The Kermit Washington Story - Redemption 5 of 7

[kadees21]

Wow, people are so unforgiven!! The man reacted with a split second decision and it was a real dumb decision, we're all human and we all fuck up every now and then. I'm sure if Kermit thought Rudy would get that hurt he wouldn't of threw the punch, it was natural instinct. Look I feel for Rudy T. he was really hurt there, but for a team to trade Kermit after 4 or 5 years and never call him when he moves is pretty rotten. I think the Lakers didn't want their reputation tainted.

[claudemon77]

@kadees21 you mean they didn’t even have the common courtesy to throw him a leaving party? After 5 years of playing a game, for an incredible amount of money, they toss him out to the Celtics like a piece of trash! Ever been to Boston? I hear it’s worse than Baghdad. I mean geez... It’s not like he almost killed someone.

[JimbolovesUTube]

F this guy!

[pandarsson]

An incident like this is disgusting. And I don't just mean the initial event that started it. To think that people thought it appropriate to threaten both him and his wife and that in all the comments, no one seems to have a problem with this shows that the thirst for blood is more common among human beings than we pretend.

Kermit Washington was stupid and negligent. All those thirsting for his blood are very, very deliberate.

[TheCEL52]

Gee 60 day suspension and a trade for almost killing a guy.How many people would take that.

[darius070]

We're supposed to feel sorry for this piece of crap? You almost kill a guy with a gutless cheapshot suckerpunch but because you're walking back and forth with sad background music in a documentary now, it's all good? He should be in jail for what he did. You can do whatever BS charity garbage you want now, you are a thug who deserved to be shunned by society and then put in prison.

[Coachlane]

Just so you know I am legit i will give my full name (Lane Leonard). I actually worked with Kermit and Mychael Thompson for a local (Portland, OR) radio station 1520 KFXX. I can tell you that I have never met a more polite gentleman and he was a delight to work with. I beg any of you who may come to this page, please do not judge a book by his Newspaper cover. This gentle giant made one split second mistake and has paid for it for almost 40 years. Enough is enough! I know the real Kermit.

[SizeTenBiscuit]

Should have been traded to prison.

[thegoldenhero]

@chokeslap

exactly

[TheSui707]

his ex-wife looks like a crack head

[wovokanarchy]

Who's the victim here?

[rainbowkitty1000]

DAMN BLACK DUDES ARE FUCKING STRONG  SMFH

[Ariamaluum]

Calvin Murphy is a hypocrite, 2:27. He started to so many fights and got away with it because he was small and picked on big black guys. Never the white guys like Dave Cowens.

[adam75south]

that lady is annoying

[RAINintoTEARS]

i love how the people showed him they hated violence by being violent. like throwing bricks through windows.. you are just so much better huh? I don't feel bad for the guy at all and it's something so shocking and unforgivable but the way people acted was stupid as fuck. what made them better...? i bet kermit wishes he thought before he acted but people never do and the world is a violent ass place and and people think they're doing nothing wrong

[MuayThaiViking]

@RAINintoTEARS thats some nonsense bullshit you have there

its WORSE to punch a defenseless, innocent man in the face, almost killing him and ending his career, than it is to punch that same psycho

in situation A the victim is an innocent, in situation B the victim is someone who deserves it

[RAINintoTEARS]

@MuayThaiViking ok you mad bro

[dirthotch1982]

He didn't want to deliver your baby, cause when it came out it would punch him!!! Lol jkjk

[tretrioeciii]

Over the years whenever Kermit would talk about the incident he would accept responsibility, and right after that he would say "But..." and would give a half ass excuse that would negate any goodwill he had coming.

[deh0002]

No one knows what the guy running at him would of done if he had not thrown the punch.. its a natural reaction to throw that punch and that should be understood by more ppl

[canyoulockthis]

Cause he puched a white dude.

[RJCunningham]

Respond to this video... or because kermit is a trash thug who should be in fucking prison for being a dumb ass punk. should have been killed on the spot

[hefeng95]

He could have been a v.good player if this didn't happen, the punch seem like a reflex. He seem like he was not offered any aid when he needed it most. Hope that everyone will get over this and he'll have a great life ahead.

[TheTdim10]

I want to feel for Kermit but he has never shown any remorse whatsoever--he only ran away to deal with the criticism, not because he actually felt sorry for his actions.

[mrbriscoe2001]

Violence is instinctive-as bad as the damage -there's no premeditation here-just the physics of a shooting forward running into the punch thrown from a self made "Power Rebounding forward who spent massive amounts of time in the weight room.As far as judgment by Kermit-anybody who's experienced real violence knows that "Tme to Think" is an illusion....

[kevjay777]

60 day suspension . . . whoo whoo. 

[sirdaniel421]

did Washington ever apologize?

[MAJORleague32]

@sirdaniel421 nope

[damionallen2011]

man that shit was still funny as hell that man had a fist face

[mrpolobrown99]

@rockimbal - Are you retarded?

[BigdogH201]

One thing you could say back then that you can't say now: The players could actually throw a good punch.

[mrpolobrown]

@rockimbal - suck my dick. To everyone else, I get it, Rudy T ran into a fight. But again, are we supposed to feel sorry for this dude? Is that what this whole hour episode is about? No one is blaming. But at the same time I don't feel sorry for him. The truth is the dude wasn't a star, and that's the reason he didn't make it longer than he did. This show is a joke. Maybe if it was about Project Contact Africa and less about the "tragedy" Kermit Washington, it would of been worth somethin

[rockimabal]

@mrpolobrown Just because women don't want your micro penis doesn't mean you have to become a fag. Again, fuck off cunt.

[rockimabal]

@rockimabal No, but you have a micropenis

[TheBatmanRox]

Ignorance has struck some of these people. You can't blame him for RE-ACTING stupid asses! What would you do if a fight just broke out and some crazy white guy comes running at you from behind.,! #ignoranceisyournewbestfriend

[mrpolobrown]

Are you serious? We're supposed to feel sorry for this dude?

[rockimabal]

@mrpolobrown You aren't supposed to do shit. Fuck off cunt.

[TheRealUnderherfeet]

Bad idea to run into a tussle like that Rudy. I felt bad for him but if you at least walked, the damage would've been minimal. Kermit would've had to work harder to connect a punch if Rudy was walking. If he did connect, the impact wouldn't have been the velocity it had off Rudy running.

[tripleheshy]

@chokeslap You're telling me you wouldn't come to the defense of a team mate in a scrape, especially if he was a brother?? You're a God damned liar that's what you are. He no more "invited" himself than a woman "invites" herself to be raped. Moral relativism at it's finest.

[kekoa1013]

i dont like basketball violent, but now the nba is full of pussies who cry at refs when they barely get touched and go down like they got a career ending injury if they make some "contact" . Vince Carter, Lebron James, and Paul Pierce seem to do this the most, Im even a Celtics fan and I will say Paul Pierce for lack of a better word is a pussy, and im not a kobe lover who thinks he is tough like MJ because i think he just pretends he is tough.

[demdufflebagz]

rudy talkin like curtis jackson!!!!!

[ma7799]

I can easily understand why West traded Kermit almost immediately; he did not want the Lakers' reputation. Yes, his job was on the line, but he did not want the media labeling the Lakers as the franchise with the thug who shattered another player's face. When I first heard of Washington and this incident, I had no idea he even played for the Lakers at all until I watched this!

[ma7799]

@VredesStal

No wonder he has been spending time in Africa! Well said!

[4444rify]

KERMIT IS A DUMBAZZ and he deserves it because he did the most stupidest thing in the world....puch a guy in the face for no damn reason. if you dont think thats stupid idk what is

[USA1Rockets]

kermits wife is annoying!

[jayjasonbird]

he should have been a boxer. Great punch

[burnit01]

Damn man....I feel so bad for Kermit, but he should have not done that....

[VCthaGOATdunker]

Awww poor Kermit. Sad music and all sentimental and shit. Well screw him. The scumbag deserved no remorse. He nearly killed an innocent person.

This disgusting documentary is a very lame attempt to turn Kermit the Frog into the victim.

[TobyHalicki089]

When Rudy Tomjanovich's face was turned inward by Kermit Washington fist. It took a lot of plastic surgery and nero surgery to fix Rudy T. His face was never the same again. The injuries affected him and his ability.

[swissbeats2k]

Calvin Murphy the Pedifile needs to shut his ass up "he hit my friend" shutup you rapist.

[ma7799]

@swissbeats2k

Was he a rapist? I know he has about 9 or 10 kids from multiple women.

[free2rtmey]

ivan drago on apollo creed

[dwaynewadesucks]

60 days?  Nowadays that would be jail. The Artest fight was nothing compared to this

[RAZZAxDK]

@dwaynewadesucks it was nothing?!??!?!?! this is ONE unfortunate punch, Metta Worldpeace fucking hit the fans and a fan on the field that Metta was runnning right against...

[TandemRotor46]

Kermit is lucky that Calvin Murphy didn't get a hold of him on the court that night. He might have ended up in worse shape than Rudy T.

[lwmson]

Yeah right. Murphy, at 5'9, was midget by NBA standards going up against Washington who was a hulking figure at 6'9. What a matchup. Don't make me laugh!

[clarksc1988]

@lwmson

There's a reason why Murphy was Houston's enforcer. I even believe there are accounts of him taking on and  getting the best of many bigger players.

[lwmson]

I know size and strength don't always necessarily go hand in hand, but I doubt very seriously if Murphy could have gotten the best of Washington in a fight. As evidenced by the damage he afflicted to Rudy T with just one punch, Kermit had TREMENDOUS strength.

[Czirro]

@lwmson

In the realm of fighting, sheer strength and size is nothing to honed skill. Calvin Murphy fought professionally for a living, and was a champion. Calvin was a golden glove boxer, the guy had/has dynamite fist.

[lwmson]

@Czirro In the realm of street fighting, "honed skill" is insignificant. I wouldn't give a damn if little Calvin Murphy won an Olympic gold medal in boxing, it's highly unlikely that he could have overpowered Washington in a street fight.

[TandemRotor46]

Murphy was a golden gloves boxer. Size isn't everything. He would have destroyed Washington.

[lwmson]

I don't care if Murphy was an Olympic gold medalist, who wouldn't have had the strength to overcome Washington. If you can shatter a man's face and nearly kill him with just one punch, that's a testament to how powerful you are. I know that although someone is small they could still be strong, but...

[iverson246]

feel so sorry for rudy :(

[nlpjohn]

Boo Hoo Hoo! He was treated like a pariah. I can feel a tears welling up in my eyes... Boo Hoo Hoo!

[dcasey77]

I'm from the UK and don't follow basketball at all, I came across this story by accident when browsing the web.

I think it's understandable why Washington would be ostracised and I don't really see how any can complain about this.

Eric Cantona scuffled with a fan during a football match, no one was hurt, Cantona was suspended for 8 months. Washington nearly killed a man, knocking his skull out of position and gets a 60 day suspension. I think in soccer he would have been banned for life.

[MerkinMuffly]

LMAO, "I didn't think he was hurt at all", I guess the pool of blood wouldn't give any indication would it?

[VinceBow]

It's easy to hide and say vile things. Try and not be a coward, post your pic and then say the things you say.

[JzSupra505hp]

And what the hell difference would that make??

...I don't see you posting your ugly face here. Hypocrite!!

[VinceBow]

It would mean that you're not afraid to stand by what you say. Until then you're just a little b*tch and what you say doesn't matter. And my face is all over YouTube.

[meganjerai]

Well it is "crap" to you when you haven't experienced it and it isn't your reality. You may be sick of hearing stuff like that, but the people who still experience prejudice is sick of going through it. Of course you wouldn't understand it, because you don't have to live it. But making those comments is not only NOT being the better person, but you've just proving what's been said in the first place. You can't generalize a whole group of people b/c of a small bunch just like you wouldnt want 2

[meganjerai]

Exactly..it should end period. But a person's skin color has nothing to do with fighting.

[meganjerai]

what does race have to so with anything? Haven't you seen the many of white players, not to mention the NHL, who engaged in fights. Has nothing to do with race...fighting, wars, and disagreements don't discriminate.

[ricochetrob]

to be forgiven (for anything), you have to let go of your self-centeredness.

He didn't; quick enough.

And so, a price was paid.

[RK831]

Dude, you should feel even worse for Rudy.

[nooshooz]

yeah. I feel bad for both.

[nooshooz]

Yes, until the early 90's you had to be a MAN to play in the NBA. Everyone is saying that Kermit was whining about getting a too stiff punishment. He wasn't talking about the 60 games suspension. He was talking about how he's been black-balled from the league.

[ma7799]

black-balled?

[nooshooz]

would you prefer blackball?

[nooshooz]

I agree with you. Something like this shouldn't be able to ruin your entire life. But it did.

[threeby8887]

May I point out that during the previous season (which had 41 fights that resulted in the ejection of at least one player, plus coulntless more that saw no ejections), Washington was involved in a fight in Buffalo against the Braves' John Shumate and another Buffalo player attacked Washington from behind. So there was precedent in his mind of what could happen in a fight when someone came at him from behind. Not that that justified punching Tomjanovich.

[threeby8887]

Sorry. I forgot that I had already posted a similar message here.

[ProjectContactAfrica]

chokeslap -- Thank-you for that comment that may get some of these other people who think People should be hanged for having human nature.. Of course if you are in a brawl and another person from the "that day" enemy runs in... he better be prepared to fight as that is what kermit thought was going on.. You cannot exactly stop the fight to ask "hey you coming to fight or stop the fighting?" Life never worked that way and never will

[damislav]

@ProjectContactAfrica

you are so wrong..so its okay to kill people just because "human nature"

[bernduck]

It was more than just a 60 day suspension.  There was a heftly fine and later, after he had signed a contract with a team that wanted him (Boston) he was traded by the league to San Diego.

[threeby8887]

And I might add that during the previous season, Washington had gotten into a fight with John Shumate of the Buffalo Braves (who later became the San Diego Clippers whom Washington later played for and are now the Los Angeles Clippers) and while this went on, one of Shumate's teammates attacked Washington from behind. This is not to excuse Kermit Washington's actions on that night of December 9, 1977, but it does show what probably flashed into his mind at that heated moment.

[ProjectContactAfrica]

I never said it was a mistake and No kermit was not trying to kill him when he ran.. RAN into the fight. You are telling me that in his position and seeing someone running at you into the fight you would not do the same thing. Again.. His intent was NOT to attempt to kill.. he was in a fight and everyone thought rudy was coming in to brawl

[sweetheartbreaker666]

Kermit Washington crushes a man's face in and nearly kills him and is given a (gasp!!) 60 game suspension and says he was given a

"stiff punishment".

?????????

Why is this criminal thug not in prison??

[ProjectContactAfrica]

Criminal thug? Yes.. he planned on Rudy running out there in the middle of an intense brawl and aimed to punch to try to kill (sarcasm). Your response is typical of someone that refuses to look at all the facts prior to judgement.

[rafterfan180]

You're trying to biasedly highlight there was no malicious intent, but look at what he did. forget the intent. he's a grown man and should be held accountable for his actions. he got off LUCKY!

[ProjectContactAfrica]

Do not recall if i replied to this Rafterfan180. Kermit made a mistake, It was a split second decision he made and made the wrong one. Hindsight is alway 20/20... So he took that hindsight and is spending the rest of his life making up for it.

[blackdave2211]

same thing for you as for sweetheartbreaker666:

fuck you

you know nothing about punching someone, how hard it is to hit a moving target, while surpressing the fear you get when a 200 pound gorilla attacks you. it is nearly impossible to crush an attackers skull with a single blow on purpose. in a situation like that, you don´t think, you just react.

maybe you´ll suffer a short incident in your life that changes everything in a negative way, then say again he got off lucky. *ptuh*

[sweetheartbreaker666]

Rudy "ran" out onto the court to help break up the fight...and it was his FACE that got broken up. If you hit someone while driving drunk...you still will be prosecuted AND SENT TO PRISON, reguardless if it was an accident or not. Regardless if Kermit MEANT to do it or not...He still did it. Why didn't Kermit just push or shove him instead of CRUSH him?? Why does American society insist on trying to make heros out of thugs??

[ProjectContactAfrica]

Again... You are someone that believes in eye for an eye and forgiveness should never be given to anyone, even if it was a mistake. I would hate to be your son or daughter, who would make mistake after mistake even when knowing they are making a mistake because no one can redeem themselves in your eyes.

[sweetheartbreaker666]

Quote:

"Again...You are someone that believes in eye for an eye and forgiveness should never be given to anyone, even if it was a mistake..."

No, I believe the punishment should fit the crime and a "60 game suspension" hardly seems like a fitting punishment for nearly killing an innocent man who obviously was no danger to the "victim" Kermit Washington. Did Kermit make an effort to contact Rudy and apologize or help with his medical bills and recovery,other than just paying an "NBA fine"??

[ProjectContactAfrica]

You really think the punishment ended at a 60 game suspension? He is still paying for it to this day if you would actually listen to the entire video or maybe did a little more research than looking at a wikipedia entry.

[readyfuels17]

what would you do in a middle of a brawl if someone was running at you who you thought was going to hurt you? You wouldn't shove them and don't even lie and say you would.