Power of Caring
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Going home 'to take a nap'

Tommy Morrison avoids jail term, hints return to ring

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Posted: Friday September 10, 1999 07:03 PM

The judge told Morrison that with his celebrity status, he had a chance to do some good. Simon Bruty/Allsport

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- HIV-infected ex-boxer Tommy Morrison avoided jail time on a drunken driving charge Friday and expressed hope afterward that he might fight again.

Tulsa County Special Judge Kyle Haskins gave Morrison a two-year suspended sentence for his guilty pleas to driving under the influence of alcohol and two other traffic misdemeanors. He also ordered Morrison, 30, to pay nearly $2,000 in fines.

"I hope beyond hope I don't see you here again," said the judge, warning Morrison as he had on previous appearances that he would receive no special treatment.

"I understand," Morrison said. "You're not going to see me again."

The former heavyweight champion appeared in blue jeans and a polo shirt, with both biceps bandaged. His voice was low and husky. When asked how he was doing, Morrison turned and winked at a reporter and said, "How do I look?"

The judge told Morrison that with his celebrity status, he had a chance to do some good.

Morrison told reporters about efforts to raise money for an AIDS awareness group. He also said he thought he might return to the ring, likening his HIV-positive status to the "common cold."

"I think there's a strong possibility I'm going to fight again," he said, before his lawyer urged him toward his car.

The sentencing came after numerous delays and two competency examinations.

Morrison's attorney Dan Kramer said the latest examination found Morrison mentally competent to be sentenced but that he had suffered short term memory problems attributed to his boxing career and medication for the AIDS virus.

Morrison was charged July 17, 1998, with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving while his license was revoked and failing to stop at a red light.

Kramer sought to have Morrison's suspended sentence reduced to one year, saying delays in the case already had exceeded a year. Haskins refused.

Kramer also asked to have reports in the case sealed, saying they would only serve to bring "additional embarrassment" to his client and were protected by doctor-client privilege. The judge refused to seal the entire report but said he would consider arguments on a redacted version.

Morrison became the World Boxing Organization heavyweight champion in 1993 by defeating George Foreman. Known as "The Duke," he landed 40 knockouts during his career, the last coming in a single return fight after testing positive for HIV and announcing his retirement in 1996.

Both his career and retirement included run-ins with the law.

In 1997, a Delaware County jury convicted Morrison of driving under the influence and other charges related to a chain-reaction traffic accident that injured three people. He was ordered to spend time in a treatment facility.

He also avoided jail time on charges of drunken driving and speeding in Kansas in 1997.

After Friday's court appearance, Morrison said his first step would be to return home to Arkansas and "take a nap."

 

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