Chauncey Hardy was on the dance floor at a Romanian night club, partying with teammates hours after a victory over a rival team, when he playfully put his cap on a woman he wanted to dance with.
Sacred Heart’s Chauncey Hardy is tied up by Mount. St. Mary’s… (BOB MACDONNELL, Hartford Courant)
Onlookers, apparently one of which was the woman’s boyfriend, and some with criminal ties, quickly objected. When confronted, Hardy motioned that he didn’t understand Romanian.
And then this night of celebration, and this moment of confusion, ended with a fist smashing into Hardy’s chin and Hardy’s head hitting the floor as he fell. It ended in tragedy. Hardy, a former player at Sacred Heart University and Xavier High in Middletown, fell into a coma and died Sunday as a result of the injuries he sustained after undergoing surgery at a Bucharest hospital. He was 23.
The Associated Press and numerous international news agencies reported details of the incident, and that a man has been detained in the killing. Ionut Adrian Tanasoaia surrendered to police early Monday. The incident took place Saturday night in the country’s southern city of Giurgiu, where Hardy played professionally for CSS Giurgiu.
Mediafax news agency reported that Tanasoaia attacked Hardy because he wanted to dance with his girlfriend. Hotnews.ro, a Romanian news site, reports that those involved in the beating have local mob ties.
“This is a terrible tragedy and we are saddened as a university and as a basketball program,” Sacred Heart coach Dave Bike said in a statement. “This is not just about a basketball player, but the person as well. It transcends what happens on a basketball court. We feel tremendous sadness and loss for Chauncey’s family and those who were close to him.”
Source: Hartford Courant
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