960 --> 01:20:50,679 Speaker 5: dorms free and the Jim free. 1409 01:20:51,320 --> 01:20:53,120 Speaker 29: And that was the deed. 1410 01:20:53,200 --> 01:20:58,320 Speaker 5: Williams said, look, you can take that if you want to. 1411 01:20:58,680 --> 01:21:03,200 Speaker 6: You ain't got to work for seven more years, and 1412 01:21:03,520 --> 01:21:05,000 Speaker 6: or can go eight and coach. 1413 01:21:05,960 --> 01:21:06,599 Speaker 23: Take the deal. 1414 01:21:06,680 --> 01:21:08,600 Speaker 28: He's off on you and forget it. 1415 01:21:08,920 --> 01:21:09,759 Speaker 9: Forget coaching. 1416 01:21:10,320 --> 01:21:11,320 Speaker 6: That's what I did. 1417 01:21:12,080 --> 01:21:15,519 Speaker 9: As part of the deal, Drizzel transitioned to an assistant 1418 01:21:15,600 --> 01:21:20,680 Speaker 9: athletic director who oversaw the department sports information and marketing departments. 1419 01:21:21,160 --> 01:21:25,120 Speaker 9: He also helped manage the Maryland Educational Foundation, which raised 1420 01:21:25,200 --> 01:21:29,960 Speaker 9: money for scholarships and other department needs. When asked in 1421 01:21:30,080 --> 01:21:33,200 Speaker 9: twenty ten what the athletic department wanted him to do 1422 01:21:33,320 --> 01:21:37,360 Speaker 9: in his new role, Drazzel paused for a couple moments, laughed, 1423 01:21:37,520 --> 01:21:42,440 Speaker 9: and then said, quote hide end quote. Part of Drizzel's 1424 01:21:42,520 --> 01:21:45,679 Speaker 9: job was to convince the elderly to place their life 1425 01:21:45,720 --> 01:21:49,240 Speaker 9: insurance policy in their will and make the athletic department 1426 01:21:49,280 --> 01:21:53,600 Speaker 9: the beneficiary when they died. Drissel told me I was 1427 01:21:53,680 --> 01:21:56,559 Speaker 9: getting ready to do that, but never got that much involved. 1428 01:21:57,040 --> 01:22:00,519 Speaker 9: When I took the job. Then athletic director louke and said, 1429 01:22:00,640 --> 01:22:03,240 Speaker 9: just come on over when you want and do what 1430 01:22:03,439 --> 01:22:06,920 Speaker 9: you want. Trazelle left Maryland in nineteen eighty eight to 1431 01:22:06,960 --> 01:22:11,240 Speaker 9: become head coach at James Madison University. In nineteen ninety four, 1432 01:22:11,800 --> 01:22:14,439 Speaker 9: he became the head coach at Georgia State, where he 1433 01:22:14,560 --> 01:22:18,960 Speaker 9: stayed through two thousand and three. Trizell retired with the 1434 01:22:19,080 --> 01:22:23,120 Speaker 9: fourth most wins in Division one history, with seven hundred 1435 01:22:23,120 --> 01:22:26,280 Speaker 9: and eighty six. In the summer of two thousand and two, 1436 01:22:26,880 --> 01:22:30,360 Speaker 9: Drizzell returned to Maryland's campus for the first time since 1437 01:22:30,439 --> 01:22:33,920 Speaker 9: taking the job at James Madison. He attended his induction 1438 01:22:34,120 --> 01:22:37,000 Speaker 9: ceremony into Maryland's Athletics Hall of Fame. 1439 01:22:38,080 --> 01:22:42,120 Speaker 31: For his accomplishments during his coaching career. At his successful 1440 01:22:42,200 --> 01:22:46,599 Speaker 31: tenure at the University of Maryland coach Charles Lefty Drizzl 1441 01:22:47,240 --> 01:22:51,600 Speaker 31: is tonight being inducted into the University of Maryland Athletic 1442 01:22:51,880 --> 01:22:52,519 Speaker 31: Hall of Fame. 1443 01:22:53,720 --> 01:22:57,560 Speaker 9: Trizell returned the next winter when the Terrapins honored his 1444 01:22:57,680 --> 01:23:01,360 Speaker 9: retirement from coaching during halftime i'm of a game against 1445 01:23:01,479 --> 01:23:05,400 Speaker 9: Encia State at the Comcast Center, Maryland's new basketball arena. 1446 01:23:11,920 --> 01:23:15,680 Speaker 9: Drizzel stopped by Maryland's arena again in twenty seventeen for 1447 01:23:15,960 --> 01:23:28,040 Speaker 9: another special ceremony Brazil. The crowd was loud as Drizzel 1448 01:23:28,200 --> 01:23:32,200 Speaker 9: flashed the familiar victory sign with his right hand pointing 1449 01:23:32,240 --> 01:23:35,240 Speaker 9: to the rafters. It must have felt as if he 1450 01:23:35,320 --> 01:23:38,439 Speaker 9: were back in Colefieldhouse, in the building where he helped 1451 01:23:38,479 --> 01:23:43,600 Speaker 9: develop Maryland basketball into a nationally respected program, ready to 1452 01:23:43,720 --> 01:23:47,240 Speaker 9: lead his Maryland team to another of its many victories. 1453 01:23:47,840 --> 01:23:51,040 Speaker 9: John Lucas played for Drizzel from nineteen seventy two to 1454 01:23:51,200 --> 01:23:54,960 Speaker 9: nineteen seventy six. He departed Maryland as a three time 1455 01:23:55,000 --> 01:23:57,960 Speaker 9: All America and was the top pick in the nineteen 1456 01:23:58,120 --> 01:24:02,879 Speaker 9: seventy six NBA draft. He offered perhaps the most balanced 1457 01:24:02,920 --> 01:24:08,559 Speaker 9: assessment of Drizzel's personality, which endeared many and irritated others 1458 01:24:08,680 --> 01:24:13,120 Speaker 9: At Maryland. Lucas told me coach was genuine to a fault. 1459 01:24:13,760 --> 01:24:16,880 Speaker 9: What you saw was what you got. He doesn't have 1460 01:24:17,120 --> 01:24:18,600 Speaker 9: any gray areas. 1461 01:24:18,760 --> 01:24:24,000 Speaker 4: Presenting Lefty for enshrinement or Mike Krzewsky, George Raveling, John Thompson, 1462 01:24:24,360 --> 01:24:26,759 Speaker 4: ladies and gentlemen, Charles Lefty Drizzl. 1463 01:24:30,600 --> 01:24:33,799 Speaker 9: In twenty eighteen, at the age of eighty six, Drazzell 1464 01:24:33,920 --> 01:24:38,479 Speaker 9: received the highest honor for a basketball coach, induction into 1465 01:24:38,560 --> 01:24:41,320 Speaker 9: the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. 1466 01:24:41,800 --> 01:24:44,720 Speaker 32: I'm so happy to be here. This is probably one 1467 01:24:44,760 --> 01:24:47,720 Speaker 32: of the happiest days in my wife, my life and 1468 01:24:47,800 --> 01:24:53,200 Speaker 32: my wife whatever. And look, is anybody in here eighty 1469 01:24:53,280 --> 01:24:55,160 Speaker 32: six years old? Raise your hand, will you? 1470 01:24:56,520 --> 01:24:56,560 Speaker 29: So? 1471 01:24:57,479 --> 01:25:03,880 Speaker 5: So if I screw up? So look if I if 1472 01:25:03,920 --> 01:25:06,800 Speaker 5: I screw up, wait till you get eighty six. 1473 01:25:09,560 --> 01:25:12,320 Speaker 12: I made the statement, then we're gonna be the UCLA 1474 01:25:12,360 --> 01:25:14,800 Speaker 12: at the East again. I was kind of drunk or 1475 01:25:14,840 --> 01:25:20,040 Speaker 12: someone I said that. And so I've been. 1476 01:25:19,960 --> 01:25:27,599 Speaker 5: Lucky to be able to coach, and to be able 1477 01:25:27,680 --> 01:25:29,160 Speaker 5: to coach and recruit. 1478 01:25:28,920 --> 01:25:32,679 Speaker 12: At four great at two great high schools and four 1479 01:25:33,160 --> 01:25:34,800 Speaker 12: Division one universities. 1480 01:25:35,400 --> 01:25:37,920 Speaker 9: I had a conversation with Drizzla in the summer of 1481 01:25:38,000 --> 01:25:43,720 Speaker 9: twenty twenty. He was typical lefty, engaging, curious, and combative, 1482 01:25:44,600 --> 01:25:48,240 Speaker 9: and he expressed some frustration when the topic of Bias 1483 01:25:48,360 --> 01:25:48,720 Speaker 9: came up. 1484 01:25:49,200 --> 01:25:51,200 Speaker 12: Do you think I see anything to do with the 1485 01:25:51,360 --> 01:25:52,040 Speaker 12: about your death? 1486 01:25:52,960 --> 01:25:55,840 Speaker 31: You know, if you look back at the record, what 1487 01:25:56,080 --> 01:25:58,559 Speaker 31: was Maryland in basketball before I got there? 1488 01:25:58,800 --> 01:26:02,120 Speaker 9: About Trail finds comfort in his story he has told 1489 01:26:02,160 --> 01:26:05,760 Speaker 9: about Bias. During the early summer of twenty ten, a 1490 01:26:05,840 --> 01:26:09,599 Speaker 9: man approached him as they walked out of church near 1491 01:26:09,720 --> 01:26:13,760 Speaker 9: Drizzel's home in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The man explained that 1492 01:26:13,920 --> 01:26:17,880 Speaker 9: shortly before Bias's death, he had reached a personal love, 1493 01:26:18,479 --> 01:26:22,519 Speaker 9: losing his job and his family due to a cocaine addiction. 1494 01:26:23,520 --> 01:26:26,519 Speaker 9: When friends told the man that Bias had died, he 1495 01:26:26,680 --> 01:26:31,479 Speaker 9: immediately stopped abusing cocaine. The man told Grisel that Bias 1496 01:26:31,640 --> 01:26:35,320 Speaker 9: was one of his favorite players and that Bias saved 1497 01:26:35,400 --> 01:26:39,120 Speaker 9: his life. I bet several people tell me that they've 1498 01:26:39,240 --> 01:26:40,400 Speaker 9: never used drugs. 1499 01:26:40,520 --> 01:26:41,400 Speaker 12: They've plied that. 1500 01:26:42,080 --> 01:26:45,959 Speaker 9: At a press conference shortly after Bias died, Drizzel expressed 1501 01:26:46,000 --> 01:26:49,400 Speaker 9: a connection between the two of them, a connection that 1502 01:26:49,520 --> 01:26:51,280 Speaker 9: he feels is eternal. 1503 01:26:52,000 --> 01:26:55,160 Speaker 23: As my wife said, He's in a better position right 1504 01:26:55,280 --> 01:26:57,679 Speaker 23: now than we are. He's at home with the Lord, 1505 01:26:57,760 --> 01:27:01,360 Speaker 23: and I really sincerely believe bad. I mean, I'm sad, 1506 01:27:01,520 --> 01:27:04,640 Speaker 23: but I'm not even worried because I know where Leonard is. 1507 01:27:04,720 --> 01:27:08,240 Speaker 15: I know he's in heaven, and I've been missing him, 1508 01:27:08,280 --> 01:27:10,600 Speaker 15: and I don't everybody else here will tell me. I 1509 01:27:10,680 --> 01:27:14,160 Speaker 15: really can't say a whole lot more to I love you, Leonard, 1510 01:27:14,200 --> 01:27:17,240 Speaker 15: and I mission I'll see you Evan one day. 1511 01:27:26,439 --> 01:27:29,000 Speaker 1: Next on Lemby some mixed legacy how the death of 1512 01:27:29,120 --> 01:27:30,320 Speaker 1: Lemby some packet. 1513 01:27:30,080 --> 01:27:31,639 Speaker 10: His family memories. 1514 01:27:31,760 --> 01:27:32,800 Speaker 6: Remember me, I hope they. 1515 01:27:33,280 --> 01:27:35,800 Speaker 13: Always wanted to be like the older guys, and you 1516 01:27:35,840 --> 01:27:37,600 Speaker 13: always say, man, I want I want to do what 1517 01:27:37,680 --> 01:27:39,360 Speaker 13: they doing, you know, I want to be there in 1518 01:27:39,439 --> 01:27:39,880 Speaker 13: that spot. 1519 01:27:39,960 --> 01:27:42,120 Speaker 10: So they was like a big brother to us. 1520 01:27:45,000 --> 01:27:48,080 Speaker 26: Jay had more, much more skill than Leonard did skill 1521 01:27:48,160 --> 01:27:49,439 Speaker 26: wise as a basketball player. 1522 01:27:50,360 --> 01:27:51,639 Speaker 5: It would have been so sick. 1523 01:27:53,240 --> 01:27:55,519 Speaker 2: When I turned around, Jay was laying down and I 1524 01:27:55,600 --> 01:27:57,920 Speaker 2: seen the crowd to see me coming on the court. 1525 01:27:58,080 --> 01:27:59,320 Speaker 10: You know, the fight broke out. 1526 01:28:01,880 --> 01:28:03,880 Speaker 13: I thought it was no doubt that he was a 1527 01:28:04,160 --> 01:28:06,639 Speaker 13: Division one, you know, basketball player. 1528 01:28:08,080 --> 01:28:09,360 Speaker 10: He could do anything on the court. 1529 01:28:09,400 --> 01:28:14,360 Speaker 7: He warned, I just hope that I leave to Sam 1530 01:28:14,479 --> 01:28:17,680 Speaker 7: and Hen and everything I do from now on this 1531 01:28:17,800 --> 01:28:18,920 Speaker 7: dedicator for my brother. 1532 01:28:21,600 --> 01:28:25,160 Speaker 29: I was not prepared for the loss of j and 1533 01:28:25,360 --> 01:28:28,519 Speaker 29: nothing that I deal with with Lynn helped me through 1534 01:28:28,600 --> 01:28:29,000 Speaker 29: the day. 1535 01:28:30,760 --> 01:28:33,040 Speaker 1: This podcast series is based on the book Born Ready 1536 01:28:33,160 --> 01:28:35,439 Speaker 1: The Mixed Legacy of Lumby's, published by. 1537 01:28:35,400 --> 01:28:36,240 Speaker 10: Go Grady Media. 1538 01:28:36,640 --> 01:28:39,160 Speaker 1: The series is produced by Go Grady Media in partnership 1539 01:28:39,240 --> 01:28:43,000 Speaker 1: with Octagon Entertainment. This segment was produced by Dave Ngrady 1540 01:28:43,120 --> 01:28:45,840 Speaker 1: and Don Marcus. It was written by Dave Grady and 1541 01:28:46,080 --> 01:28:49,320 Speaker 1: edited by Don Marcus. The narrator was Dave Ungrady, with 1542 01:28:49,400 --> 01:28:52,840 Speaker 1: additional narration by Jamal Williams. Technical production was provided by 1543 01:28:52,880 --> 01:28:57,520 Speaker 1: Octagon Entertainment. Production assistance was produced by Kevin McNulty, Tino Quagliata, 1544 01:28:58,000 --> 01:29:03,439 Speaker 1: Lauren Ross, Georgia Brown, Casey Fair, Jamal Williams, Kelsey Mannox, 1545 01:29:03,640 --> 01:29:08,200 Speaker 1: and Anzel Al Varenda. Matt Dealers is providing the social 1546 01:29:08,240 --> 01:29:11,200 Speaker 1: media as Systems special thanks to the University of Maryland 1547 01:29:11,200 --> 01:29:15,479 Speaker 1: and American University for providing instruments. The Decision Education Foundation 1548 01:29:15,640 --> 01:29:18,320 Speaker 1: is a content and promotional partner of this podcast series. 1549 01:29:18,960 --> 01:29:25,080 Speaker 1: More information go to go Gradymedia dot com. This has 1550 01:29:25,120 --> 01:29:27,160 Speaker 1: been a production of Go grading Media and the Eighth 1551 01:29:27,200 --> 01:29:27,799 Speaker 1: Side Network 1552 01:29:30,479 --> 01:29:30,679 Speaker 11: God