Boston Globe article on "The Punch"

Shaughnessy is one of my favorite sports writers.


It's a fist he just can't shake
Washington lives in shadow of punch
By Dan Shaughnessy, Globe Columnist, 11/10/2002

Speaking on a telephone, 3,000 miles away, he sounds like a wise and gentle man. Smart, caring, and proud. He wants to tell you about the trips to Kenya, where he hands out medical supplies until there's nothing left to give. He wants to tell you how much he loved the people of Boston when he played for the Celtics after the Blizzard of 1978.

Experienced and articulate, Kermit Washington grew up in a tough neighborhood in Washington, D.C., and made himself an academic All-American and an NBA All-Star. He sounds like the kind of guy you'd like to have as a coach for one of your kids.

And then you see the footage of that on-court fight from 1977. You see Washington's reckless sledgehammer of a right hand shattering the face of Rudy Tomjanovich.

Video replay is a great thing unless you are caught on tape in a moment of shame or abject failure. Video has been great for Carlton Fisk and Mike Eruzione. Their careers are immortalized in a single magical clip where they always succeed.

It's different for Kermit Washington. He has lived 51 years, been married and divorced, raised two children, played 10 NBA seasons, run a basketball camp, had his own radio show and restaurant, and donated thousands of dollars and hours to needy Africans ... but the video has reduced his life to a single moment of mayhem.

Best-selling author John Feinstein has re-created the tragic episode in a wonderfully crafted book, ''The Punch.'' Washington and Tomjanovich cooperated (but are not receiving royalties) on the project, which tracks their lives before and after the fateful evening of Dec. 9, 1977, when Washington was playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and Tomjanovich for the Houston Rockets.

The one-time adversaries have become friends, and they spoke several times a week during training camp this year when Tomjanovich, now coach of the Rockets, tried out a young player sent to him by Washington.

Rudy T says he considers Kermit his ''brother,'' no small statement given that Washington's punch almost killed Tomjanovich.

Like so many unfortunate things in life, it happened in a flash. There was an altercation near midcourt. Washington still says it started when Houston's Kevin Kunnert threw some elbows as the two ran upcourt. Washington punched Kunnert while his Laker teammate, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was grabbing Kunnert from behind. Seeing his teammate drop to one knee, Tomjanovich, who was downcourt preparing for a fast break, sprinted toward the skirmish. Aware that someone was coming at him from behind, Washington wheeled and punched, crushing the face of the onrushing Tomjanovich.

Nothing would ever be the same for either man. Tomjanovich missed the rest of the '77-78 season and retired after three more years in the league. He went on to win two NBA crowns as coach of the Rockets but battled alcoholism. He still resents being known as the guy who got punched.

Washington was suspended two months as a result of the fight and was rescued by Celtics godfather Red Auerbach.

Auerbach had known Washington since Kermit's days at American University in Washington; Red had invited the 6-foot-8-inch youngster to his basketball camp in Marshfield. Knowing that the Lakers would be looking to move Washington after the fight, Auerbach traded Charlie Scott to LA for Washington and Don Chaney.

Washington played 32 games for the 1977-78 Celtics, averaging 11.8 points and 10.5 rebounds for a terrible Boston team coached by Tom Sanders and assistant K.C. Jones. He wore No. 42, now worn by Vin Baker. Washington lived at the Sheraton Hotel in the Prudential Center and has nothing but fond memories about his Boston days.

''The fans in Boston were tremendous,'' he said. ''My first game at home was against Phoenix, and I really hustled. The fans loved me from the first day, and they were good to me from that day on. Surprisingly, this was during busing, and it was not a happy time in the city. But when you are an athlete, the color thing disappears. The fans see you for what you are as a human being and not as a stereotype of any race.''

Fans in other cities were not as friendly. Kermit was branded as the guy who threw The Punch. There was hate mail waiting for him at his hotel. Death threats, too.

He was hoping to play the rest of his career in Boston, but after the 1977-78 season, the Celtics and San Diego Clippers engaged in a weird franchise swap that resulted in several players changing teams. Washington went to work for the Clippers, then the Portland Trail Blazers. He settled in the Portland area.

Things have never been right for Washington since the punch. Since retiring from the NBA, he has been an assistant coach at Stanford and a strength coach with the Trail Blazers. He ran Pete Newell's Big Man Camp and coached in the Chinese professional league.

His Project Contact raises money for doctors and nurses who are willing to go to Africa to work in free clinics. A bookstore in his hometown is making contributions to Project Contact for every copy of ''The Punch'' that is sold. If you contact www.somanybooks.net, Washington will personalize your copy of ''The Punch.''

He'd like to get back into basketball with the NBA or a school. He says he sent out 500 resumes last year but got only five responses, all rejections.

''With my name, nobody would hire me,'' he said. ''I'm not officially blackballed, but if a coach hired me, everybody'd look at him and wonder why. The only thing they remember is that I'm the guy who hit Rudy T.

''I hope nobody else ever gets in that position. And if they do, I hope they don't make a misjudgment like I did. I'm sorry he was hurt, but I'm not one to tell people don't protect yourself. My judgment was a mistake that night.''

He has apologized 1,000 times. He has built a friendship with Tomjanovich. He has been forgiven by Rudy T. But it will never be enough. After all, there is the video. And anytime a television station needs stock footage to highlight violence in sports, The Punch does the job.

''There are some very cruel people who don't want you to ever feel you should be off the hook,'' he said. ''But Rudy has forgiven me. How can people who were not involved still be upset with me?''