Scott Supports Wysocki, Calls Decker a Baby

Veteran world-class middle-distance runner Steve Scott has joined Ruth Wysocki in criticizing Mary Decker, saying Decker is “ . . . a baby and she’s spoiled.”

Scott’s comments came in the wake of Wysocki’s blast at Decker for her conduct during the Olympics. Wysocki told reporters Tuesday that most athletes believed Decker behaved badly in the Olympic 3,000 meters, where she collided with Zola Budd and both runners fell. Decker was injured and did not finish the race. Budd finished seventh. After the incident, Decker said she blamed Budd for the fall.

The normally soft-spoken Scott was vehement in his comments in support of Wysocki.

“Mary blamed Zola for the fall, but that’s ridiculous,” he said. “It was one of those things that happens in racing. Mary wanted Zola to apologize, but if anything, Mary should apologize to Zola. We saw the real Mary Decker after that.”

Scott, America’s best 1,500-meter runner for more than six years, finished 10th in the 1,500 in the Olympics. He criticized what he called Decker’s selfishness and said the publicity surrounding her feud with Budd is bad for the sport.

“Mary should be racing Zola every week indoors,” Scott said. “But she refuses to race Zola. They should be running together all the time. People want to see them run together. Look at what Ruth is doing. (Wysocki will race Decker at the Sunkist Invitational Jan. 18.) She really has nothing to gain by running against Mary indoors. She (Wysocki) knows she’s going to get beat. But she knows it’s a crowd-pleasing match. The sport needs something like that.

“Mary needs to put something back into the sport, for all she’s taken. The motivation for competing shouldn’t be just money, money. Her attitude is horrible. Mary Decker is a baby and she’s spoiled.”

Dick Brown, Decker’s coach, responded Wednesday in a telephone interview from Eugene, Ore. He said he believes Scott has the wrong impression of Decker’s motives.

“From day one, we have always done what is best for the sport,” Brown said. “I know what Steve is saying about Mary and Zola running together. But for the good of the sport, we have turned down lucrative offers that would have placed them in a circus atmosphere.

“As far as Mary running more indoors, you have to look at each athlete individually. Steve is such a durable athlete that he can run a lot. Mary can’t.”

Brown said he had received calls about Wysocki’s comments but said Decker has not.

“As of this morning (Wednesday) she hadn’t heard of it. I told her simply that Ruth said some things in a press conference that may be derogatory. We don’t need to concern ourselves with this too much. I have to sit here and say, ‘Do I concern myself with Mary’s workout today or what Ruth Wysocki said?’ First things first. But, of course, Ruth has a perfect right to say what she wants.”

Wysocki, who beat Decker in the 1,500 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials, said track and field athletes were happy that the public saw the side of Decker that insiders knew--referring to Decker’s behavior.

“My response to that is when Ruth says that, we know or the athletes know, that she is appointing herself as a spokesperson for all of the athletes,” Brown said. “I don’t know if it’s ever appropriate for anyone to assume that role. I think it was ill-advised for her to use all of the athletes in her statement.”

Responding to Wysocki’s call for Decker to apologize to Budd, Brown said: “As for the apology, I want it established that she was never angry with Zola. She knows Zola didn’t do that (collide) intentionally and she also knows that the controversy is going to be with us no matter what I feel, or Mary feels, or Zola feels, or what the judge and jury of appeals feels. “I don’t want it coming out in the paper that Mary doesn’t apologize. I think it’s accurate to say that Mary never felt any ill will toward Zola.”