Chauncey Hardy, American Basketball Player, Dies After Attack In Romania

BUCHAREST, Romania — Former Sacred Heart guard Chauncey Hardy died after being attacked in a bar in Romania.

Romanian Basketball Federation chief Carmen Tocala told GSP radio that Hardy died Sunday, suffering two heart attacks following his beating Saturday night.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of a fine young man who had his life cut short at such a young age while he was overseas doing something he loved," Sacred Heart Athletic Director C. Donald Cook said in a statement.

Police spokeswoman Mirela Gheta said the 23-year-old Hardy had severe head injuries and was in a coma when he was admitted to the hospital.

Hardy died shortly after undergoing surgery in a Bucharest hospital.

Hardy played for CSS Giurgiu in southern Romania and was celebrating a victory over rival Dinamo Bucharest in Giurgiu when several men were reported to have attacked him.

"This is a terrible tragedy and we are saddened as a University and a basketball program," Sacred Heart men's basketball 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."

Hardy averaged 12.5 points for Sacred Heart in 2009-10.

Comments

[Alex Gavrila]

04:34 PM on 10/13/2011

OK, enough!!! Only an idiot would call Romanians racists. Not to mention that you people seem to cry a lot and too much "Racism", even when it isn't called for.
We don't even have a regular African population, for us a black man (sorry, no PC, it seems too stupid and far fetched) is always something new, they're always welcomed in our midst. What this gypsy criminal and gang leader did is not a reflection on the Romanian behavior, but on the Romanian gypsies' behavior (when I say Romanian, I mean they, unfortunately, have a Romanian passport, but they're not Romanian nationals, they're gypsy nationals).

[HarrietTanner]

01:58 PM on 10/12/2011

I know this may not seem like the appropriate time to bring this up as a subject. BUT there is an international hate group based in the US with a base in Romania that I am concerned. Twelve Tribes should be investigated for their possible link. They appear as meek, sincere individuals but behind the scenes is a hate group with members from around the world. They may and probably are connected to death of this young man. Let's not just turn our backs and ignore this statement. This group secretly refers to themselves as the new Nazis. And there is a growing number of haters in Europe, and we know that is the place of the original Nazis. Don't let it happen again!

[longdrycreek]

09:30 AM on 10/12/2011

A sad tale. It is not about racism, an American import or export if you will. He likely was beaten because his team beat another team, the team favored by those who beat him. Not every thing in the world is a hate crime.

[tleon12265]

07:17 AM on 10/13/2011

Yet another jackwagon assuming based on nothing. "Likely"? You know nothing about whwat happened. How can you say anything was "likely." Moron.

[Toni Kocevski]

09:38 PM on 10/11/2011

romanian animals.do they know anything about basketball?there are also racist intolerance with jipsies people there, and with other nationalities as I heard

[nmrcy]

03:47 PM on 10/12/2011

Did you even bothered to read the comments explaining what happend. The one that killed him was a gypsy. Even his nickname is Gypsy Gypsanu...

[cuza ionut]

02:32 PM on 10/11/2011

Hi there,

My name is Ionut. I'm a basketball fan and week-end player myself. American basketball players are a very precious add to our championship. And all of them are coloured people. I saw a comment here saing we Romanians are racists. This is wrong.We are not taking black people as a threat to our society. They will allways be taken care off here the good way, as guests, never to be harmed 'cause we (I say it again Romanians, the Caucasian type) treat our visitors well.They will never be victims of racial hateread here. Romanians don't really have this notion. I play soccer with Nigerian imigrants, skateboarding with chinese teens (they really are amazing skaters and they are the 3rd generation here),play hockey wih the Canadians and my brother in law is urdu (this is ethnic slice from Pakistan). The only people I hate are some local gipsys, and not for what they are, but for what they are doing. And I do have gipsy friends!!! One thing they done is killed Chauncey. The other things they did, do and will do all the time is CRIME at all levels. Is tragic, unfair, wrong and stupid that Chauncey died here, in Romania.His life was precious and the lost is enourmoustime. He was a man killed by animals. Too bad this kind of animals are walikng free in Romania.
P.S. - I will always play my streetball games with a 22 Hardy shirt on.
R.I.P. Chauncey

[scsywar]

08:17 PM on 10/12/2011

Thank You, I am tired of people not realizing what they are doing by calling someone racist simply because the do not like someone who happens to be of a different race. If somone calls a Caucasian, Hispanic or Asian person racist because he dislikes a person who is black they themselves are making the same sort of remark. Come on people, race rarely has anything to do with it, those of you that dwell on it are the likely cause the problem still lingers, highly in the media, not so much everywhere else.

[euthman]

09:56 AM on 10/15/2011

I appreciate your very heartfelt words. Thanks for posting.

[JBJBJB]

11:43 AM on 10/11/2011

Very sad and very vicious hate crime (some reports have described the situation as Chauncey being beaten up beyond recognition ...) - yet another victim of Romanian racism ... I have heard about Romania's intolerance against ethnic minorities living in Romania (like Gypsies, Hungarians, Germans, Jews), but now I guess with globalization their hatred against others becomes more and more evident ...

[Comet37]

10:18 PM on 10/11/2011

WOW!

"intolerance against ethnic minorities"

The man who killed Chauncey Hardy is a gypsy. On killer's page on facebookyou will find that his nickname is "Gypsy Gypsanu"

http://www.gandul.info/news/foto-el-este-gypsy-gypsanu-prieten-al-clanului-butoane-principalul-suspect-in-cazul-uciderii-baschetbalistului-american-8852215

[scsywar]

08:18 PM on 10/12/2011

Gees, because some who is black is beaten up or killed is HAS to be race related? what about the other races getting beaten up or killed by a different race. Open your mind and think better of people, forget about skin color already.

[Stefan B]

09:59 AM on 10/11/2011

Actualy, he was very appreciated here in Romania. Although we're in Eastern Europe, I'd say we're not as racist as other neighboring countries. We're sometimes associated with hating gypsys (see 2010 Madonna concert), which is true to some point, but we otherwise like foreigners (- hungarians and russians) and people in the small town of Giurgiu really loved him. A lot of people brought flowers to the club and lit candles in his memory.
And now the facts: he was cellebrating with his colleagues in the club (he wasn't drinking), started dancing with a girl, he put his cap on her head. A guy(he wasn't her boyfriend) in the group she came with, told him after a while he shouldn't dance with her anymore. He said he doesn't understand Romanian, and started gesticulating. The guy hit him and Chauncey fell hitting a hard surface on his way down. And from this point forward the police doesn't know exactly what happened: 1. The fall caused the death; 2. They didn't stop hitting him after he was down.
The guy who hit him was a friend of a local "gangster", so nobody wants to talk to the authorities. The guy got arrested for 29 days, and after that we'll see what happens. Probably your embassy will monitor the case, so there are great chances of justice being served, given the fact he wasn't such an important local figure.
R.I.P. Chauncey

[Adewale Ajadi]

03:34 PM on 10/12/2011

Pray his soul rests in peace. Like many people I have heard all kinds of stories about Eastern Europe but thanks for giving me some nuance and perspective. I hope his family finds solace.

[Sidley]

09:39 AM on 10/11/2011

I wish young people could understand while they are still young that bars and booze are not character building. Listen to your mother....nothing good happens after miidnight. If you aren't impaired the guy sitting on the barstool next to you probably is. Alcohol and drugs put everyone at risk.

[SweetLemonPie]

07:53 AM on 10/11/2011

Far too many African men, and now an African-American man, have fallen victim living in an Eastern European nation. This whole attacking-a-person-of-color is far more common there than one might expect --- especially when the victim is at a bar or club. It's truly unfortunate.

[GoDems2012]

06:42 AM on 10/11/2011

:( RIP I think they've made an arrest but i can't get the article to come up.

[BigHound1]

12:07 AM on 10/11/2011

Tragic, very tragic. The responsible parties need to be caught and prosecuted.

[momonono1111]

12:21 AM on 10/11/2011

The husband was standing there and did not leave. He threw one punch to get his hands and hat off his wife.

[BigHound1]

12:58 AM on 10/11/2011

If the circumstances are like you depicted, this case should be wrapped up in no time. Strangely, a very athletic man is taken down with one punch. Just strange. I do hope that their police double check before drawing the same conclusion.

[jagrmeister721]

01:24 AM on 10/11/2011

Yeah... I don't think so. "when several men were reported to have attacked him."

[jagrmeister721]

01:25 AM on 10/11/2011

It wasn't one person - read the article: "when several men were reported to have attacked him."  As far as the Klan, I don't see it, but you seem to be holding their place.  A "monkey"?  Yeah, you folks out yourselves pretty easily.

[bluehand]

09:18 AM on 10/11/2011

What the heck are you talking about? Where are you getting this sceanario; or are you just making stuff up? Hey, you know several men beating a black guy to death is going to sound like a KLAN STOMPING no matter who reports it. Either way, you need to stop making stuff up to blame the victim.

[searightr]

11:48 PM on 10/10/2011

Dear God...come soon...

[serialcoma]

10:31 AM on 10/11/2011

Oh but your "god" has supposedly given all men free will to behave as they choose.... guess this is (H)is fault.

[searightr]

08:40 AM on 10/13/2011

Your response is nothing more than a Straw Man Fallacey, and will be treated as such....

[TheNewShadeofBlue]

02:05 PM on 10/12/2011

Strange how Greek and Roman mythology are the things of scifi movies. When will current God myths go that way.

[searightr]

08:41 AM on 10/13/2011

If you feel God is a 'Myth" so be it. Take it up with God on judgment day.

[mondialcorp2007]

01:13 AM on 10/11/2011

It was Amanda Knox and her boyfriend...that's who did it/

[Marc Driftmeyer]

03:13 AM on 10/11/2011

Go to Africa. Test that theory out with your own ethnicity and let us know how it goes.

[tonyjim]

05:43 AM on 10/11/2011

How do you know he's black. I got it, anyone who sympathizes with blacks must be black.

[UncleMandingo]

11:33 PM on 10/10/2011

The Chinese are openly racists. He may have spoken out of turn on that one.

[eastdem]

12:02 AM on 10/11/2011

Your so stupid and hypocritically bigoted you think Eastern Europeans are not white?

So son, you need to sit down before you make yourself seem even more mentally challenged than you are.

[barbra1971]

02:03 AM on 10/11/2011

He didn't mean it like that, read it one more time.