Readers Say Tyson Deserved Day in Court

After reading Sigmund Downey’s psychoanalytic hanging of Mike Tyson (June 13), I suggest you move his column to the Life & Style section. No one defends Mike Tyson as a model citizen, but it doesn’t take a Ph.D. to figure out his conviction was not an uncontested slam dunk. He deserves his day in court without Dr. Downey taking Freudian cheap shots from 2,000 miles away.

MARC O’BRIEN

Malibu

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Tyson was not tried and convicted of being a “raging bully,� nor for what he may or may not have done to his former wife, Robin Givens, nor for anything he may or may not have said to heavyweight Razor Ruddock. His sentence was rendered solely upon his conviction for the Desiree Washington rape charge.

GERALD M. SINGER

Encino

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“Tyson cornered her like a foe. He overpowered her.� Thank you, Mike Downey, for finally shedding light on this convoluted event. Up until this time I was under the impression that only Ms. Washington and Iron Mike were in the room that evening, but now the world knows that you were secretly hiding under the bed to get the story firsthand.

Now I will be the first to agree with you that Mike Tyson should remain in jail if he, in fact, did rape Desiree Washington. I can’t say though that I’m convinced here. Society has demonstrated that a guilty verdict in court is not necessarily a revelation of truth, nor does a not-guilty verdict absolve accused parties of blame (see: Rodney King, Latasha Harlins, William Kennedy Smith, etc.)

MORRIS W. O’KELLY

Torrance