Zebulon Robbins Sr.

Anthony Scott 
Jan. 16, 1994 
Anthony C. Scott, Of Floral Park, N.y., Died Jan. 16 In New York.

Sunday, January 30, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Media's verdict: Harding is guilty &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I keep hearing that Tonya Harding is about to be arrested. By the time you
read this, Harding may or may not be under arrest, but one thing seems clear: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She's already been convictedSpeculation that Harding might be arrested
arose from reports that her former husband, Jeff Gillooly, was negotiating a
plea bargain that would give him a lighter sentence in return for his
testimony that Harding was involved in the Jan. 6 attack on Harding's figure
skating rival, Nancy Kerrigan. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Gillooly has been charged in the attack along with three other men,
including Harding's ex-bodyguard, Shawn Eckardt. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 News reports suggesting that Harding might be charged do not make her
guilty of any wrongdoing, of course. There is -- or there used to be -- a
presumption of innocence for anyone accused of a crime in this country. I say
"there used to be" because it is definitely beginning to look as though the
presumption of innocence no longer exists -- or perhaps exists for some people
but not for others. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It is not entirely clear who decides -- or how -- which individuals are
presumed innocent and which are not. The issue is, shall we say, in a state of
flux. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If you don't think so, just ask Michael Jackson. Or Bob Packwood. Or anyone
associated with the Whitewater real estate development. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Harding, in an apparent attempt to head off the posse at the pass, held a
news conference in Portland, Ore., the other day to declare her innocence in
the plot against Kerrigan. She confessed, however, to some culpability
regarding that often asked question: "What did she know and when did she know
it?" &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I had no prior knowledge of the planned assault on Nancy Kerrigan,"
Harding said. "I am responsible, however, for failing to report things I
learned about the assault when I returned home from nationals." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The assault on Kerrigan took place in Detroit during the national figure
skating championships, which Harding won after Kerrigan was forced to withdraw
because of her injuries. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Harding's victory gave her a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. Kerrigan also
was named to the team despite her inability to qualify in the national
championships. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 U.S. Olympic officials would like nothing better than to keep Harding out
of next month's competition in Norway, but they've been having a hard time
getting around that presumption-of-innocence business. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Despite my mistakes and my rough edges," Harding said last Thursday, "I
have done nothing to violate the standards of excellence, of sportsmanship
that are expected in an Olympic athlete." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 She has a point. If there is no proof that Harding committed a crime,
should she lose her chance to win an Olympic medal just because she had the
bad judgment to marry a thug? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Besides, even if she is charged in the attack on Kerrigan, the case can't
possibly be resolved before the Olympics. What if Harding is bounced out of
the Olympics and then found not guilty in a court of law? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Tough luck, that's what. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If, on the other hand, Harding goes to the Olympics, wins a medal and is
later convicted of a crime, her medal can be revoked. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As uncomfortable as it might make Nancy Kerrigan to have her as a teammate
-- and as uncomfortable as it might make a lot of Americans to have her
representing our country -- Tonya Harding earned her place on the Olympic
team. She has a right to compete. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It might be one of the few rights Harding can still lay claim to.
Certainly, her right to be considered innocent until proven guilty has been
virtually obliterated by the media. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 We have reported every leak, every educated guess, every wild-eyed rumor as
if it were documented fact. At this stage of the game, Harding's guilt or
innocence is academic; she literally has been convicted in the media. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Unbelievable as it may seem, USA Today and CNN actually conducted a poll
that invited the public to pass judgment on Harding. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The result: 73 percent of those polled said either that Harding was
involved in planning the attack on Kerrigan or that she knew about it ahead of
time. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And maybe she was involved. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But too bad for her if she wasn't. No one will ever believe it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bill Thompson, former associate editor of The Times Leader, is a columnist
with the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram.

Media's Verdict: Harding Is Guilty 
I Keep Hearing That Tonya Harding Is About To Be Arrested. By The Time You 
Read This, Harding May Or May Not Be Under Arrest, But One Thing Seems Clear: 
She's Already Been Convicted.

Media's Verdict: Harding Is Guilty I Keep Hearing That Tonya Harding Is About To Be Arrested. By The Time You Read This, Harding May Or May Not Be Under Arrest, But One Thing Seems Clear: She's Already Been Convicted.