Doctors delay Tyson report

The initial call came early Monday and Dr. Elias Ghanem wasn't too pleased with its message.

The team of therapists evaluating Mike Tyson at Massachusetts General Hospital indicated they needed more time to complete their report, and they were soliciting the chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission for advice.

"I got a call from them asking if they could extend the deadline to Wednesday," Ghanem said. "But I insisted we get the report (Monday) because we need the time to study it."

Nonetheless, the therapists failed to deliver the report by its 5 p.m. deadline. Instead, they faxed a letter to the NSAC offices and said the report would not be ready until Wednesday.

"Unfortunately, due to the length of the evaluation process, the scoring of the psychological and neuropyschological testing have not been completed," wrote Dr. Ronald Schouten, head of the team that evaluated Tyson for four days last week. "In the interests of accuracy and completeness, the evaluation team will defer making its full report until (Wednesday)."

Ghanem, saying he's "very displeased" that the report is not already in the commission's hands, will touch base today with his fellow NSAC members and consult with a representative of the state's attorney general's office. It's possible the delay in receiving the report will impact the reconvening of Tyson's relicensing hearing, which is set for Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Clark County Government Building.

That hearing is an extension of one Sept. 19, which was continued pending an evaluation of Tyson by a team of impartial analysts.

"When the hearing reconvenes, you're going to see a more aggressive commission," Ghanem said, promising to ask and have answered questions on Tyson's mental state as well as the assault charges he faces in Maryland as a result of a traffic accident.

"He's going to have to answer all our questions," Ghanem said. "I've heard he doesn't have anything to worry about in Maryland, so, if that's the case, he should just step forward and answer the questions.

"We can't let him go around it and we can't give a license to Mike Tyson without knowing what happened in Maryland.

"If we license him without knowing, we haven't done our job."

Ghanem also said the psychological profile at Massachusetts General would be "very in-depth" due to the guidelines imposed by the NSAC. Therapists were required to evaluate Tyson in seven different areas, including tests that measure IQ, stability, behavior, personality and reactions to stress.

From those tests, the three-person team from Massachusetts General was asked to respond to these five questions stipulated by the NSAC:

* What is the current diagnosis for Mr. Tyson with reference to all (stipulations);

* What is the necessary or proposed treatment, if any, recommended for Mr. Tyson;

* What is Mr. Tyson's ability to handle stress in unpredictable situations;

* What is the potential that Mr. Tyson would commit another major foul in the boxing ring;

* Does (Massachusetts General) believe Mr. Tyson is mentally fit to compete within the rules and regulations of the sport of boxing without succumbing to another incident wherein Mr. Tyson says he "snapped."

"We're sending a message," Ghanem said. "If a fighter does anything against the rules, regardless of his frustration, he's going to have to answer to it in front of the commission.

"This testing procedure was very thorough. It was tough."

The report on Tyson will remain confidential until it is read into the record at Saturday's hearing.

Also looking to go on the record Saturday will be Anne Golonka, the local president of the National Organization for Women. She intends to speak out in opposition to Tyson during the public comment portion of the hearing.

"I'm sending them a fax (today) to remind them the public has to be allowed to comment and it should come before the commission renders its decision," Golonka said. "I don't think they followed procedure last time. Not just me, but anyone who takes the time to go and wants to be heard should have that right."

Tyson had his license to box revoked in Nevada July 9, 1997, for biting the ears of Evander Holyfield during a bout at the MGM Grand Garden. He was also fined $3 million of his $30 million purse.

"I honestly didn't think $3 million was enough," Ghanem said. "Since then, we have had the (Nevada) legislature make a change where we can hold the entire purse if there's another incident like the one that involved Tyson.

"That's very significant. Next time this happens, the boxer will leave the state without a cent from his purse."

Tyson's lead attorney, Dale Kinsella of Los Angeles, is on his honeymoon and apparently will not attend Saturday's hearing. A local associate, James Jimmerson, did not return phone calls to his office seeking comment on the delay in receiving the report on Tyson's testing or the status of Friday's hearing in Maryland.

In the Maryland incident, Tyson allegedly punched one man and kicked another following a minor traffic accident Aug. 31 in which he was a passenger in a car driven by his wife.

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