1994 Cobo Arena attack

At around 2:35 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 6, 1994, American figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was struck on the lower right thigh with a telescopic baton by assailant Shane Stant as she walked down a corridor in Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Kerrigan had been practicing skating on an ice rink in the arena shortly beforehand. The attack was planned by fellow American figure skater Tonya Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, and his co-conspirator Shawn Eckardt.[1][2][3] They hired Stant, and his uncle Derrick Smith, to carry out the attack. Gillooly and Eckardt both claimed Harding was involved in the attack and had knowledge of it beforehand. Harding denied any involvement in, or knowledge of, the attack, despite Gillooly and Eckardt's claims.[4][5]

1994 Cobo Arena attack
Cobo Arena, the site of the attack, pictured here in 2007
LocationCobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DateJanuary 6, 1994 (1994-01-06)
~2:35 PM (EST (UTC−05:00))
TargetNancy Kerrigan
Attack type
Bludgeoning
WeaponASP telescopic baton
InjuredNancy Kerrigan
PerpetratorsJeff Gillooly
Shawn Eckardt
Derrick Smith
AssailantShane Stant
AccusedTonya Harding
ChargesRacketeering
Conspiracy
Hindering prosecution
LitigationHarding v. US Figure Skating Ass'n, 851 F. Supp. 1476 (D. Or. 1994)

The attack was intended to prevent Kerrigan from taking part in the ongoing 1994 United States Figure Skating Championships and the upcoming Winter Olympics, thus increasing the prospects of Harding in both figure skating events. Kerrigan could not compete in the US Championship but recovered in time to compete in the Winter Olympics. Both Kerrigan and Harding competed in the Olympics, but Harding was later banned for life from United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA) figure skating events.[6]

Background

Nancy Kerrigan is an American former figure skater who, in January 1994, was about to take part in the United States Figure Skating Championships in Detroit, Michigan. Her main rival in that tournament was Tonya Harding. The attack took place just days before the tournament, and rendered Kerrigan unable to take part.[7] The Winter Olympics were also set to take place in February, where Kerrigan and Harding were likely to be the two female figure skaters representing the United States. The attack benefited Harding as it allowed her to win the U.S. Championships with ease, and could have benefited her if it had taken Kerrigan out of the Olympics.[1]

Jeff Gillooly was Tonya Harding's ex-husband.[1] At the time of the attack, the couple were together and still referred to each other as husband and wife. Shawn Eckardt, a friend of Gillooly's who was also Harding's bodyguard before the attack, had originally been hired by the figure skater after she received anonymous death threats.[8] Derrick Smith, an associate of Eckardt, was paid $6500 to carry out the attack; Eckardt had received the money from Gillooly. Shane Stant, Smith's nephew, initially planned to carry out the attack by himself and had travelled to Kerrigan's home rink in Cape Cod in late December 1993, but was unable to locate her. Stant then followed Kerrigan to the Nationals in Detroit in early January 1994. Gillooly opposed carrying out an attack in Detroit, feeling it too likely they would be caught, and instructed Eckardt to wire Stant funds to return home without carrying out the attack. Eckardt instead wired the funds to Smith, who then traveled to join Stant in Detroit.[9] Stant and Smith then planned to carry out the attack together.[10]

Attack

On the afternoon of January 6, 1994, Kerrigan was practicing for the U.S. Championships on an ice rink inside Cobo Arena. A camera crew was recording her practice session and showed her leaving the ice rink and walking through a curtain and down a hallway; the camera then cuts out.[11] Stant stated in a 2018 interview that he was standing "about a foot and a half" (around half a meter) behind the camera crew and waited for them to stop filming before he followed Kerrigan through the curtain.[12] Stant approached Kerrigan from behind, extended a telescopic baton, struck her lower right thigh and walked away. He then escaped from the arena by smashing through a locked glass door. Smith was waiting in a car outside and acted as a getaway driver. The camera crew began recording again shortly after the attack and recorded Kerrigan sitting on the floor crying surrounded by arena staff. Here, Kerrigan exclaimed the famous line, "Why? Why? Why?"[lower-alpha 1] This footage was later broadcast around the world in news programs. Kerrigan was then carried away to a changing room by her father.[11]

Aftermath

Immediate aftermath
Harding's practice sessions at Clackamas Town Center, in preparation for the 1994 Winter Olympics, were attended by thousands of spectators and dozens of reporters and film crews.

On January 11, Ann Schatz interviewed Harding for KOIN-TV in Portland, Oregon. Schatz asked if she had considered whether someone she knew had planned to attack Nancy. Harding answered, "I have definitely thought about it. No one controls my life but me...if there's something in there that I don't like, I'm going to change it."[13][14][15] Harding also confirmed she had spoken with FBI agents in Detroit and again in Portland.[16] On January 13, Eckardt and Smith were arrested.[17][18] On January 14, the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA) made a statement on whether Eckardt's arrest affected Harding's Olympic placement: "We will deal only with the facts."[19][20] Harding and Gillooly's separate lawyers confirmed the couple were in daily contact and cooperation with law enforcement.[21] On January 15, Harding and Gillooly spoke with reporters, but declined to comment about the investigation.[22] On January 16, Harding's lawyer held a news conference in which he read a statement denying Harding's involvement in the attack on Kerrigan.[23][24] Harding left her home that evening to practice figure skating with her coaches, where she spoke with reporters and performed a triple Axel.[25][26][27]

USFSA disciplinary panel

On February 5, 1994, the disciplinary panel of the USFSA stated reasonable grounds existed to believe Harding had violated the sport's code of ethics.[28] Harding's admitted failure to report about an assault on a fellow competitor, supported by her FBI transcripts, led to her being formally charged with "[making] false statements about her knowledge". The USFSA also recommended that she face a disciplinary hearing. Claire Ferguson, president of the USFSA, decided not to suspend Harding's membership before a hearing took place. If she had been suspended, she likely still would have competed at the Olympics after filing suit, seeking an injunction against the USFSA, and asserting her rights under the Amateur Sports Act of 1978.[29] The panel examined evidence including the testimonies of Stant and Smith, Harding and Gillooly's telephone records, and notes found in a Portland saloon trash bin on January 30.[30] Harding was given thirty days to respond.[31]

Grand jury indictment
Harding arriving at Portland International Airport amid a crush of reporters after the 1994 Olympics.

On March 21, 1994, a Portland grand jury issued an indictment stating there was evidence Harding participated in the attack plot. The indictment concluded more than two months of investigation and witness testimonies from Diane Rawlinson; Harding's choreographer Erika Bakacs; freelance figure skating writer Vera Marano; and Eckardt's college instructor and classmates.[32][33][34][35] It stated there was evidence Harding fraudulently used USFSA-provided skating monies to finance the assault. It also read that Harding, Gillooly, Eckardt, Smith, and Stant agreed to "knowingly cause physical injury...by means of a dangerous weapon." The grand jury foreman said the evidence implied Harding as "involved from the beginning or very close." She was not charged in the indictment due to the terms of her March 16 plea agreement.[36][37]

Sentences

On February 1, 1994, Gillooly's attorney negotiated a plea agreement in exchange for testimony regarding all involved parties in the attack. In July, he was sentenced to two years in prison after publicly apologizing to Kerrigan – even though, he said, "any apology coming from me rings hollow."[35][38] Gillooly and Eckardt pleaded guilty to racketeering, while Stant and Smith pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit second-degree assault.[39][40] Judge Donald Londer noted the attack could have injured Kerrigan more seriously.[41] Eckardt died in 2007.[42]

On March 16, Harding pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution as a Class C felony offense at a Multnomah County court hearing. She and her lawyer, Robert Weaver, negotiated a plea agreement ensuring no further prosecution.[43] Judge Londer conducted routine questioning to make certain Harding understood her agreement, that she was entering her plea "knowingly and voluntarily." Harding told Londer she was. Her plea admissions were knowing of the assault plot after the fact, settling on a cover story with Gillooly and Eckardt on January 10, witnessing payphone calls to Smith affirming the story on January 10 and 11, and lying to FBI.[44][45] Law enforcement investigators had been following and videotaping the co-conspirators since January 10, and knew about the payphone calls.[46][35][47] Harding's penalties included three years of probation, $100,000 fine, and 500 hours community service. She agreed to reimburse Multnomah County $10,000 in legal expenses, undergo a psychiatric examination, and volunteered to give $50,000 to the Special Olympics Oregon (SOOR) charity. Oregon sentencing guidelines carried a max penalty of five years imprisonment for the offense.[48]

Second disciplinary panel meeting

On June 29, the USFSA disciplinary panel met for nine hours over two days to consider Harding's alleged role in the attack.[49] On June 30, chairman William Hybl stated, "By a preponderance of the evidence, the panel did conclude that she had prior knowledge and was involved prior to the incident. This is based on civil standards, not criminal standards...bank records, phone records – the way they came together to establish a case." The panel decided that pertinent FBI reports, court documents, and Harding's March 16 plea agreement presented "a clear disregard for fairness, good sportsmanship, and ethical behaviour."[50] Harding chose neither to attend nor participate in the two-day hearing. Weaver said the decision disappointed her but was not a surprise, and that she had not decided on an appeal.[51][52] Harding was stripped of her 1994 U.S. Championship title and banned for life from participating in USFSA events as either skater or coach. The USFSA has no dominion over professional skating events, yet Harding was also persona non grata on the pro circuit. Few skaters and promoters would work with her, and she did not benefit from the ensuing boom in professional skating after the scandal.[53]

The attack and the scandal surrounding it was depicted in the 2017 film I, Tonya with Margot Robbie playing Harding, Ricky Russert playing Stant, and Caitlin Carver playing Kerrigan.[54]

The attack was mentioned in Weird Al Yankovic’s song "Headline News", a parody of the Crash Test Dummies hit "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm".[55]

The penultimate episode of the animated comedy Futurama, "Stench and Stenchibility", features a devilish 6-year-old girl named Tonya (voiced by Tara Strong; a reference to Harding), who is the opponent of Bender Rodriguez (John DiMaggio) in a tap dancing competition held by Randy Munchnik. As Bender attempts to sabotage her performance by filling her tap shoes with tacks in the locker room, Tonya catches him in the act, and breaks his leg with a nightstick in a similar manner to the attack on Kerrigan.

Notes
  1. Some newspapers, such as the New York Daily News, misquoted Kerrigan as saying "Why me!?". This sentence cannot be heard on the clip filmed by the camera crew.

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