$1 Million End to an Unjust Exile

SEQUEL

Seven weeks ago LIFE published the results of Reporter David Wolf ‘s investigation into the charges that led the National Basketball Association to blacklist one of the country’s finest players, Connie Hawkins. In 1961, as a college freshman, Hawkins was implicated in a betting scandal. Wolf’s investigation concluded that Hawkins had been implicated unfairly and had done “nothing that would have justified his being banned.” Last week the NBA agreed.

by DAVID WOLF

LIFE, 1969 June, 27

The memories of the false confessions, of the shame, of the ostracism and of thehand-to-mouth existencewould always be part of him. But for the first time in eight years Connie Hawkins could honestly say he was proud to be himself. “The clouds have gone away,” he said. “I don’t have to hide in a shell. I don’t have to be ashamed anymore.” 

For years he had been playing with second-rate teams, often before half-empty houses, always for a small salary. Now the $1 million package agreed to by the NBA’s board of governors in settlement of Hawkins’ antitrust suit (he charged them with monopolizing his means of livelihood, and excluding him from it) will give him virtual lifetime financial security. He will get over $400,000 from his five-year, no-cut contract with the Phoenix Suns. The NBA will also pay him over $25,000 annually for 24 years from age 45 on. “My family is set for life,” he said. “I can care for my mother. I can help my brothers and sisters.” 

For his three attorneys, David and Roslyn Litman and Howard Specter, the victory was particularly satisfying. Hawkins is the first player to sue a major league and gain both a contract and damages. He is also the first basketball player named in a betting scandal to use the courts to clear his name. 

The Litmans have been second parents to Hawkins since they met him as a 19-year-old star on a team owned by David’s brother. They knew he could pay them nothing if they lost, but their firm spent more than $35,000 and 10,000 work-hours on the case. 

“We took it because we believed Connie was innocent,” says Mrs. Litman, a perky lady who infuriated many NBA owners with her relentless questioning during deposition-taking. “Everyone else thought Connie was guilty. We never spoke to a lawyer who thought we had a chance to win an antitrust suit against a professional sport—much less to clear Connie.” 

The settlement, which was in doubt until the special, secret meeting and vote of the board of governors, had been under discussion for several tense weeks. The lawyers became short-tempered. Several times Mrs. Litman burst into uncharacteristic tears. But it was toughest on Hawkins, because he also had to face the snickers from people who saw him described in LIFE as “a semiliterate teen-ager.” He knew this had been true and patiently explained that he’d done more than a little maturing since then. 

The story also brought him support. NBA players phoned him to volunteer their help. He received an invitation to Washington from Senator Edward Kennedy for an athletes’ memorial dedication of Robert F. Kennedy Stadium. Still unsure of himself, he kept asking people why he had been invited. 

The following week Hawkins’ lawyers told him the NBA had called. No one was to know, but the league wanted to discuss a settlement—and the settlement would include a contract. For half an hour he was almost speechless. Then, in the crowded dining room of Pittsburgh’s Carlton House Hotel, he lowered his head and sobbed into the tablecloth. “The NBA,” he said. “The NBA after all these years.” 

Next the Litmans met with Richard Block, the Phoenix owner, and they agreed to basic terms. “We were delighted,” says Mrs. Litman. “Then I explained the terms to Connie. He said, ‘I’m not sure I want to play in the NBA.’ I thought we were all going to pass out.” 

Hawkins says he was just putting them on, but it was more than that. He was trying to shield himself against yet another disappointment. One moment he would extol the league he has recently played in, the American Basketball Association. The next moment he would daydream about clearing his name and playing in the big league, the NBA. He joked a lot and partied a lot but he couldn’t eat properly and lost eight pounds. He told no one of the potential settlement—not even his wife. 

Even after he signed secretly with Phoenix last Wednesday, he worried. The NBA board of directors had not yet approved the admission, and the eastern bloc on the board was supposedly hostile to him. 

But one day later he was approved a member of the Phoenix Suns. “I talked to the Phoenix owner, Mr. Block,” he said happily. “I think he’s a terrific guy. He was very apologetic and sympathetic. He told me he was sorry about what had been done to me.” 

DAVID WOLF