Newsday makes basketball coach a drunk

http://www.newsday.com/news/corrections/ny-licx275069180jan27,0,5822391.story?coll=ny-corrections-print

A story Friday about Iona basketball coach Jeff Ruland's past hardships should not have included a reference to a "battle for sobriety." He has faced the loss of his father at age 9 and an NBA career shortened by injuries, but his sobriety has not been questioned.

[via http://www.regrettheerror.com/2007/01/talk_to_a_newsp.html ]

 

Oof. That reporter might be fighting a battle for sobriety after that.

 

It was written by veteran columnist Joe Gergen:

http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/ny-spgergen265067564jan26,0,4561225.column

The idea that Ruland once had a drinking problem struck me as familiar, but I guess not. SI says Ruland's ex-wife had a drinking problem and that's why their marriage ended:

http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:7Hca_9Ly7KgJ:sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/bill_trocchi/01/19/mid.major/1.html+%22jeff+ruland%22+alcoholic&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1

 

You could always go with a Fox News headline: Is Jeff Ruland a drunk?
Then, at the very least, you could say he's battling rumors about his sobriety.

 

Hmmmm. I would hate to be Joe Gergen today, I'm afraid.

 

This makes it stranger, to me:

Ruland said he's been through worse. His story includes the loss of his father when Jeff was 9, an NBA career shortened by injuries at 28, a divorce and a battle for sobriety [CORRECTION: A story Friday about Iona basketball coach Jeff Ruland's past hardships should not have included a reference to a "battle for sobriety." He has faced the loss of his father at age 9 and an NBA career shortened by injuries, but his sobriety has not been questioned. PG. A11 ALL 1/27/07] whose fifth anniversary he will celebrate next month.

That says, I think (confusing with the correction in there) that he's been sober, or working at it or whatever, for five years. I just wonder where Gergen came up with even a time frame for something they're now saying wasn't an issue.

 

Weird.
Very weird.

 

I thought his NBA career was cut short because he wasn't very good?

 

Nooooo. As a rebounder and defender, he could have held a job for quite a while.

 

Guy averaged 17-10 a night (including his last two years, which came after a five-year absence). What does that make nowadays?

Year Ag Tm Lg G MP FG FGA 3P 3PA FT FTA ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
+---------------+----+----+----+----+---+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+---+---+---+---+----+
1982 23 WSB NBA 82 27.0 5.1 9.1 0.0 0.0 4.2 5.5 3.1 6.2 9.3 1.6 0.5 0.7 2.9 3.9 14.4
1983 24 WSB NBA 79 36.2 7.3 13.3 0.0 0.0 4.7 6.9 3.7 7.3 11.0 3.0 0.9 1.0 3.8 3.9 19.4
1984 25 WSB NBA 75 41.1 8.0 13.8 0.0 0.1 6.2 8.5 3.5 8.8 12.3 3.9 0.9 1.0 4.6 3.8 22.2
1985 26 WSB NBA 37 38.8 6.8 11.9 0.0 0.1 5.4 7.9 3.4 7.6 11.1 4.4 0.8 0.7 4.8 3.5 18.9
1986 27 WSB NBA 30 37.1 7.1 12.8 0.0 0.1 4.8 6.7 3.6 7.1 10.7 5.3 0.8 0.8 4.0 3.3 19.0
1987 28 PHI NBA 5 23.2 3.8 5.6 0.0 0.0 1.8 2.4 2.4 3.2 5.6 2.0 0.0 0.8 2.0 2.6 9.4
1992 33 PHI NBA 13 16.1 1.5 2.9 0.0 0.0 0.8 1.2 1.2 2.4 3.6 0.4 0.5 0.3 1.5 3.5 3.9
1993 34 DET NBA 11 5.0 0.5 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.8 0.8 1.6 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.5 1.5 1.1
+---------------+----+----+----+----+---+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+---+---+---+---+----+
8 Seasons 332 33.4 6.3 11.2 0.0 0.1 4.7 6.5 3.3 6.9 10.2 3.0 0.8 0.8 3.7 3.7 17.4

 

You know, I read this column Friday and thought it sounded wrong. I thought there was an article in one of the other NY papers earlier in the week in which it was stated his wife battled alcoholism and had been sober for nearly five years.

An unusual hiccup by a true pro.

 

Odd. I remember Ruland on the Bullets, but I don't remember him being GOOD on the Bullets. Huh, guess he was. Stoopid me.