Journalists too quick to judge Harrick situation

Thursday, October 10, 1996

BASKETBALL:

Opinions on car deal must wait for further investigation

By Brad Zucker

Daily Bruin Columnist

A bombshell exploded at the UCLA athletic department Monday
morning, and the dust has yet to settle.

Nonetheless, the whispers concerning Jim Harrick’s character can
be heard across the country as reporters, cameramen and syndicated
columnists scramble to dig dirt on the coach who led the Bruins to
the 1995 NCAA men’s basketball championship.

And what does the man in the middle of the mayhem have to say?
Nothing.

"I can’t," Harrick said. "I wish I could, but I can’t."

Here, I say, lies the problem.

Like almost everyone else, I do not know for sure how exactly
Baron Davis’ sister ended up with a car that belonged to Harrick.
In a wicked business such as college sports, however, one’s initial
inclination is to say, "Yeah, there goes another crook."

This is when we need to take a step back and think about what
the media feeds the general public. We place athletes and coaches
up on a pedestal, and then take great pride in sending them
crashing down to earth upon the slightest indication of
wrongdoing.

I am not defending the nasty recruiting tactics that undoubtedly
take place in various college athletic programs. What I am saying,
however, is that we cannot afford to indiscriminately tear down
someone who has the courage to put himself or herself in the
limelight in front of millions of onlookers.

I do not know coach Harrick. But, like all of the other
journalists who have the audacity to stick their noses in other
people’s lives, I am in a position where I am literally creating an
image of a man which may or may not reflect reality. For this
reason alone, I believe that there is a tremendous responsibility
that goes along with being a reporter.

Unfortunately, the standard of character that should be upheld
by members of the media often is not. The reason Harrick won’t
attempt to defend himself is because it will undoubtedly be twisted
and contorted so that there can be a "story."

The Los Angeles Times, for example, stated that the car was
worth much more than it actually was. Why? Because stating that it
was sold for $5,000 when it was really worth $12,750 makes Harrick
look bad.

When the Daily Bruin called a couple of used car dealerships,
however, they were told that a car such as the one that previously
belonged to Harrick would probably sell for around $5,000 after
all. Was the Times’ estimate just an error in judgement? I doubt
it.

Don’t get me wrong; Harrick may have screwed up big time. But if
we are going to hold the members of the sports world to a higher
standard of conduct, then we should at least be willing to give
them the benefit of the doubt and cut them some slack.

Like his players, Harrick is a gladiator fighting in an arena of
demanding spectators. We demand that he win. We demand that he
represent the school in an ideal fashion. We demand that he live up
to our expectations of him as a hero and a role model.

If we feel that we can rightfully ask for so much, then people
like Harrick deserve a great deal of respect. But we rarely give it
to them.

I have a message for all of the journalists sitting behind their
keyboards, salivating at the chance to bury Harrick with any lead
they can find: Take a look in the mirror. What kind of person are
you if you dedicate your life to uprooting the careers of other
people? Realize that even if you fail, you are likely to leave a
mark on their lives that will stain their image forever … whether
this is justified or not.

If we demand solid character from others, then we need to have
it too.

We place athletes and coaches up on a pedestal, and then take
great pride sending them crashing down to earth…