Doctors give Tyson thumbs up
Report to Nevada panel finds him 'fit to box again'
Posted: Tuesday October 13, 1998 07:21 PM
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Tyson is deeply remorseful for biting Holyfield's ears and is highly motivated not to repeat any such behavior in the ring AP |
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Mike Tyson was extremely depressed at the time
he bit Evander Holyfield's ears and is unlikely to commit such an
act again, a medical panel says in a report that finds he is
"fit" to return to the ring.
Tyson said he was feeling betrayed by "people I would have died
for" leading up to the June 1997 title fight against Holyfield,
according to the psychiatric report released today by the state
attorney general's office.
The report, by a team of doctors who examined the former
heavyweight champion last month, portrays him as lacking in
self-esteem and depressed to the point that he took antidepressant
drugs in the months following the Holyfield fight.
The report was ordered by the Nevada Athletic Commission as a
requirement for Tyson in his attempt to regain his license, which
he lost for biting Holyfield. The commission meets Monday to
consider the request.
The report says Tyson has a "constellation of neurobehavioral
deficits" that include problems with "attention span, memory,
reading, spelling and impulse control."
One doctor speculated that Tyson, who said he never lost
consciousness in the ring but did several times after beatings as a
child, may have residual attention-deficit disorder.
Tyson told the doctors he was not suicidal but has had feelings
of sadness, hopelessness and helplessness "all my life."
He was alternately engaging and hostile during the five days of
exams. Two of the doctors treating him said he snapped in anger at
them in separate instances, expressing a "wish" to harm one of
them at one point.
"It was this evaluator's clinical impression that this incident
did not reflect Mr. Tyson's intent to intimidate but rather that it
was an expression of a fantasy in reaction to the frustration of
this evaluation," Dr. Jeremy D. Schmahmann wrote.
The report did not say whom Tyson was angry at before the
Holyfield fight, but he later had a bitter split with promoter Don
King and his managers, John Horne and Rory Holloway, claiming they
stole millions of dollars from him.
The team of six doctors, which examined Tyson at Massachusetts
General Hospital in Boston, found that he was fit to fight again
and not likely to bite another opponent.
The report says Tyson felt embarrassed and humiliated by having
to undergo five days of testing and was concerned that people would
think he was "psycho."
" I have no self-esteem, but the biggest ego in the world,"
Tyson said.
The report recommends that Tyson undergo psychotherapy and that
his problems with depression and self-esteem can be treated without
any further medication. The report said he had been taking the
antidepressants after the Holyfield fight and for the last month,
but stopped because it made him lose his urge to fight.
It concludes by saying there is no way to predict future
behavior, but the doctors believe Tyson is fit to box again.
"It is the opinion of the evaluation team that Mr. Tyson is
mentally fit to return to boxing, to comply with the rules and
regulations, and to do so without repetition of June 28, 1997,"
the report said.
"While we take note of the impulsivity, emotional problems and
cognitive problems outlined above, it is our opinion that none of
these, alone or in combination, render Mr. Tyson mentally unfit in
this regard."
The doctors included a neuropsychologist, psychiatrist, clinical
psychologist, two neurologists and a doctor-lawyer.
The commission will meet Monday to determine whether to
relicense Tyson. If Tyson is denied a license, he will have to wait
another year to be able to return to the ring.
Tyson and his wife, Monica, had fought to keep the report
private, arguing that only members of the commission needed to know
the state of the inner workings of the former champion's mind.
But after a state Supreme Court ruling Monday that favored the
release of the reports, he signed a waiver agreeing to make them
public.
The report offers some tidbits about Tyson's life, including the
fact that he told doctors he drank alcohol four days before the
tests. Tyson had problems with drinking in his younger days, but
converted to Islam in prison and had said he did not drink any
longer.
Tyson issued a statement saying he didn't want to release the
reports but that his main goal is getting back into the ring.
"On numerous occasions I have apologized for my actions in the
ring vs. Evander Holyfield," Tyson said. "I am willing to do
whatever the Nevada Athletic Commission wants me to do in order to
regain my license to fight."
The commissioners asked for the psychiatric report after a
six-hour licensing hearing decided nothing last month.
At issue at Monday's hearing will not only be Tyson's
psychological records, but questions about a fight after a
fender-bender he was involved in on August 31.
"It will be a very interesting hearing," predicted Marc
Ratner, the commission's executive director.
The major question asked by the commission was whether the
doctors believe Tyson is mentally fit to compete without having
another episode like the one in which he bit Holyfield's ears.
The other questions centered around Tyson's ability to handle
stress and his mental diagnosis.
Tyson and his advisers want the hearing as soon as possible
because they want Tyson to fight on December 5 if he gets his license
back.
Tyson faces trial in Montgomery County, Maryland, the same day the
commission meets on assault charges filed by two men stemming from
the traffic accident outside Washington.
Tyson's lawyers have been trying to negotiate a settlement with
the two men, although prosecutors in Maryland say they plan to go
ahead with the case even if a settlement is reached.
Tyson attorney Jim Jimmerson said he thinks the Maryland trial
date will be vacated, and said Tyson will answer questions from the
commissioners about the traffic scuffle. Commissioners were
irritated at Tyson's September 19 hearing when, on legal advice, he
refused to discuss what happened.
"Maryland is still an open issue," Jimmerson said. "There
will be a proper response. What Mike has to say about it is still
being discussed."
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