Martin’s Friend Changes Account of Fatal Crash

William Reedy, preparing his sports bar for opening day at nearby Tiger Stadium, was sidetracked Wednesday by his conflicting accounts of the Christmas Day accident that killed former manager Billy Martin.

Reedy told one newspaper that Martin--not he--was driving the pickup truck that crashed near Martin’s Upstate New York farm, killing the feisty former manager of the Yankees, Detroit Tigers and three other teams.

Reedy told the Detroit Free Press he lied, telling police he was driving, to protect his friend. He said he didn’t realize at the time that Martin was fatally injured.

Interviewed later by The Detroit News, Reedy denied making the statements to the Free Press.

Reached Wednesday at his bar, Reedy’s Saloon, Reedy did nothing to clear up the conflict. “I’m not giving any more statements,” Reedy said.

His attorney, Jon Blechman of Binghamton, N.Y., also declined comment on who was driving. “That’s something the prosecution is going to have to prove, and there’s a place for that,” he said.

Reedy, who suffered a broken hip in the wreck, was quoted in the Free Press as saying he didn’t realize the extent of Martin’s injuries.

“I told them I was driving to try to protect Billy,” he told the newspaper in an interview at his bar. “We’ve been friends for 20, 25 years, and Billy had put up with a lot of stuff from (New York Yankee owner) George Steinbrenner.”

Reedy’s story changed when The Detroit News contacted him for an article, also published Wednesday.

“I never told (the Free Press) that,” Reedy said. “It’s crazy. That’s the reason the attorney told me not to make any statements. I’m not going to say anything.”