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CNN Live At Daybreak

Interview With Chris Cotter

Aired September 13, 2002 - 06:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The Philadelphia district attorney says she is dropping two misdemeanor charges against NBA star Allen Iverson. Lynne Abraham says she could compel Iverson's accusers to testify, but says the expense would not be worth it.
Iverson faced two counts of making terrorist threats for allegedly threatening two men back in July. The D.A. says the alleged victims do not want to proceed with that case.

And joining us to talk about that and other sports news is Chris Cotter from 790 The Zone here in Atlanta.

So, we knew...

(CROSSTALK)

CHRIS COTTER, 790 THE ZONE: We knew that all along, didn't we?

COSTELLO: That's what you just...

(LAUGHTER)

COTTER: I mean, we knew that Allen Iverson wasn't going to be charged with anything.

COSTELLO: So, they...

COTTER: But he wasn't very smart. I mean, the whole episode is really dumb on his part.

COSTELLO: And just to remind people more, he had -- supposedly had some sort of fight with his wife, threw her out of the house half- naked.

COTTER: Yes.

COSTELLO: He guessed that she was going to a cousin's apartment, and he allegedly shows up with a gun, threatening a guy in the apartment...

COTTER: Stormed in, right.

COSTELLO: ... "where is my wife?"

COTTER: And then, of course, it came out later that the guy waited forever to call the police, and you know, apparently there was some speculation as to why, what his motives were in terms of getting Allen Iverson in trouble, that there might have been some financial reward in it for him somewhere down the road.

So, it's all finished. Hopefully, this will be the end of it. So, at some point in time, this will be -- we'll see the end of this episode at least, and hopefully, Allen Iverson and these other NBA stars that we saw get in so much trouble over the past few months will just decide it's not worth it, I'm going to play basketball, I'm going to earn a great living, I want to do what I love for a living, that's going to be it.

COSTELLO: Well, I guess that's sort of a...

COTTER: And I won't have to worry guns and packing heat...

COSTELLO: Yes.

COTTER: ... and being scrapped and everything like that.

COSTELLO: He's got a bad reputation anyway, though. I mean, will the National Basketball Association do anything?

COTTER: No, not in terms of Allen Iverson right now, in this particular episode. The NBA and a lot of these other professional sports organizations, though, they use sort of the straw that breaks the camel's back type of thing. They'll wait until it's four or five times for these problems, and then they'll finally do something about it. And you know, look at their drug policies. It's always a three strikes and you're out type of thing.

COSTELLO: So, in this instance, it will take five or six incidents, and then...

COTTER: Well, you know, it might not even take five or six incidents. Allen Iverson might be it. You know, any of these NBA players might lose their lives if they start storming into people's homes with guns. Eventually, somebody is going to say...

COSTELLO: "Wait a minute."

COTTER: Yes, "If you come into my house with a gun, I'm going to shoot you to defend myself," and then it's going to be all over. And maybe that's what it's going to take to change this behavior.

COSTELLO: Sadly, you may be right about that.

Well, let's talk about something happier, because Notre Dame -- a big college football weekend coming up, and Notre Dame is doing pretty darn good.

COTTER: Yes, Ty Willingham has that team -- you know, he has woken up the echoes there in South Bend. For a team that's 2-0, and they have yet to score an offensive touchdown. It's all special teams and defense. But they're getting it done.

I mean, here you'll see a turnover right here on special teams. This is how they have scored the first couple of games. Whoop, the luck of the Irish right into the guy's hands and into the end zone. But they're 2-0, and they have people excited in South Bend for the first time since Lou Holtz was there several years ago, and that's a great sign for Ty Willingham with all of the pressure on him as the new head coach at Notre Dame, the premiere program.

COSTELLO: And he's the first African-American coach, too, is that right?

COTTER: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Yes.

COTTER: And that's, I mean, a huge deal at Notre Dame.

COSTELLO: Yes.

COTTER: And he's done a great job.

COSTELLO: Oh, good for him.

COTTER: So, he's got a big test this week, though. Michigan, the first big rivalry game for him as the head coach of Notre Dame, and he gets them at home, which is a good thing. Michigan hasn't really impressed us this year either, so it's going to be a test game for both of these two teams.

COSTELLO: Yes. We want to quickly talk about Johnny Unitas. He dies this week of a heart attack, and they're mourning him in Baltimore. Many special ceremonies are being planned at the Raven Stadium.

COTTER: Absolutely. And you know, Johnny U. is the ultimate old-school quarterback. He's the guy with the crew cut, the black high-tops, the one your dad always said, oh, Johnny U. would never do that. You know, Johnny U. is the guy that you have to look up to, and you think about "Diner" -- you think about the movie, "Diner," with the...

COSTELLO: Oh, yes.

COTTER: ... Baltimore Colts song being played at the wedding. I mean, this is blue-collar football at its finest, Johnny U. And he is a legend, and he's going to be sorely missed, probably the greatest quarterback to ever play the game, I think.

He really transformed the game from a game with a bunch of guys just going out there and hitting each other to a thinking-man's game. Now, all of the quarterbacks are the thinking-men on the field. I mean, they are directing the team. They are leading the team. And Johnny U. was really one of the first to really employ that type of mentality on the football field.

COSTELLO: Yes. And quickly, the nice thing about it is, there's a petition drive going on in Baltimore right now. They want to name the Raven Stadium, United Stadium. COTTER: Yes, they have lost their corporate sponsorship, and which is happening all over sports. So, they're kind of waiting for a corporation to step in and foot the bill, but it would be nice to have Johnny U. in there, at least as part of the name for the stadium for a while. They're going to erect a statute to him, obviously, and they're looking at putting his number, 19, on their helmets for the rest of the year, the Baltimore Ravens are.

I mean, he is a legend, and he deserves everything that should be coming to him, including a stadium named after him.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Definitely, and he was a big Ravens fan, which surprised me.

COTTER: He was a big Ravens fan and a big supporter of...

COSTELLO: Chris Redman.

COTTER: ... guys that played (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And you're right, Chris Redman, who now plays for the Ravens. And I mean, it's a -- he is the guy that everybody looks up to. I mean, you cannot help but look up to Johnny Unitas, and that's why everybody who was associated with football, and sports really in general, will certainly miss him.

COSTELLO: Yes, that's true. Thank you very much. We'll see you Monday.

COTTER: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: OK.

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