Harding's mother, LaVona, said she opposed the marriage: "I knew Jeff had a violent streak [] he tried to break down the door because he thought [Tonya] had gone out with another boy. [29] In November 1993, the couple were evicted from their apartment for failing to pay rent. Eckardt set up a meeting with Derrick Smith and Shane . Movies. "[38][42], He said the men would need another photo of Kerrigan and her "skating times." And NBC News reported last night that Gillooly will be arrested today. When I found out that the truth was finally going to come out., She continued: My skating was great. Feb. 1998: Fox Broadcasting airs the first-ever face-to-face interview between figure skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan. "It makes you . They plead not guilty. According to him, she knew about the meeting and was anxious about Gillooly talking to dangerous people. The now 47-year-old says she overheard her then-husband Jeff Gillooly and bodyguard Shawn Eckardt talking about attacking one of her competitors. They later exchanged phone numbers and went out to the movies, chaperoned by her father. Both women competed in the 1994 Olympics, and Harding was later banned for life from USFSA figure skating events. Jan. 18, 1994: Harding separates from Gillooly after meeting with investigators for more than 10 hours. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. College lecturer. Gillooly refused to pay more until he had receipts proving that someone was in Boston for their plan. On January 1, 1994, she had a late-night skating session from 11:30 p.m to 1 a.m., and Gillooly asked Eckardt to meet them at the rink. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Skater Tonya Harding has finally admitted she knew about the plot to injure her rival, Tonya Harding, left, skates past compatriot Nancy Kerrigan during a practice session at the Olympic Games in Norway in 1994, The athlete eventually finished in eighth place at the '94 Games and was later banned for life from US figure skating, Harding's former husband Jeff Gillooly, right, attends his arraignment hearing January 19, 1994, flanked by attorney Ronald H. Hoevet, Margot Robbie. I, Tonya opened theatrically in the United States on December 8, 2017.. Formerly Shawn Eckardt, Griffith served 14 months for his role in the 1994 attack on. The film stars Margot Robbie (who also produced the film), Sebastian Stan, and Julianne Nicholson. [35] He said that in early December 1993, Harding phoned him after the 1993 NHK Trophy competition and was upset about her placement. March 13, 2002: Harding puts up her dukes against former presidential pal Paula Jones on Fox's "Celebrity Boxing." [77] Eckardt died in 2007. The biographical black comedy was directed by Craig Gillespie using a screenplay by Steven Rogers. A disagreement between Harding and some officers of the fan club over disbursement of the money in the fan club account had flared on several occasions, including once at the bank where the account is based. In an interview today on a Portland television station, KATU, another fellow student, 20-year-old Sarah Bergman, said Eckardt had told her of a plot to get Kerrigan. He was 40. And I never understood that.. [70] 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. [1] At the time of the attack, the couple were together and still referred to each other as husband and wife. Neither Harding nor her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, has been charged in the case. Oct. 1996: Harding calls 9-1-1 and gives mouth-to-mouth resuscitation after a customer collapses in a Milwaukie tavern. In I, Tonya, Eckardt is played by Paul Walter Hauser, and the actor nails his impression of the bodyguard. The media allowed him to air his version of events: that of an innocent caught in Harding and Gillooly's nefarious web. Not bad for someone who would have been 16 years old at the time of his hiring. "[30], When Derrick Smith was first interviewed by FBI on January 12, 1994, he held to the cover story that had been agreed upon with his co-conspirators until later in the day when he confessed to his part in the plot. To his attorney, Eckardt "wasn't smart enough" to plot the clubbing of Kerrigan. Olympic television ratings soar. [11] 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. Eckardt, 27, a self-styled security expert who was a central figure in the Jan. 6 attack on Kerrigan, struck a deal with prosecutors in May under which he pleaded guilty to a state charge of. As Tonya grows up, her parents take her out of school to focus on her skating career, and she trains under coach . "[22] In summer 1991, she became engaged to mechanical engineer Mike Pliska. Jan. 16, 1994: Kerrigan resumes practicing in Boston. For other inquiries, Contact Us. "[39][38], Smith and his nephew, Shane Stant, arrived in Portland on December 27, drove to Eckardt's home, and asked for a meeting with Gillooly tomorrow at 10 a.m. Gillooly said Harding would be training at that time, but he agreed to meet them. But the two men have known each other since attending grade school together. Email us attips@the-sun.co.ukor call 0207 782 4368 . "[60][61] Harding and Gillooly's separate lawyers confirmed the couple were in daily contact and cooperation with law enforcement. Here's a timeline of the saga, compiled from reporting by The Oregonian staff and wire services: February 1991: Tough, athletic Tonya Harding lands the daring triple axel during the U.S. [29] A police officer stopped the truck and confiscated a found shotgun and a 9mm Beretta pistol that had recently been discharged. Arrested for their roles in the attack were Derrick Smith and Stant, two men who liked to set booby-traps and play war together on property they shared in Corbett, Ore. And there were tales of Eckardt trying to entice a fellow student, Russell "Rusty" Rietz, to "kill someone" in Detroit for $65,000. Jan. 31, 1994: Gillooly says Harding approved the attack on Kerrigan. He allegedly hired two men, 29-year-old Derrick Smith and his nephew Shane Stant,. When asked whether Gillooly had ever threatened her, Harding said he had not. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Brian Sean Griffith, the former bodyguard to Tonya Harding, has died. Sep. 4, 2014. Multnomah County authorities arrest Eckardt and Smith, charging them with conspiracy to commit second-degree assault. [50][51] Smith then applied for a police officer job and was waiting for his interview to be scheduled before Eckardt told him about possible bodyguard work in Oregon. [14] Stant and Smith then planned to carry out the attack together. Shawn Eric Eckardt (1967 - December 12 2007) was an American criminal who, while employed by figure skater Tonya Harding as a bodyguard in the early 1990s, conspired with Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly and Shane Stant in the planning and execution of the assault on rival skater Nancy Kerrigan on January 6 1994. Harding said she understood that. Sept. 12, 1994: Gillooly enters the Oregon SUMMIT prison boot camp program. [80][73][81] Harding's penalties included three years of probation, a $100,000 fine, and 500 hours community service. "[21], Harding later claimed she was the victim of acquaintance rape sometime during her separation from Gillooly in 1991, "by a friend of mine, who I knew for eight years. Schatz asked Harding whether someone she knew could have planned the attack. Jan. 23, 1994: Investigators say they have enough evidence to arrest Harding but want to build an airtight case before going forward. It was their idea, he said, to kneecap Kerrigan. On August 25th I will attempt the Block Island Challenge. Ryan Scott King and Rosemarie Elizabeth Cicalese of Montauk and Williamsburg were married on June 14 at St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church in Montauk by the Rev . [10], 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. "), Feb. 19, 2011: Harding gives birth to a baby boy. (Chris Farley filled Eckardt's tracksuit in an SNL bit in 1994.) Stant said he became a Christian and turned his life around. [63] 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. [92][93], The attack was mentioned in Weird Al Yankovic's song "Headline News", a parody of the Crash Test Dummies hit "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm". Jan. 12, 1994: Eckardt confesses to the FBI, implicating Harding, Gillooly, and two of Eckardt's friends, Stant and Derrick B. Smith. He said the boot camp made him realize his greed and manipulative nature were at the root of his crime. [38] On December 25, Gillooly had an answering machine message from Smith asking for more details about the plan. [30][38] Eckardt introduced Gillooly to Derrick Smith, using only his first name, Stant was introduced as Smith's "friend." But . Phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading people search directory for contact information and public records. Hoevet added that Eckardt was paid $3,500 by the Harding camp to provide security as the skater arrived at Portland International Airport, and accompany her on a planned trip to last week's pre-Olympic skating exhibition in Fairfax, Va. Harding spoke about the moment she realised the American people were going to find out the truth behind the attack. [30] Eckardt suggested cutting Kerrigan's Achilles tendon, using a beater car to run her off the road, or "just kill her," but those ideas were opposed. Stant agreed to go to Portland with Smith for a meeting, then he paid $59 for a 21-inch (53cm) ASP tactical baton from a store called Spy Headquarters. As Rogers wrote in the LA Times, Gillooly and Harding had different ideas about how everything went down. [26] In spring 1993, she dated Tom Arant who spoke about Harding to The Oregonian, saying she would complain about Gillooly, yet still contacted him often: "she couldn't stop talking to him. Eckardt plays an important role in the movie I, Tonya, and that's because he played a big part in the investigation that followed Kerrigan's assault. In a July affidavit, Harding wrote that she had been in an abusive marriage for two years, "he has assaulted me physically with his open hand and fist [] put me down to the floor on several occasions. 1476 (D. Or. [32], After Harding's plea deal on March 16, 1994, she has since made other claims about the assault scandal. Most people who remember the 1994 scandal, during which Harding's figure skating competitor, Nancy Kerrigan, was whacked on the knees with a metal baton as she was practicing for the U.S. Championships, probably remember Eckardt. May 2006: A writer and composer collaborate to craft "Tonya & Nancy: The Opera," and it makes its debut at Zero Arrow Theatre in Cambridge, Mass. Eckardt replied that Smith was already driving to Portland and that he needed more information about Kerrigan a photograph and the location of the ice rink where she practiced. The group schedules a disciplinary hearing and gives Harding 30 days to respond to charges that she did something detrimental to the welfare of figure skating. Death. Jan. 4, 1994: On the way to Detroit for the U.S. Why? If you or someone you know has been. Director Craig Gillepsie and screenwriter Steven Rogers put a unique, satirical, mockumentary twist on the ice skating sports story that defined the . But the year began with headlines and newscasts, tabloids and talk shows blaring one name familiar to Oregonians: Tonya Harding -- good girl gone bad. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). His resume says he worked in New Zealand and has been schooled at an elite executive protection academy in Aspen, Colo. From 1984 until 1988, the resume says Eckardt worked as a "contract specialists officer" for The Blackstone Corp in Laussane, Switzerland. The New York Times, which announced his death, called him Brian Sean Griffith, which Eckardt changed his name to after getting out of prison. Feb. 22, 2003: After months of training, Harding makes her pro boxing debut, fighting Samantha Browning, a Mississippi housecleaner whose only previous fights had been the barroom variety. Figure Skating Championship, Harding tells the press, "Let me tell you, I'm going to go there and kick some butt.". She then angrily asked him why "this thing" (the plot) was not completed. GettyUS figure skaters Tonya Harding (L) and Nancy Kerrigan avoid each other during a training session 17 February in Hamar, Norway, during the Winter Olympics. DISGRACED figure skater Tonya Skater has finally admitted that she knew about the plot to break the leg of her Olympic rival in 1994. [45][46] Smith was interested in the deal and agreed to drive to Portland with his nephew, Shane Stant, to meet with Eckardt and Gillooly. [38], According to Gillooly, as he was driving himself and Harding home, she asked if the meeting went well. Few skaters and promoters would work with her, and she did not benefit from the ensuing boom in professional skating after the scandal. Advertisement. Harding continues training for the Olympics. Stant, who was 22 years old at the time, was hired by Shawn Eckhardt, a close friend of Tonya Harding's then-husband, Jeff Gillooly. Six months after the attack Harding was stripped of her titles and banned from US figure skating for life. .". She's a redneck, but she's my redneck. If The pair would later hire Shane Stant, who assaulted US skater Nancy Kerrigan with a baton - striking her above the knee, five weeks before the Olympics. Sept. 22, 1995: Shawn Eckardt gets out of the Oregon State Penitentiary 109 days early for good behavior; he was to have served 18 months for his part in planning the attack. [30] Stant and his girlfriend also moved to Arizona along with Smith after once serving 15 days in jail for stealing cars. 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. Eckardt was flustered and said he did not know why. They settled on injuring the person enough so she could not skate. He tracked down Kerrigan and whacked her in the knee with a metal baton. [38], On January 22, 1994, Vera Marano was interviewed by the FBI. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. "[97], Cobo Arena, the site of the attack, pictured here in 2007, 1994 United States Figure Skating Championships, United States Figure Skating Championships, "Third Suspect Arrested by F.B.I. Nike pledges $25,000 to help keep Harding in the Olympics. Feb. 2, 1994: Harding falls during practice. Clickheretouploadyours, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Aug. 1994: Pictures taken from the video of Tonya and Jeff Gillooly's wedding night appear in the 25th anniversary issue of Penthouse magazine. I, Tonya movie quotes help tell the story of disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding including her rough upbringing and what led to her eventual lifetime ban from the sport. And there is no listing of a Blackstone Corp. in Switzerland. She gave birth to her only child, a son named Gordon, on February 19, 2011. [30] Gillooly assured her Eckardt knew people who could carry out the attack, and they could abort the plot if they did not like Eckardt's plan. /tristate/2021/07/23/caught-in-a-lie-nest-seekers-50m-amagansett-listing-sold-for-16-5m In mid-December 1993, Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, approached Shawn Eckardt about somehow eliminating Kerrigan from the competition. I, Tonya is an American biographical film directed by Craig Gillespie. The interview with Diane Sawyer from 1994 is as weird as you'd expect, with Sawyer explaining to viewers that, "Eckhardt has a rsum that makes him out to be a cross between James Bond and. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Figure Skating Championship had sports, sleaze and more. Executive security consultant. [44] Eckardt claimed he had a contract to disable a female figure skater issued by her rival's husband, that it involved good money because one of the rival's sponsors was George Steinbrenner. Anyone who has seen the raucous biopic "I, Tonya" knows that one of the film's highlights is Shawn Eckhardt, Jeff Gillooly's aloof best friend and "bodyguard" to Tonya Harding . A restaurant owner in Northwest Portland finds Gillooly and Harding's trash in his trash bin and turns it over to the FBI. "[37] However, she was skeptical about Eckardt's ability to arrange it. That set in motion the events that led to his arrest. Gillooly was told his money would be returned if the deed was not completed. Jan. 11, 1994: The FBI begins investigating an allegation that Eckardt and Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, orchestrated the attack on Kerrigan. . Harding thumps her and dollar signs flash in boxing promoters' eyes. Jan. 10, 1994: Harding returns to Portland escorted by Shawn E. Eckardt, her bodyguard. The film, which has a string of award nominations, hits UK screens on February 23. 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