Riggins Falls Flat for Capitol Hill Crowd

Washington Redskin star John Riggins put on a raucous display at a formal banquet Wednesday night, at one point urging Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to “loosen up, Sandy baby,” then passing out on the ballroom floor and snoring through a speech by Vice President George Bush.

Riggins, a celebrity in this football-crazy town, was a guest of People magazine at the Washington Press Club’s annual black-tie Salute to Congress dinner.

Also at Riggins’ table were Justice O’Connor and her husband, John J. O’Connor III. A guest said Riggins repeatedly spoke loudly to Mrs. O’Connor, several times saying:

“Come on, Sandy baby, loosen up. You’re too tight.”

The O’Connors left immediately after dinner, skipping the show that was emceed by ABC-TV White House correspondent Sam Donaldson and included a humor ous speech by Bush. Mrs. O’Connor’s secretary denied the couple left because of Riggins, citing Mrs. O’Connor’s long-standing invitation to participate in a Thursday morning prayer breakfast.

The justice’s husband said Thursday, “Certainly we didn’t leave early because of his (Riggins’) behavior.” The dinner ran until 11:30 p.m. and “that’s kind of late for a work day,” he said. However, the O’Connors left well before 10 p.m.

Riggins was unavailable for comment, and a Redskin spokesman said, “We’ve had no contact with John and we have no comment.” Contacted by UPI, Riggins’ wife, Mary Lou, denied her husband had passed out. “He fell asleep is more accurate,” she said, adding that she believed that Mrs. O’Connor found Riggins “very entertaining.”

Riggins, 35, a 240-pound running back, is known as a person who marches to a different drummer. He sat out the 1980 season in a contract dispute and, after the 1982 regular season, turned up at a Super Bowl party in a tuxedo, top hat and cane. He led the Redskins to their first Super Bowl victory a few days later, a 27-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins in the Rose Bowl, and since then he has been a celebrity in the nation’s capital.

After the filet mignon course at the $65-a-plate dinner attended by 1,300 members of Congress, the Supreme Court, Cabinet members and top newspaper and network executives, Riggins walked to the spot where the justice’s husband was seated and kneeled beside him, his arm on the man’s shoulder.

“Then he squatted and was staring off into space,” said Jill Cohen, a guest seated a few feet away at an adjoining table. “He was really out of it. Then he dropped to one elbow, then he was flat on the floor. I knew he was under my chair when his cowboy boots hit my shoes. I really felt bad. It was really sad.”

Marin Allen, another guest, said Riggins’ head plunked down at the feet of actor Hugh O’Brian.

“O’Brian told people in a courteous way to ‘let the guy sleep.’ ” Allen said. “People checked Riggins a couple of times during the show to make sure he was breathing.”

Waiters and waitresses clearing tables in the mammoth, glittering ballroom of the Sheraton Washington Hotel gingerly avoided the occasionally snoring Riggins, who during the holiday season played Santa Claus when Nancy Reagan unveiled the Christmas decorations at a White House press showing.

The dinner event was televised live by C-SPAN, a cable station, but cameras in the darkened room did not catch Riggins, black bow tie askew, collar unbuttoned.

Cohen said that after the entertainment, a woman at the table roused Riggins by “grabbing his nose and shaking it back and forth, and grabbing his hair and pulling it.” Riggins rose with help and was escorted out, knees rubbery, by several guests.

Several witnesses said Riggins had been drinking during an hour-long cocktail party before the dinner. His table had wine and liquor for the 12 guests, which included Virginia Gov. Charles Robb.

“Talk about fallen heroes,” Cohen said.