Assault of Nancy Kerrigan

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. 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. Jeff Gillooly was Tonya Harding's ex-husband. Shane Stant later testified that Harding was part of staging the death threat against herself. Derrick Smith, an associate of Eckardt, was paid $6,500 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. Stant and Smith then planned to carry out the attack together. ==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. 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. 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, with tears, the now famous line, "Why? Why? Why?". This footage was later broadcast around the world in news programs. Kerrigan was then carried away to a changing room by her father. ==Criminal investigation and testimonies==

Harding and Gillooly's relationship Harding met Jeff Gillooly in 1986 when she was skating at the Clackamas Town Center; she was 15, he was 17. They later exchanged phone numbers and went out to the movies, chaperoned by her father. In 1988, the couple moved into a home together, and Harding claimed she began experiencing physical abuse from Gillooly. They married on March 18, 1990. 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." On June 17, 1991, Harding filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Two days later, she received a restraining order against Gillooly: "He wrenched my arm and wrist, pulled my hair and shoved me [...] he bought a shotgun, and I am scared for my safety." In summer 1991, she became engaged to mechanical engineer Mike Pliska. He ended their engagement after he saw Harding disrespecting people and giving her phone number to another man. In autumn 1991, Harding dated a Canadian banker. In October, she decided to reconcile with Gillooly and withdraw the divorce, saying they were still in love and seeking counseling: "I know he's changed. I see it in his eyes, and I believe in him... I don't want to lose him. I really don't." In both March and July 1993, police came to Harding and Gillooly's shared apartment after reported arguments. 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." 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." That summer, a man from Harding's gym claimed to The Oregonian that Harding offered to pay him to "take care" of Gillooly, "slap him around a little." He said he was offended and declined. On August 28, 1993, Harding and Gillooly were granted a divorce. Ten days later, Harding's lawyer asked the restraining order to be lifted because the couple again wished to reconcile. A police officer stopped the truck and confiscated a found shotgun and a 9mm Beretta pistol that had recently been discharged. The officer then interviewed Harding and Gillooly separately about what had happened, but their stories did not match. Gillooly first stated that the gun had fired when he was carrying it. Harding then admitted that she had fired the gun and was worried about the publicity. Gillooly said that Harding had been moving her possessions into his truck when they started an argument over his former girlfriend; he declined to press charges. Harding's FBI testimony and other claims During Tonya Harding's FBI testimony on January 18, 1994, she requested and received some ice to treat her swollen ankle. When asked about her finances, Harding said she had one bank account which was currently $109 overdrawn. After Harding's plea deal on March 16, 1994, she has since made other claims about the assault scandal. In 2018, she said she had prior knowledge of Gillooly and Eckardt discussing "[taking] out" one of her competitors in late 1993. Harding said she protested that she wanted to win fairly, and asked them what they were talking about. In Harding's 2008 authorized biography, The Tonya Tapes (written by Lynda D. Prouse from recorded interviews), Harding denied ever asking Vera Marano for the name of Nancy Kerrigan's training rink and that Marano may not have remembered details properly and "was a little bit out there." Harding also expressed anxiety when Prouse asked about Marano's testimony: : "I really didn't do anything wrong except ask questions to win a bet...It's just that this sounds bad...I think [the bet] was for a quarter or something like that. Big deal." Gillooly's FBI testimony Jeff Gillooly first testified about the attack plot on January 26, 1994. He said that in early December 1993, Harding phoned him after the 1993 NHK Trophy competition and was upset about her placement. He said he was also upset for her and later spoke about figure skating politics to his friend Shawn Eckardt. Gillooly said he liked that idea. According to him, Eckardt wanted to keep the idea of injuring Kerrigan a secret from Harding, but Gillooly explained that injuring a competitor might psychologically affect Harding's performance too. Gillooly claimed that when he told Harding about plotting to injure Kerrigan, she thought it was "a good idea." However, she was skeptical about Eckardt's ability to arrange it. He also testified that Harding told him she wanted Kerrigan injured either at her home or skating rink. Gillooly said he would phone her after the meeting, and Harding then drove to Gillooly's mother's house. He said the men would need another photo of Kerrigan and her "skating times." Gillooly suggested that Harding call the Tony Kent Arena because she knew ice skating terminology. According to him, she did phone the arena asking for Kerrigan's "patch and freestyle times," and phoned again for the address. They also found two photos of Kerrigan from the World Team handbook and Olympian magazine. Gillooly said Harding told him to tear off the magazine's mailing label because it had their home address. They drove to Eckardt's home that night with the photos, practice times, and $2,700 in cash. Gillooly said he paid Eckardt while Harding was in another room having coffee with Eckardt's mother. He remembered Harding briefly talking to him and Eckardt saying Kerrigan's photo was "flattering." Gillooly and Harding were surprised that Eckardt's mother seemed to know about the plot too. He claimed that in mid-December, Gillooly approached him to ask if he knew anyone who could disable Kerrigan. On December 22, 1993, Eckardt received a call from his friend Derrick Smith who lived in Phoenix, Arizona. 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. Smith was interested in the deal and agreed to drive to Portland with his nephew, Shane Stant, to meet with Eckardt and Gillooly. Smith returned to Arizona and was communicating separately with Stant and Eckardt by phone, while Eckardt reported back to Gillooly. Eckardt did not know where exactly Stant was and told Gillooly that Smith needed more money. Gillooly refused to pay more until he had receipts proving that someone was in Boston for their plan. According to him, she then said "You need to stop screwing around with this and get it done." He had met Eckardt when they were students at Mt. Hood Community College, shared an interest in espionage and survivalism, and had discussed opening a school together someday. Smith later worked for the United States Army as an "intelligence analyst" for about 3 years until he was discharged. He quit that job in late 1993 and moved to Arizona with his wife. During the meeting, he thought Eckardt was leading Gillooly to think he had many "underground" contacts. After the meeting, he and Stant agreed not to injure Kerrigan "too badly." Stant's FBI testimony Shane Stant first testified about the attack plot after he turned himself in to the FBI on January 14, 1994. Gillooly, still in Portland, then told Stant and Smith the room number. However, they later aborted the idea of a hotel-room-attack because they did not have a sure escape route. ==Aftermath==

Immediate aftermath , 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 Harding whether someone she knew could have planned the attack. Harding replied, "I have definitely thought about it." Gillooly stood in her view behind the camera during the interview. The interview ended with Harding saying, "No one controls my life but me...if there's something in there that I don't like, I'm going to change it." Harding also confirmed she had spoken with FBI agents in Detroit and again in Portland. On January 13, Eckardt and Smith were arrested. 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." Harding and Gillooly's separate lawyers confirmed the couple were in daily contact and cooperation with law enforcement. On January 15, Harding and Gillooly spoke with reporters, but declined to comment about the investigation. 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. Harding left her home that evening to practice figure skating with her coaches, where she spoke with reporters and performed a triple Axel. Harding's confession On January 18, 1994, Harding was with her lawyers when she submitted to questioning by the DA and FBI. She was interviewed for over ten hours. Eight hours into the interview, her lawyer read a statement declaring her separation from Gillooly: "I continue to believe that Jeff is innocent of any wrongdoing. I wish him nothing but the best." Her full FBI transcript was released on February 1. The Seattle Times reported on the transcript, stating that Harding had "changed her story well into a long interview [...] After hours of denying any involvement in trying to cover up the plot, an FBI agent finally told [her] that he knew she had lied to him, that he would tell her exactly how she had lied to him." In the transcript's final passage, Harding stated, "I hope everyone understands. I'm telling on someone I really care about. I know now [Jeff] is involved. I'm sorry." On January 19, Gillooly surrendered to the FBI. On January 20, Diane Sawyer asked Harding on Primetime about the case. Harding said she had done nothing wrong. On January 27, it was reported that Gillooly had been testifying about the attack plot since January 26, possibly implicating Harding as allegedly assisting. Harding's close friend, Stephanie Quintero, with whom she was living, spoke to reporters on her behalf: "[Tonya] was shocked, very hurt. She was believing in [Jeff]." Harding later held a press conference to read a prepared statement. She said she was sorry Kerrigan was attacked, that she respected Kerrigan, and claimed not to have known in advance of the plot to disable her. Harding took responsibility "for failing to report things [about the assault] when I returned home from Nationals [on January 10]. Failure to immediately report this information is not a crime." Many states' laws, including Oregon's, state that the act of concealing criminal knowledge alone is not a crime. The attack on Kerrigan received a substantial amount of publicity, and news media crews camped outside Kerrigan's home. There was now much speculation about Harding's alleged involvement in the assault plot. Because Harding and Kerrigan would be representing the US in the February Lillehammer Olympics, speculation reached a media frenzy. Abby Haight and J.E. Vader, reporters for The Oregonian, wrote a biography of Harding called Fire on Ice, which included excerpts of her January 18 FBI interview. USFSA disciplinary panel On February 5, 1994, the USFSA disciplinary panel stated there were reasonable grounds to believe Harding had violated the sport's code of ethics. Her admitted failure to report about an assault on a fellow competitor, supported by her FBI transcripts, led to Harding 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. 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. Harding was given thirty days to respond. 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, Gillooly was sentenced to two years in prison after publicly apologizing to Kerrigan – adding "any apology coming from me rings hollow." Gillooly and Eckardt pleaded guilty to racketeering, while Stant and Smith pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit second-degree assault. Eckardt, Stant, and Smith were given 18-month prison terms Judge Donald Londer noted the attack could have injured Kerrigan more seriously. Eckardt died in 2007. 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. 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. Law enforcement investigators had been following and videotaping the co-conspirators since January 10, and knew about the payphone calls. Harding's penalties included three years of probation, a $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 maximum penalty of five years imprisonment for the offense. Grand jury indictment amid a crush of reporters after the 1994 Winter 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. 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. 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." 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. 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. ==In popular culture==

The incident was widely covered in the West (especially the U.S., where the incident was on the front-page of most newspapers in January 1994) and consequently influenced popular culture significantly. The most notable example is the 2017 film I, Tonya, with Margot Robbie portraying Harding. It is centered on the attack from the perspective of Harding. In music, the attack was mentioned in "Weird Al" Yankovic's 1994 song "Headline News", a parody of the Crash Test Dummies hit "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm". The lyrics, which are written in a comedic style, mentions a figure skater hiring someone to "club her [rival] in the kneecap", with the incident being dramatized in a tongue-in-cheek manner in the accompanying music video. The event is also referenced in the 2011 song "Strange Clouds" by B.o.B featuring Lil Wayne; "Nancy Kerrigan" by Frog (2015); "Tonya Harding" by Sufjan Stevens (2017); "Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea" by Fall Out Boy (2018); and “TONYA” by Brockhampton (2018). The rap-duo group $UICIDEBOY$ referenced both Harding and Kerrigan, the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Free Skate, and Kerrigan’s attack on a two and half minute song on their 2021 album “Long Term Effects of SUFFERING”. The title of, and lyric video for the song features Harding and video of the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympic Free Skate (“If Self-Destruction Was an Olympic Event, I’d Be Tonya Harding” - featuring Harding in her iconic sparkling purple, gold, and silver outfit/costume), and Kerrigan/Kerrigan’s assault at the end of the song (a sound clip of a few seconds of Kerrigan screaming “why, why, why!?” in pain, following the assault.) In television, Fran Drescher says: “Call Gillooly” in the 1994 The Nanny episode S1 E22: "I Don't Remember Mama", likely a reference to Jeff Gillooly. In the 1994 Animaniacs segment "Baloney and Kids", as the Warners panic when Baloney the Dinosaur shakes off their cartoonish brand of violence, Yakko yells out "Call in the National Guard," to which Dot adds, "Or Tonya Harding's bodyguard". The event is mentioned in the 1997 South Park episode S1 E10: "Damien". Gillooly is mentioned as a former Barder College student is the seventh episode of 3-South, "Coke Addicts" (2002). An episode of the animated comedy Futurama, "Stench and Stenchibility" (2013), features a devilish six-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. In the cancelled 1994 Data East arcade fighting game Tattoo Assassins, the character Keller's backstory directly references the assault. Spyro: Year of the Dragon, a 2000 platform video game, centers around defending a polar bear ice dancer named Nancy from getting assaulted by Rhynoc hockey players as she attempts to rehearse for a performance. Barack Obama, former President of the United States, referenced the attack while giving a speech in 2007 in Iowa during his run in the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries (which he won and went on to win the 2008 presidential election). He stated "Folks said there's no way Obama has a chance unless he goes and kneecaps the person ahead of us; does a Tonya Harding." This statement, with "Tonya Harding" being used in place of "hitting their kneecap" (a phenomenon that is an informal eponym), encapsulates the effect the incident had on American culture and language. A common theme throughout popular culture is seeing the incident from the perspective of Harding being involved in the attack, despite this never being definitively proven. The film I, Tonya, unlike most other examples, looks at the incident from the perspective of Harding being mostly innocent. This challenges the common belief in the U.S. in the 1990s that Harding was involved, a belief derived from media coverage. The 2017 film has caused a shift in public opinion, according to a qualitative study by Pitlik et. al. in 2023. ==Notes==