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October 22, 2000

Murphy, teammates face the music

Irish await ruling from citations

By TOM NOIE

Troy Murphy has spent a lot of time soul searching since his Oct. 13 mishap, but hasn't let it affect him on the court (ISR Photo/JOE RAYMOND)

One reason Notre Dame All-America power forward Troy Murphy turned down the chance for a multimillion-dollar NBA contract this summer was to continue living the carefree life of a typical college student.

A chain of events that unfolded early on Oct. 13 has forced Murphy to accept that that is no longer possible.

Murphy, along with teammates Jere Macura and Tom Timmermans, were among 147 individuals cited for being minors at Finnigan's Bar in downtown South Bend. Murphy also produced fake identification after the establishment was raided around 1 a.m., on Friday the 13th by the Indiana State Excise Police and the South Bend Police Department.

It didn't take long for the 6-foot-11, 245-pound team captain to figure out he was in trouble.

"You've got guys coming in ski masks, wearing black and camouflage with guns," Murphy said. "I knew then that things weren't looking up."

Murphy, who turns 21 on May 2, does not drink alcohol. Neither does Macura, a 20-year-old sophomore or Timmermans, a 19-year-old freshman. The three were enjoying a relaxing evening off campus following a week of midterm exams.

"It's one of those things that's a dumb college move," said Irish coach Mike Brey, who will wait for the University's Office of Student Affairs to render its ruling before deciding on any discipline for the trio. "They don't drink, (so) they shouldn't be in there.

"Now they take their medicine. You face the music, so to speak."

That music has been anything but soothing to Murphy's ears, partly because he is among the nation's elite college players. Soon after the citation was made public, reports of Murphy's brush with the law hit the national news wires while unflattering e-mails arrived in his mailbox.

One Internet report stated that Murphy was arrested for consumption of alcohol. Because of who he is, Murphy's name was immediately placed atop the list of wrong-doers.

"I can't be a college student," said Murphy, deeply humbled by the incident. "I can't do the things that normal college students do. This has really opened my eyes to that.

"I'm going to have to change the way I go about living my life."

On the court, Murphy remains focused. Throughout the combined four hours of opening-day practices on Oct. 14 and those that followed, Murphy worked with his intensity level at full throttle. Long after his teammates had departed for the showers, Murphy kept firing away with assorted perimeter shots.

"Stuff happened, but Troy forgot about it and is moving on," said sophomore Matt Carroll, one of Murphy's closest friends. "He's our leader. He's our captain and he said it's never going to happen (again). We take it from there."

Murphy has not shied from accepting responsibility for his decision.

Following a sleepless night, one spent talking on the phone to his mother, father and AAU coach Tony Sagona, Murphy arrived at Brey's office around 8 a.m., on Oct. 13 to inform the first-year Irish coach of the incident. He addressed teammates at a meeting that afternoon and chose to act as spokesman for Macura and Timmermans while meeting the media the next day.

"I accept responsibility for my actions, and if something is to be done, I'll pay the price," he said.

Murphy and his teammates can pay a $220 fine and complete 30-40 hours of community service to have the citation cleansed from their records. The university may decide to impose additional sanctions if warranted.

Murphy insists he should not be singled out because of his athletic excellence.

"I was out with friends, and I was a student," he said. "I wasn't playing basketball. I should get what each of those kids get. Everyone was in the same boat."

Brey hinted that the incident may serve a positive purpose for a Notre Dame team that carries a great deal of expectations this season. It's time, he told the Irish, to pull back and let their actions on the court carry them through the next six months.

"I said, 'Maybe this is good this happened, because y'all have been walking here and there and people talk about how you're ranked in the top 20 and you're going to do this and you're going to do that,' " Brey said. "Maybe this was a nice slap in the face for all of us before we got started."

Murphy has grown closer to those in his inner circle while seeing others he had thought were friends in a different light.

"It really shows who your friends are," Murphy said.