Either way it was a sad story, but the anger bubbling through early
now must give way to simple grief.
Boxer Mickey Goodwin, 51, died after suffering a stroke and then
falling down a flight of stairs at his home.
Initial reports were that the boxer, who finished his career with a
40-2-1 record, had been beaten to death, based on injuries he had.
According to an Associated Press story, Mr. Goodwin fell and then
showered and went to bed. He later died.
I know whenever anything occurs, there is a desire to get the
information as soon as possible. It's human nature to want to know,
and it's human nature (and business sense to newspapers and other
media outlets) to want to tell something.
But here is one reason why the police like to hold on and wait for
the full story before stepping forward with a story. Appearances can
be deceiving.
This happens often with car crashes, wanting to know a cause of death
before ruling on a crash. Was it suicide, was it an accident, was it
reckless, was drinking involved?
Sometimes, a motorist has a heart attack or diabetic situation and
then crashes.
Sometimes, a death that looks to be natural turns out to be neglect
or homicide.
Medical examiners can do amazing things when they poke and prod
inside a human body, but that takes time. Sometimes it is difficult
to wait or easy to assume something, even when there is no official
confirmation, just rumors.
For Mr. Goodwin, the death is tragic either way, but the anger that
comes with violence can overcome remembering all the good that
someone has done and laughing at all the happy memories of a person's
life.