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Scrushy, Siegelman: Hard time, hard copy

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Scrushy and SiegelmanIt’s not the first time Don Siegelman and Richard Scrushy have made Page One of newspapers.

But their sentencing-turned-shackling made for front-page news across Alabama.

Check out the full gallery after the jump.

Scrushy and Siegelman

The Anniston Star

Scrushy and Siegelman

The Birmingham News

Scrushy and Siegelman

The Decatur Daily

Scrushy and Siegelman

The Gadsden Times

Scrushy and Siegelman

The Huntsville Times

Scrushy and Siegelman

The Montgomery Advertiser

Scrushy and Siegelman

The Press-Register (Mobile)

Scrushy and Siegelman

The Opelika-Auburn News

Scrushy and Siegelman

TimesDaily (Florence)

Scrushy and Siegelman

The Tuscaloosa News

See this gallery of newspapers covers at bigger sizes. Or check out the gallery of Taylor Hicks newspaper fronts.

2 Yips for “Scrushy, Siegelman: Hard time, hard copy”

  1. Chuck Gallagher
    Sunday, July 1, 2007, 9:00 pm
    1

    While every media outlet is reporting that HealthSouth’s founder, Richard Scrushy, was sentenced to six years and 10 months in Federal prison for bribery, there many looming questions that will likely be overshadowed by numerous shouts of judicial victory. Immediately there were cheers of judicial joy shouted all over the internet. Scrushy finally got what he deserved stated one blog with no apology for the gleeful tone.

    I feel for Scrushy. I know what he has been through and I know what its like to walk into Federal prison. On a crisp October day in 1995, I took 23 physical steps… opened a door… and began a new experience that was life-changing. Thinking back 12 years ago, I would never have considered that I, a competent, well educated man, would be sitting in prison. That was a life educational experience where I learned, really for the first time, that there are consequences to every unethical choice we make.

    Prison time gave me the opportunity to focus on “choices.” Every choice has a consequence. The consequences are inescapable. They can be negative (prison for example) or positive and we, through the choices we make in life, control the outcome.

    But, is there life following prison? Once again from personal experience I found the answer is yes! However, it is without doubt a function of the choices you make. Never forget, every choice has a consequence. We can make from the trials of life what we want. We all journey through life struggling to find some meaningful purpose to our earthly existence. Through this we all make choices and mistakes. From time to time we may receive help along the way and if we are really fortunate we might have the insight to “pay it forward” and help others.

    As a former CPA, through a series of bad choices or serious ethics lapses, I became a white-collar criminal. Now, I am a sales executive in a publicly held company and an international motivational speaker (www.chuckgallagher.com). I now take the time to review my lessons from prison and write about those experiences so that others may gain benefit and perhaps learn from the experience of others. Some of us learn lessons the hard way. Yet, through sharing the experience of my incarceration and return to productivity, others have stated that they’ve been able to look at their choices in a different and more productive way.

    I learned a lot in prison. Mostly I became aware that success is not defined by our material possessions, but rather how we can help others. People often ask, looking back, what I think about my time in prison. My response, “Best thing that ever happened to me.” Perhaps, over time, Mr. Scrushy will learn through careful insight that following his time in prison he will emerge stronger and able to be a powerful voice of hope.

  2. Wade
    Sunday, July 1, 2007, 10:28 pm
    2

    Chuck, I applaud your newfound path after prison, and I hope Richard Scrushy finds his way someday.

    I believe part of the gleeful tone that others have when mentioning Scrushy’s sentence is that Scrushy went out of his way to manipulate church leaders and civil rights leaders to trumpet his innocence. He founded a ministry and bought airtime to sell his newfound spirituality, while also selling a “news” program to maintain his innocence.

    Such cynical manipulation on his part turned out to delay the inevitable: conviction by a jury of his peers and a prison sentence.

    I won’t celebrate his incarceration, but will say that it’s overdue. Further, I remember that many innocent investors and employees suffered needlessly because of Scrushy’s greed, arrogance and deception.

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