The Sports Truth

And the editors of the Sports Truth thought we needed to see psychologists for our sports betting addiction after we wagered cash on a pair of U.S. Senate races.

Yes, the headline you read above is true. A man killed his friend with a rifle in a dispute over a $20 bet on the South Carolina-Clemson game, authorities said Sunday. James Walter Quick, 42, has been charged in the shooting of Richard Allen Johnson, 43, who died from a single shot to the chest.

Quick and Johnson watched the game Saturday at Johnson’s home in Lexington, S.C., about 100 miles south of Charlotte. Quick took South Carolina, while Johnson took Clemson, straight up. The Gamecocks came from behind and won, 31-28.

Quick celebrated.

Johnson said the Tigers “shouldn’t have lost” and refused to pay.

Quick left the house and retrieved a high-powered rifle from his Chevrolet Corsica.

“He went back in and told Richard, ‘I want my money or I’m going to shoot you,’” said Lexington County Sheriff James Metts, adding that both (stunningly) had been drinking beer.

Johnson’s wife and several friends told police that Johnson retorted: “You can’t shoot me, I’m invisible.”

Quick replied, “No you’re not.”

Deputies arrived on the scene and charged Quick with murder and possessing a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. He was leaning against his Corsica, with arms crossed, when police arrived. The men had gone deer hunting together the morning of the shooting and were dressed in camouflage as they watched the game with friends.

Quick and Johnson met a couple of years ago after their wives became good friends. Soon they were inviting each other over for cookouts and to watch games, Quick’s mother and sister told the Charlotte Observer.

Quick didn’t attend USC but always supported the team, said Quick’s mother, who declined to give her name. He usually watched games on TV but sometimes went to the stadium. He also enjoyed playing football with his children, ages 14 and 7.

“You just hear so much commotion about the Gamecocks,” she said. “It’s state loyalty.”

What happened is “totally out of his nature,” his sister, Anne Marie Quick, said.

You mean he didn’t typically murder other humans over football bets? Really?

Let this be a lesson to all you compulsive gamblers to pay up after you lose a bet, regardless of whether your team loses fair and square. But in the event that your friend refuses to cough up $20, it’s probably a tad extreme to take his life. Even if we’re talking about the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry.

Posted in College Football, Sports Betting, Thug Life