City attorney won’t prosecute ex-Saints coach

Friday, April 21, 2000 | 10:04 a.m.

"Our review of the facts reveals no crime of assault because assault requires specific intent," City Attorney Mavis Early said in a press release.

"Part of our job as prosecutors is not to clog the court with cases that cannot be won. We do not believe that a judge would conclude that Mr. Ditka had the requisite specific intent to commit an assault. Basically, we have determined that this is not a viable prosecution."

The March 16 incident, which was confirmed by state police, resulted in Ditka being escorted from Harrah's by security officers and banned from the casino for three months.

According to state police, the altercation occurred at a craps table in a high-rollers area when Ditka became angry by a call made by pit boss Randy Curtis on some tilted dice.

Curtis quit his job after the incident and filed suit in state district court against the casino, contending that Harrah's has a dual standard for unruly customers, with high-rollers such as Ditka being tolerated much longer than other patrons. The suit contends the standard created a dangerous working condition.