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Tyson gets image maker
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A former image-maker for presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush now is in Mike Tyson's corner, working to restore the tattered reputation of the former heavyweight champion.Sig Rogich said boxing promoter Don King solicited the help of his crisis management-political consulting firm shortly after the June 28 fiasco in which Tyson was disqualified for biting the ears of Evander Holyfield. On Wednesday, the Nevada State Athletic Commission fined Tyson $3 million and revoked his boxing licence.
Rogich said he helped write Tyson's public apology in the days after he bit Holyfield, and advised him against attending Wednesday's commission hearing.
"The commission handed down the most severe penalty it could have," said Rogich, a former member of the panel. "I don't think it would have changed if Mike had been there. At one point we thought there might be 1,000 people there (at the hearing) and you never know what someone might have done. Why take the risk? We felt sure his appearance would not have made any difference."
Rogich said he met with Tyson the day after the fight and helped draft the four-minute speech the fighter gave June 30.
"He was very remorseful, very quiet, very saddened by what had happened," Rogich said of the meeting.
"I didn't have to tell him much. He knew he'd made a terrible mistake and he had to acknowledge it. I told him he had to agree to do it and do it immediately or I couldn't be of any help to him."
What about Tyson's future?
"The future is up to Mike Tyson," he said. "He's going to need some help, some psychological assistance. He needs to take a deep breath, let the waters calm a little, and get his life back together before he thinks about fighting again."
Rogich crafted many television commercials for Reagan and served as Bush's presidential assistant for media relations. He was appointed ambassador to his native Iceland before rejoining the Bush re-election campaign.