It was a confident, almost defiant Marv Albert who appeared outside the Arlington County Courthouse in the spring and predicted he would be proven innocent.
That was before his longtime mistress sobbed on the witness stand and described how Albert violently bit her and forced her to perform sexually. It was before another woman testified that she, too, had been bitten by Albert in a sexual attack.That was before millions of viewers learned of his penchant for wearing women's underwear and for pornographic movies and three-way sex.
Inside that same courthouse Thursday, the bravado was gone, the booming sportscaster's voice barely audible when Albert pleaded guilty to assault and battery, ending the trial that threw a spotlight on his kinky sex life - and left his broadcasting career in tatters.
"I just felt like I had to end this ordeal for myself, my wonderful family, my fiancee, Heather, my friends and supporters," Albert said outside court in a weary voice.
Hours after he pleaded guilty, NBC fired him.
Albert, 56, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for biting the woman, which could send him to jail for a year and cost him $2,500 in fines at sentencing Oct. 24. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the felony charge of forcible sodomy, which could have sent him to prison for life.
The Brooklyn native, who for three decades has been one of America's most distinctive sports voices with his exuberant "Yesss!" call, had been allowed to continue as NBC's play-by-play man after the May indictment. Outside court, Albert thanked NBC for standing by him.
Less than four hours later, the network issued a statement saying it only stood by Albert because he gave assurances the charges were untrue. "Today, given Mr. Albert's plea . . . NBC terminates its relationship with Marv Albert."
Albert later resigned from the regional MSG cable network, which thanked him for 30 years of dedicated service to the Knicks and Rangers.
"As he stated himself, he must now set out to reconstruct his personal and professional life," MSG said. "We wish him well in those efforts."
If he's serious about wanting to stay in sportscasting, one expert says Albert's next call should be to Barbara Walters or Larry King for a public confessional.
"After that, he should go away," said Helene Solomon, an expert in corporate crisis communications for Boston's Bishoff Solomon Communications.
Solomon said Albert may be able to begin resurrecting his career after about a year away from the spotlight. He must begin by apologizing to his family, victims and employers, she said.
"If he chose honesty on Day 1, it would have been a one-note story on Marv's off-the-wall sexual habits. Now he's a criminal and a liar, and that's difficult to overcome for anyone," she said.