Here are the facts:
1. Andy Norman spread vicious, and entirely unfounded rumours about Cliff Temple.
2. Norman, whenever threatened, would reply by insinuating mis-conduct by his target, who was Cliff Temple. Norman, during his time, also threatened to spread false rumours about Dave Bedford, Steve Ovett and even celebrated Times journalist Pat Butcher, and Steven Downes (another noteworthy athletics journalist). We can see, therefore, that Norman had a history of spreading rumours and exaggeration about many people he did not like, for whatever reasons.
3. Norman threatened to suggest that Temple had a relationship with Shireen Bailey (a 1984 Olympic 800m finallist), something which Bailey confirmed was entirely false. There was no base for this.
4. The recording of Norman's threats to Temple were broadcast on British television (Temple had recorded the phone call). Faced with such conclusive proof, Norman was fired from his job at the then British Athletic Federation.
5.In Cliff's case, he was already depressed over the break up of his marriage, but according to the official coroner's inquiry into the suicide, Norman's threats tipped Temple "over the edge".
The truth needs to be mentioned, because that might help repair some of the harm done by people who have spread the false rumours about Cliff, bringing continued distress to the Temple family.
And the full story is still available via Amazon in Running Scared: How Athletics Lost Its Innocence, written by Duncan Mackay and Steven Downes.
source: One of the journalists who had inside knowledge of the case.
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