He Took the Money-And Ran

Money, I suppose, makes mere mortals of us all. Even Herschel Walker.

Until this week Walker was untainted. His life read like a fairy tale. It began with a brilliant high school football career. Walker amassed over 6000 yards rushing and by the spring of 1980 was the top high school recruit in the nation. College offers streamed in, and Walker chose the University of Georgia and its coach, Vince Dooley.

At Georgia he was an instant sensation. In his first game against Tennessee the Bulldogs were trailing in the second half. Walker came off the bench and scored two touchdowns, keying Georgia's 16-15 come-from-behind victory.

Top Dawgs

And that was just the beginning. In his freshman year Walker rushed for 1616 yards and led his team to the Sugar Bowl. Once there, the undefeated Bulldogs whipped Notre Dame to earn their first-ever national college championship.

There wasn't much Walker could do for an encore his sophomore year. The star tailback ran for close to 1900 yards, scoring 20 touchdowns and finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting.

This past season Walker outdid himself again. Rushing for 1752 yards, he led Georgia to its third-straight Sugar Bowl appearance and finally copped the Heisman.

But in early January, the fairy tale began to unravel.

Soon after telling the world at the Heisman dinner in New York he would finish his career at Georgia. Walker commissioned an agent, Jack Manton, to approach the New Jersey Generals of the USFL.

Cash and Carry

It doesn't take a Sherlock Holmes to figure out what Manton and Walker were after. They wanted money-lots of it-and they got it. Walker is now the highest paid football player in the world. The reports have varied, but the most reliable figures indicate that Walker signed a three-year contract for either $3.9 or $5 million.

Some speculation has painted Walker as an unwitting accomplice to the transaction. An objective look at the facts shows Walker knew what he was doing.

History helps to put in perspective. Two years ago the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League tried to lure Walker with a contract offer of $1.6 million. Still only a freshman, the Georgia star didn't bite, but he knew enough to take out a million dollar insurance policy on himself with Lloyd's of London. The annual premium reportedly cost his family $12,000.

Ante Up

Two months ago, Walker played his hand with similar skill. He approached the right man-owner J. Walker Duncan of the Generals-for three reasons. Duncan had an ample bankroll, he was willing to use it to give the USFL credibility, and his team played in the country's foremost media market, New York City.

Not too long ago a quarterback out of Alabama did the same thing with the American Football League. We know him now as Broadway Joe Namath. He made it big very quickly (by winning Super Bowl III), but he finished college first.

Not so with Herschel. The minute negotiations began with the Generals he knew his college eligibility under NCAA rules was shot. The USFL made sure by forcing Walker to confer at least twice with the League's counsel, Steve Earhart.

Decisions, Decisions

In the end, it's hard to fault Walker for going after the money. Walker is a 20-year-old college junior. So is this reporter, Given the choice between studying for midterms next week or signing a football contract and becoming a million dollars richer overnight (courtesy of its bonus), I'm sure I'd opt for the latter.

But in this case the money doesn't justify Walker's approach to getting it. By secretly pursuing negotiations with the USFL. Walker intentionally shielded the truth from Coach Dooley, who fully expected his star to play out his senior year.

Moreover, Walker lied to his Georgia teammates and fans-the same people who made his success possible-by repeatedly denying the fact that he'd signed a contract with the Generals late last week. His pubic apology Wednesday, in this view, just doesn't cut it.

Kidding Around

Having finally learned the truth Wednesday night. Coach Dooley addressed reporters yesterday with these words: "A lot of you have said Herschel lied to me. Yes, he did, but my children have lied to me about some very important things. Yes, I'm mad and I'm hurt that he lied. But those things happen and it doesn't stop you from loving them."

A good coach, I suppose, stands by his players even when they no longer stand by him. But a different set of rules prevails for fans and reporters.

For my part, the Herschel Walker fairly tale has been irretrievably shattered. Walker as a collegiate hero no longer exists. A millionaire professional has taken his place.