Cunningham

Aug. 29 (UPI) — Randy “Duke” Cunningham, a decorated Vietnam War pilot and U.S. House member convicted of corruption, has died. He was 83.

Cunningham, the inspiration fo Tom Cruise‘s character Maverick in the film Top Gun, died Wednesday at a hospital in Little Rock, Ark., after an illness, the San Diego Union reported.

He represented the San Diego area in Congress for 15 years until 1990,

In 2005, Cunningham pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges and spent 8 1/2 years in prison, mostly at a minimum-security work camp in Tucson, Ariz. He admitted to accepting $2.4 million in illegal gifts from defense contractors in exchange for government contracts and other favors.

“The truth is, I broke the law, concealed my conduct and disgraced my office,” Cunningham told reporters in a tearful downtown San Diego news conference on the day he pleaded guilty. “I know that I will forfeit my freedom, my reputation, my worldly possessions and, most importantly, the trust of my friends and family. … In my life I have had great joy and great sorrow. And now I know great shame.”

Two defense contractors were sentenced in 2008 for bribery.

Brent Wilkes was sentencted to 12 years in prison for giving money, prostitutes and other bribes in exchange for securing $90 million in Pentagon work for his document scanning company.

Mitchell Wade was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for bribing Cunningham with more than $1 million in gifts, including cash, home furnishings, a Rolls-Royce and an antique commode.

It was considered the largest bribery scandal in congression history.

He was released from prison in 2013 and went to a halfway house in New Orleans.

Cunningam moved to nearby Little Rock.

On the day President Donald Trump left office on Jan. 20, 2021, he pardoned Cunningham, noting he tutored inmates while in prison and volunteered for a local fire department. The pardon forgives the offense and restores civil rights, including the right to vote or hold public office.

Former Rep. Duncan Hunter Sr. visited his former colleague just last week.

“Duke was a wonderful guy, and he was a wonderful friend,” Hunter said .”His legacy is as one of the great fighter pilots of his era, but Duke’s more special than that. He was flying off the Constellation on a daily basis even when the politicians had given up on the Vietnam War.”

The Aviation National Geek Club reported he had been in and out of a hospital for eight months with heart problems.

Cunningham, who shared a nickname with the Hollywood icon John Wayne, was born in Los Angeles on Dec. 8, 1941, one day after Japanese fighters attacked Pearl Harbor.

After his family moved to Missouri, he attended the University of Missouri, earning degrees in education and physical education.

In 1967, he joined the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.

He earned the Navy Cross and two Silver Stars. He flew F4 Panthom jets.

“With complete disregard for his own personal safety, he continued his attack through a hail of cannon fire to rescue his wingman,” the citation for one of his Silver Stars read.

“We flew 170 combat missions together and we were in some pretty harrowing situations,” Willy Driscoll, the only other naval aviator to earn ace designation during the Vietnam era, said. “Randy was the consummate professional as an aviator, constantly working to improve his knowledge of fighter tactics and committed to excellence in the air at all times.”

He rose to the rank of commander before retiring in 1967.

Cunningham became a political commentator on national television.

He decided to run against House Democrat Jim Bates, who was accused of sexual harassment.

In the left-learning 44th District, he promised to be a “congressman we can be proud of.” He won the race by 1 percentage point in 1990.

Cunningham lived on a boat on the Potomac River — “The Duke-Stir” — that was owned by a defense contractor.

He became chairman of a subcommittee that put him in control of billions of dollars in defense spending.

The San Diego Union reported a defense contractor had purchased Cunningham’s home for $1.7 million, which was several hundred thousand dollars above comparable homes.

The newspaper then reported he also accepted millions of dollars in bribes. The Union-Tribune and its news organization, Copley News Service, were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting.

“Probably the legacy he leaves is a reminder that the public square and public office can be very corrupting,” Marcus Stern, one of the reporters who broke the stories on Cunningham, said. “You go to Washington as a congressperson, and everything can become very tempting. He succumbed to it – but a lot of other people have as well.”

Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham doesn’t believe a dirty play led to her season-ending knee injury, and she wants everyone to stop accusing Connecticut Sun guard Bria Hartley of intentionally hurting her.

That includes Cunningham’s own mother.

Cunningham addressed the matter on an episode of her “Show Me Something” podcast that dropped Tuesday. It’s the same day the Fever announced that Cunningham will miss the remainder of the season after getting injured during Sunday’s game in Connecticut.

Hartley was driving toward the basket during the second quarter when she lost balance and collided with Cunningham on her way to the floor. Cunningham immediately grabbed her right leg in pain and was eventually helped off the court.

The seven-year WNBA veteran told co-host West Wilson that she tore the MCL in her right knee and surgery is scheduled on Friday. She also said that she has no hard feelings toward Hartley and does not blame her for the season-ending injury.

“I know Bria, and I’m actually really good friends with Bria,” Cunningham said. “… There was no ill intent. I think it was basketball play. I was just in the wrong spot at the wrong time. She fell — like there’s no way that she would go in there and potentially try to hurt me. So yeah, I have nothing but love for Bria.”

Among those who have questioned Hartley’s intentions is Cunningham’s mother, Paula, who reportedly wrote on a now-deleted X (formerly Twitter) post that Hartley is a “disgruntled player” who is “plain mean and plays out of control.”

Cunningham said she set her mother straight .

“I was like, ‘No, Mom, I get it, but I promise you, Bria and I are super cool,’” Cunningham said. “‘She would never try to hurt me, because there are some girls that I think might, but she wouldn’t do that.’ So I have nothing but love. And I hope people stop giving Bria some heat, because I don’t think she meant to do that at all.”

Cunningham also addressed a photo, taken by David Butler II for Imagn Images, from immediately after the injury occurred that some think shows Hartley smiling while Cunningham is holding her leg in agony.

“I think that smile, it wasn’t like a — it was like an ‘ooh’, you know, like, one of those,” Cunningham said, making a grimace. “So I’m totally fine” with Hartley.

In June, Cunningham sparked a scuffle between Fever and Sun players when she took down then-Connecticut player Jacy Sheldon, who was making a break toward the basket late in the game with Indiana leading by 17. Sheldon has since been traded to the Washington Mystics. Some have viewed Cunningham’s move as payback after Sheldon poked Fever superstar Caitlin Clark in the eye during a play earlier in the game.

The Fever have struggled with injuries this season. Clark hasn’t played in more than a month because of a groin injury, and guards Sydney Colson (ACL) and Aari McDonald (broken foot) saw their seasons come to a premature end because of injuries during an Aug. 7 game at Phoenix.

A neon green sex toy was thrown from the stands and landed on the court during the second quarter of Tuesday night’s Sparks win over the Indiana Fever at Crypto.com Arena.

With 2:05 remaining in the first half, the sex toy landed in the paint near Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who recoiled before Sparks guard Kelsey Plum kicked the object off the hardwood.

Spectators at Crypto.com Arena responded with boos, many turning toward the sections behind the basket closest to the Sparks bench where the sex toy appeared to have been thrown from. Security rushed into the stands in an apparent attempt to identify who was responsible.

“I think it’s ridiculous, it’s dumb, it’s stupid,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “It’s also dangerous and players’ safety is number one. Respecting the game. All those things. I think it’s really stupid.”

Cunningham, who was seen laughing as she walked toward the Sparks’ bench after the sex toy landed, had previously expressed concern about the trend on social media, saying that it’s “going to hurt one of us.” After Tuesday’s game, she shared that X post with the caption: “this did NOT age well.”

The game continued without interruption, but the incident added to a growing list of cases where fans have thrown inappropriate objects toward the court during WNBA games.

“We did a great job, Indiana included, just playing it off,” Plum said. “Just don’t give it any attention. And the refs — I appreciated them too — just like, ‘Hey, let’s go.’ ”

Tuesday’s incident in Los Angeles was at least the fourth time in less than two weeks that a sex toy has been thrown toward the court during a league game. On Friday in Chicago, a sex toy was tossed under the basket during a play that was stopped. On July 30, a green sex toy landed near the court and bounced forward during a Dream game in Atlanta — an incident that resulted in a fan’s arrest and one-year ban from WNBA arenas.

A fan posted on social media that a green sex toy was tossed toward the court during the Dallas Wings at New York Liberty game Tuesday night, landing in the stands and nearly hitting a child. A similar incident has been reported in Phoenix, where the toy did not reach the court.

The WNBA released a statement emphasizing that throwing objects into the court area is a violation of league policy and local laws.

“The safety and well-being of everyone in our arenas is a top priority for our league. Objects of any kind thrown onto the court or in the seating area can pose a safety risk for players, game officials, and fans,” the league statement read. “In line with WNBA Arena Security Standards, any fan who intentionally throws an object onto the court will be immediately ejected and face a minimum one-year ban in addition to being subject to arrest and prosecution by local authorities.”

On Tuesday, no announcement was made indicating whether the individual who threw the sex toy at Crypto.com Arena was located or ejected.