Heres how the real events played out in the pages of The New York Times. She told the Hollywood Reporter that by no means was she intending to suggest that as a female reporter Scruggs needed to use her sexuality. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR A FOX NATION FREE TRIAL. My mother lived a nightmare," said RichardJewell in a 1996 news conference after he was cleared by the FBI. The marriage resulted in divorce. The Story of Security Guard Richard Jewell - Biography The pressure began to ease only after Jewell's attorneys hired an ex-FBI agent to administer a polygraph, which Jewell passed. [10], A Justice Department investigation of the FBI's conduct found the FBI had tried to manipulate Jewell into waiving his constitutional rights by telling him he was taking part in a training film about bomb detection, although the report concluded "no intentional violation of Mr. Jewell's civil rights and no criminal misconduct" had taken place. Check out the performances that shook the campus. He feels the stares of strangers in restaurants, The Timess correspondent Kevin Sack wrote one year after the bombing, knowing they still wonder if he is the one.. Lewis Scruggs added, Her choice of boyfriends was not great, he said. [5][6], Jewell's life has been the subject of popular culture, including the 2019 film Richard Jewell and the ten-episode drama Deadly Games, the 2020 season of the anthology series Manhunt. It can be more of a slow-burn marathon. Richard Jewell continues a rocky trajectory at the box office for Warner Bros. Everyone settled except for the AJC, which held its ground. [1], Centennial Olympic Park was designed as the "town square" of the Olympics, and thousands of spectators had gathered for a late concert and merrymaking. Meanwhile, Kathy Scruggs, a police reporter, who had allegedly gotten a tip from a close friend in the F.B.I., got a confirmation from someone in the Atlanta police, Vanity Fair reported. toxicological testing of chest fluid revealed a potentially lethal level of morphine. [3] An autopsy found the cause of death to be severe heart disease with diabetes and related obesity complications as a contributing factor.[46]. They even took a Mary Poppins video. The movie unfurls a stark morality tale about what happens when the powers that belaw enforcement, the media, the entire world, it seemsgang up on a couple of lionhearted little guys. It was written by Billy Ray, based on the 1997 article "American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell," by Marie Brenner, and the book The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle (2019) by Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen. Many scenes of characters having regular conversations drag on longer than necessary. Richard Jewell died in 2007 at age 44 from heart failure. By Cassandra Roshu, Griffin Brown, Isabella Flores, Joe Zhao, Maxine Brackbill, Megan Jonas, Meghan Hendricks, Solange Jain, By Arnav Pokhrel, Braden Kletz, Jacob Halsema, Joe Zhao, Maxine Brackbill, Meghan Hendricks. The source material for Richard Jewell is wonderfully rich. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Richard Jewell Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The article said that Jewell was mobbed by reporters as he returned home from FBI questioning. He declared, Im innocent. Monument marking 1996 Olympic Park bombing dedicated to Richard Jewell Farnsworth, Elizabeth (October 28, 1996). Jewell, a former sheriffs deputy and later a campus police officer, was working security at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta when he came across a suspicious backpack near his post at a light and sound tower at Centennial Olympic Park. Within two days of the bombing, the media was labeling Jewell a hero. Its indefensible. He said he understood that it wasnt a documentary but also asked, should a film be fair? The progress was slow. For example, Jewells mothers apartment really did prominently display a portrait of Jewell in his Habersham County deputys uniform, the Vanity Fair article reported. She felt confident that that would be proven in court., Scruggs brother told AJC she was on medications for a variety of things, including Crohns disease. In real life, though, Bryant didnt work alone for long. ESPN reported that Jewell's cause of death was a heart attack. Officials at Piedmont College, a small Georgia school where Jewell had been a security guard, had called the F.B.I. At the time, Vanity Fair reported, Watson Bryant made a modest living by doing real-estate closings in the suburbs, but Jewell and his lawyer had formed an unusual friendship a decade earlier, when Jewell worked as a mailroom clerk at a federal disaster-relief agency where Bryant practiced law.. Legal Statement. The AP article said that Jewell worked for a security company that was hired by AT&T to provide guards for its Centennial Olympic Park pavilion. Suspects Hero Guard May Have Planted Bomb.. It would be so easy to play Kathy as a love interest, as something less than the competent reporter she was. The AJCs reporter is reduced to a sex-trading object in the film, says the letter, which according to the AJC was sent to Warner Bros., Eastwood, screenwriter Billy Ray and others. Several attempts at humor come from the main journalist represented in the film, Olivia Wildes Kathy Scruggs. Jewell died in 2007 at his home in Woodbury, Ga., after months of serious medical problems following a diabetes diagnosis earlier that year. Clint Eastwood portrays journalists in a way that plays to a lot of misconceptions about how professional reporters work, Kevin Riley, editor of the AJC, told TIME earlier this week. Much has been made about the movie making it appear that the lead journalist character, Kathy Scruggs, offered to trade sex for the tip about the Jewell investigation. Go to Fox Nationto start a free trial and watch the extensive library from Tomi Lahren, Pete Hegseth, Abby Hornacek, Laura Ingraham, Ainsley Earhardt, Greg Gutfeld, Judge Andrew Napolitano and many more of your favorite Fox News personalities. He clearly was anti-government and anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti a lot of things. Within days, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporters Kathy Scruggs and Ron Martz published the scoop: Jewell, the heroic security guard, was the focus of a federal investigation. He couldnt go outside not without setting off a high-speed car chase of government vehicles and media vans, anyway. It was said to be for $500,000. On July 30, 1996, the media identified Richard Jewell as the F.B.I. Yet it may simply highlight The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has had its antennae up for a while regarding Richard Jewell, which also stars Paul Walter Hauser as the titular character, along with Sam Rockwell and Kathy Bates. His libel suit against the company that owned The Journal lingered in the courts for years before the final claim was dismissed. Its supposed to be a time of joy for the world, and its a very, very bad thing.. Richard Jewell really was the hero of the Olympic bombing. His wife, Dana, found him dead on the floor of their bedroom when she came home from work on August 29, 2007; he was 44 years old. The Richard Jewell ControversyAnd the Complicated Truth A look back on our reporting to understand the story. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Today, Bobi is still alive. The 1996 Olympics in Atlanta were rocked by a bomb that killed one and injured more than 100. Jewell was first referenced in The Times on July 28, 1996 not by name, but as an AT&T security guard, in the papers initial story on the explosion. It was obviously an invalid waiver.. The media, to varying degrees, portrayed Jewell as a failed law enforcement officer who might have planted the bomb so he could "find" it and be a hero. A Turkish cameraman also died from a heart attack while rushing to the scene. Paul Walter Hauser, left, with director Clint Eastwood during the filming of Richard Jewell., Olivia Wilde plays the late Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Kathy Scruggs in Richard Jewell.. According to Bryant, "somebody broke the law and leaked confidential information from the Department of Justice," and that set off a chain of events that would change the lives of the Jewells forever. That article says that Jack Martin, a more experienced criminal defense attorney, had joined the team. It haunted her until her last breath, Scruggs friend and former coworker Tony Kiss told the AJC. Market data provided by Factset. He has experience. A person who always wanted to be a cop, Jewell saves hundreds of lives by identifying a bomb at Rudolph was responsible for a series of bombings. Here is a man whose valor and quick thinking catapulted "[29], Jewell sued NBC News for this statement made by Tom Brokaw, "The speculation is that the FBI is close to making the case. They would yell, Did he do it? Write to Alejandro de la Garza at [email protected]. She was accurate., The newspapers publisher Roger Kintzel said in that story, nothing was ever found that indicated that what Kathy wrote was not the truth. She dated Lewis Grizzard. WebRichard Jewell expected full clearance, but instead was described as a so-called non-target. Nonetheless, Jewell and his legal team knew the media would portray that as an WebThe misdirected pursuit of Richard Jewell in 1996 should have served as a bellwether of change in how the FBI conducted sensitive investigations. Richard Jewell died of a diabetes-related heart attack 11 years after the bombing, in August 2007. There was an ongoing concert, but suspecting the worst, Jewell and police began clearing the immediate area around the bag. Abortion is murder. The Los Angeles Times reports that Bryant and the Jewells remained close; for a time, Bobi even babysat for the lawyers two children., Bryant told the Times: These bums [in the FBI] never had enough to arrest him they had nothing but a bunch of BS taken out of context that they used to frame him up for a story that was too good to be true. [7][8], Jewell was born Richard White in Danville, Virginia, the son of Bobi, an insurance claims coordinator, and Robert Earl White, who worked for Chevrolet. His honors are cut short when he is accused as the primary suspect in the FBIs investigation into the bombing. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Today, he is serving a life prison term at Florence ADMAX USP. Richard Jewell Ending Explained: What Happened And What Clint Eastwood has spent the majority of his life in the public eye dealing with media coverage. Apparently he was also approached for a book contract. [37][38][39][40][41] Jewell is played by Paul Walter Hauser[42] while Kathy Bates played mother Bobi (for which she earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination). This discovery was nine minutes before Rudolph called 9-1-1 to deliver a warning. Together, they helped clear 75 Photos from the real story of Richard Jewell. Warner Bros. told Deadline on Monday that those claims are baseless. A studio source confirmed to the trade outlet that a disclaimer has always been at the end of the film. [2] The couple moved to a farm they bought together, south of Atlanta. Jewells moms Tupperware really was confiscated by the FBI, for example, and he really did land a job at a local police department after being cleared. WebEarly in the morning of July 27, 1996, amid the hoopla of the Summer Olympics that made Atlanta, Georgia, the center of the world for a fortnight, security guard Richard Jewell However, the broader strokes of what happened to Jewell are accurate. He was cleared as a suspect after 88 days of heavy public scrutiny. She cursed. Bomb experts quickly determined that the knapsack contained a crude pipe bomb, and while police were clearing the area, the bomb exploded.. [16] Rudolph later agreed, in April 2005, to plead guilty to the Centennial Park bombing and other attacks on an abortion clinic and a lesbian nightclub, as part of a plea bargain to avoid the death penalty. And Richard Jewell himself said some odd things - like, he asked if a tower would withstand a blast in the park - not the tower he was guarding, but another one. In the movie, Tom Shaw and Dan Bennett are the names given to the FBI agents relentlessly pursuing the former hero security guard turned suspect in the Atlanta bombing at the Olympics. The portrayal tracks closely with real life, even down to the Tupperware that Bobi got back from the FBI with marks on it. I am looking forward to seeing this movie although I am still saddened by the tragedy.. And while Jewells good name was eventually cleared, he and his family suffered tremendously as a result of this ordeal. Tom Shaw and Dan Bennett appear to be loosely based on Don Johnson and Diader Rosario but are also composite characters, and some of it is completely fictionalized. In fact, the biggest changes Manhunt made was not with the Jewell story but with that of Rudolph, who eventually went to prison for the crime after spending five years hiding out in the mountains. I love you.". Richard Jewell is straightforward but slow due to pace, lack of Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles. The Ballad of Richard Jewell. Richard Jewell As the paper wrote: Richard Jewell, 33, a former law enforcement officer, fits the profile of the lone bomber. CNN quickly broadcast the story, and other news organizations followed suit. "[26] Even though NBC stood by its story, the network agreed to pay Jewell $500,000. Llewellyn; and special agents Diader Rosario and Don Johnson. They were accused of trying to get Jewell to star in a training video that was really a ruse to see if he would incriminate himself. WebRichard Jewells Heroism Was Real & a Witness Said Immediately That He Didnt Think Jewell Had Time to Perpetrate the Bombing & Make the Phone Call Attributed to the Thats pretty common in any industry., Wilde later elaborated on Twitter, saying that she has deep respect for the essential work of journalists, and that she understood her character and Hamms to be in a pre-existing romantic relationship, not a transactional exchange of sex for information. She added: I do not believe sex-positivity and professionalism are mutually exclusive. All rights reserved. Nevertheless, for all of the reasons noted supra, we conclude that the trial court did not err in denying Jewells motion to compel or in granting the Media Defendants summary judgment on Jewells claims.. Richard Jewell is unquestionably a tragic figure, the appeals court said in its conclusion, which favored the newspaper. According to Real Clear History, Rosario in real life was also the agent who obtained a search warrant to get Jewells hair for testing. The pipe bomb, inside the bag, exploded minutes later. NPR He discovered a backpack containing three pipe bombs on the park grounds[1] and helped evacuate the area before the bomb exploded, saving many people from injury or death. The movie makes journalist Kathy Scruggs into a pretty one-note villain. By July 30, 1996, news organizations were reporting that Jewell had emerged, in the words of an Associated Press story, as the prime target of the FBI investigation. Leading up to Richard Jewells release, controversy has erupted over perspectives seemingly deprioritized in the films telling, especially in its portrayal of real-life journalist Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde) as a man-eating, less-than-ethical scoop artist. GettyRichard Jewell with his mother, Bobi Jewell. I find it appalling, quite frankly, at how quickly everybody leapt to finger [Jewell], The Times late media writer David Shaw said in a 1996 interview with Atlanta magazine. It had been nine months since the Justice Department cleared Jewell of any involvement. Rudolph began his violent attacks on July 27, 1996, when he planted a backpack containing a bomb in crowded Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia., According to the FBI, a woman who traveled with her daughter to watch the 1996 Summer Olympics was killed and more than 100 others were injured in the blast. Fran Kirby plays Mead into space on the edge of the 18-yard box and she pushes forward to go one-on-one against Blackstad. WebRichard Jewell was never officially charged with any crimes, but he spent 88 days being under investigation as the person responsible for the 1996 bombs in Centennial Park. (Never mind the lack of evidence.). That, coupled with some dated representations, makes Richard Jewell a troubling experience. !, Doug Monroe, who knew and worked with Scruggs, described her in a 2003 article in Atlanta Magazine as having a raucous sense of humor. He wrote: Cops still talk in amazement about her bravado. It was just hard living, her brother said to the publication. The young, jolly revelers, many waving cups of beer, didnt take directions very well, reported the 1996 TIME cover story on the bombing. Jewell had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes[45] in February 2007 and suffered kidney failure and other medical problems related to his diagnosis in the following months. Jewells story is chronicled and perhaps a bit dramatized in Richard Jewell, Clint Eastwoods latest directorial work, now in theaters. Movies often reduce complex people to types. The New York Times reported that the statement was "highly unusual" because "it was a tacit admission by Federal officials that they had been wrong in their suspicion of Mr. Richard Jewell Real Story: Whats True & Whats Not, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Jewell. Based on a 1997 Vanity Fair article by Marie Brenner, Richard Jewells broad narrative cleaves closely to reality. Poynter.org wrote that There is no evidence that Scruggs slept with anyone to get the story. Jewell was publicly cleared by the FBI months after the AJCs story came out, but not in time to prevent the 88-day media frenzy that enveloped him and his mother, whose house he lived in. Nearly 25 years later, Richard Jewell's mother angry over media, Joining Bobi Jewell on "Fox and Friends" was lawyerWatson Bryant,who represented Jewell throughout the ordeal and even after his name was cleared by the FBI. Such moments bloat the first two thirds of the film, tiring the viewers by the more emotional third act. Unfortunately, this simplicity is also a detriment to the film. All Rights Reserved. It says that there was debate in the newsroom over the story and CNN had already decided to hold it. The movies account of the actual explosion, and Jewells role in discovering the suspicious knapsack containing the bomb closely follows real-life events. In 1997, its true as the movie shows, that Jewell landed a job as a police officer with Luthersville, a small town hear Atlanta. These said conversations are shot with little flair or style due to the basic shot-reverse-shot manner, a film technique in which one character is shown looking at another character during a conversation and then vice versa. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [32] He eventually settled with the newspaper for an undisclosed amount. Rudolph ultimately confessed. Such a portrayal makes it appear that the AJC sexually exploited its staff and/or that it facilitated or condoned offering sexual gratification to sources in exchange for stories. The above photos show Jewell and one of his real life attorneys, Lin Wood. In addition, Sam Rockwell and Kathy Bates are fantastic in supporting roles. Dozens of F.B.I. The 1997 Vanity Fair article on which the movie is partly based described how Bryant, in real life, did have to navigate through a phalanx of reporters to get into Jewells apartment. Claire Folger - 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. He was a suspect in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing, and is now the subject of Clint Eastwoods new film. Jewell also sought legal action for the way he was characterized in the press, winning settlements from CNN and NBC. The Daily Orange is Syracuse Universitys independent student news organization. She drank. The new Richard Jewell movie gets the broad outline of what happened to Jewell right the FBIs relentless pursuit of the hero security guard and the leak to a newspaper reporter that started a media frenzy but some elements of the movie are fictionalized.