Correction: he doesn't look like a very little man at all, probably pretty large in person actually, but you get the point.ESPN.com's Wright Thompson wrote an article the other day that painted a pretty sad and depressing story of the infamous Toomer's Corner tree poisoner. When this story first broke, I was pretty hard on the guy and suggested that this guy should be put in jail for being really stupid. He currently is facing four felony charges and two misdemeanors, a could face a maximum of 42 years in prison. Now, chances are he's not going to get the max number of years in jail, but after reading this article, I'm not sure he deserves to spend any time in the joint at all.
Now Harvey Updyke is still a top flight jackass, don't get me wrong there. But prison? Seems a bit harsh, even for him.
Before reading Thompson's article, I actually had no idea that Updyke had officially denied poisoning the trees. That was news to me. Instead of poisoning the trees, he claims that he only called Finebaum's national radio show that day to take credit for poisoning the trees. Okay, because that makes total sense, right?
Now Harvey Updyke is still a top flight jackass, don't get me wrong there. But prison? Seems a bit harsh, even for him.
Before reading Thompson's article, I actually had no idea that Updyke had officially denied poisoning the trees. That was news to me. Instead of poisoning the trees, he claims that he only called Finebaum's national radio show that day to take credit for poisoning the trees. Okay, because that makes total sense, right?
Harvey Updyke says he didn't do it. Sure, he made the call, but he did not poison those trees. The guy sitting next to him at the Iron Bowl did. A dude in his 30s, with brown hair and an Alabama pullover.
"He's the one that told me about Spike 80DF," Updyke says. "He told me he was gonna poison the trees. I'd never heard of Spike 80DF. To be honest with you, I didn't know a whole lot about Toomer's Corner. I knew all about Auburn, but didn't know anything about these trees. That's where I come up with the idea. My defense is that I didn't do it. I told the police from day one about this guy. I told 'em what seat I was in. I don't know if he's a season-ticket holder."
The article is a really good read. Thompson did a good job of portraying the two sides of Harvey Updyke, the man. The most depressing part of it was this part:
Sometimes, he just wishes he were dead.
The story he told when we first sat down? About the chest pains? Well, he didn't exactly tell the whole truth. He says he didn't say anything to his wife all night because part of him hoped he'd just go on and die.
"I told her, 'I'd rather be dead than go to prison,'" he says. "She said, 'Are you crazy?' 'No, I'm not crazy.' I tell you right now, I'd rather be dead than go to prison. I honestly believe if they put me in prison, within three months, I'll be dead."
Gotta admit, reading this article made me feel a bit for ol' Harvey. I mean, yes he's an idiot for poisoning those trees and he took the rules of rivalry way too far. But I honestly don't think he should be doing hard time for what he did.
[ ESPN.com ]
