November 22, 2002
Back In Chicago. . .
Back In Chicago. . . Rick Morrisey of the Chicago Tribune has pulled an interesting factoid out of Karla Knefel's lawsuit against Michael Jordan (warning, registration required) -- one that perhaps should give plenty of people pause:
What's fascinating--and more than a little disconcerting--is that Jordan and the woman who is suing him for $5 million allegedly were introduced by Ed F. Rush, NBA referee and, apparently, closet matchmaker. I like to envision their first meeting as being something like a jump ball, with introductions taking place and Rush tossing up the key to Jordan's hotel room. But that's not how it went.
According to the lawsuit filed by Karla Knafel, the woman allegedly scorned, this is how it went:
"In the spring of 1989, Karla was working as a vocalist touring in a band that was performing at a hotel in Indianapolis. After Karla's performance, Eddie Rush, an NBA referee, approached her and complimented her about her singing talent. During their conversation, Karla and Mr. Rush talked about the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan, who were in town to play the Indiana Pacers.
"Mr. Rush told Karla that he personally knew Jordan. To prove it, he telephoned Jordan at Jordan's Indianapolis hotel room and introduced him to Karla over the phone. Karla and Jordan then chatted for a while."
(Women, beware: When a guy is trying to impress you with the friends he has in high places, it's usually because he wants to seem taller.)
According to the suit, Jordan and Knafel began an affair three months after he married his wife, Juanita. Knafel charges that Jordan promised to pay her $5 million when he retired in return for her silence about their affair. Jordan denies making such a promise.
After briefly appearing in the lawsuit, Rush fades away, gone but not forgotten. The NBA plans to look into his involvement.
Just what the heck is Ed Rush doing with Michael Jordan's phone number? Tell me this: if we heard a similar story about a baseball umpire having Barry Bonds' home phone number, wouldn't that raise hackles too?
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12:25 PM