Now cleared of suspicion as an Olympic terrorist, Richard Jewell went from hero to suspect to an example of how high-profile investigations can make an innocent man infamous.
"He's the perfect image for why we have the presumption of innocence," said Roy Black, the defense attorney who represented William Kennedy Smith in his rape trial. "But to be honest, this is one of those times that there is a wrong with no real remedy."The beefy security guard's life turned upside down when his name was leaked as a suspect in the July 27 bomb blast at Centennial Olympic Park that killed one person and injured more than 100.
Though he never was charged with a crime, Jewell became a virtual prisoner as federal agents and reporters staked out the apartment he shares with his mother.
A letter Saturday from federal prosecutors clearing Jewell of suspicion helps only so much, his attorneys say.
"There will always be people out there who believe Richard is the bomber," said Wayne Grant, one of several attorneys representing Jewell. "There will always be people who stare. There will always be whispers of recognition."
That controversy will make it difficult for Jewell to return to law enforcement, as he wants to do, Grant said.
His attorneys have threatened to sue news organizations and reporters who they believe tried to make Jewell fit a profile of a bomber as possibly a former police officer, military man or aspiring policeman seeking to become a hero.
Joseph E. DiGenova, a former U.S. attorney who now works as a criminal defense lawyer in Washington, said both Jewell's lawyers and federal officials should focus now on finding who was responsible for leaking Jewell's name.
"It is absolutely essential that they try and find out who leaked ... the fact that this man allegedly fit some kind of bomber profile," he said. "It is that piece of information that put this man in the position he's in today."