Sportswriter Accuses Reds’ Denny of Assault

A sportswriter accused Cincinnati pitcher John Denny of assault Wednesday night, saying Denny “went crazy” and choked him when he got lost in a players’ area.

Bruce Schoenfeld of the Cincinnati Post told police he encountered Denny in a tunnel that leads onto the playing field before the Reds’ game against the Phillies at Veterans Stadium.

The 6-3 Denny said the reporter had no business in the tunnel, then began choking him and banged his head into a wall, Schoenfeld said.

Denny, 33, who was traded to the Reds by the Phillies last year, denied touching Schoenfeld and refused to discuss the issue.

Schoenfeld said he was trying to find his way out of the area and did not try to talk to Denny.

“I was afraid he was going to kill me,” Schoenfeld said.

The reporter originally said his paper intends to press charges but later said his editors will consider pressing the case.

In 1983, Denny won the National League Cy Young Award with a 19-6 record and helped the Phillies reach the World Series.