Rodman tells Leno his basketball woes

Friday, Feb. 7, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

The irony of the arrest of the Minneapolis cameraman he was suspended for kicking during a game wasn't lost during the appearance of the Chicago Bulls forward on the "Tonight Show" at the MGM Grand Hotel.

"It's a damn shame we've got people out there and the first thing out of their mouths is 'I'm going to sue,"' Rodman said. "Now his ass is in jail."

Actually, cameraman Eugene Amos wasn't in jail after his reported arrest for threatening his girlfriend.

That didn't matter much to Rodman, who sat in the ankle-length skirt and gold-sequined top and talked to Jay Leno about his problems.

"It wasn't fair to me, " Rodman said of the 11-game suspension the NBA gave him. "I haven't raped anybody. I haven't been thrown in jail. I haven't done this, I haven't done that. Tell me something I've done that's been harmful."

Rodman was the opening guest on Leno's program, which is taping this week in Las Vegas. He bantered with Leno for a few minutes, then was given a pair of high-heeled basketball shoes from the host.

Rodman autographed the shoes and gave them to a woman in the front row of the audience.

He repeated his claim that he was trying to kick the camera and not Amos in the incident that cost him more than a million in lost pay. Rodman also agreed to pay a reported $200,000 settlement to the cameraman.

He also said his plans to donate his pay from his next 11 games to charity were sincere.

"This is no publicity stunt, " Rodman said. "I'm gonna show the world and the commissioner and everybody that I don't need your money to play and be happy."