Leaving Home for Washington : Horrifying Auto Accident, Position Change Led to Player’s Decision to Quit Husky Program, but His Dad Is Still Upset Over the Move

The relationship between Richard Washington and his father reached a boiling point in August.

Richard Washington Sr. did not approve of his son’s decision to forgo a football scholarship at the University of Washington to play at Long Beach City College this fall.

The elder Washington issued an ultimatum: Either his son would return to Washington or move out of the house.

Washington, 20, chose the later and has no regrets.

“Right now, I’m having the happiest times of my life,” he said.

Two years earlier, the prospect of playing football at all was slim for Washington.

The former Long Beach Poly defensive back suffered a broken jaw, a broken pelvis, facial lacerations and a fractured ankle as a passenger in a van that was involved in a head-on collision on the morning of Sept. 19, 1991 near Medford, Ore.

Washington was one of seven Husky redshirt freshman and a Washington student in a rented van heading to Southern California for a surprise visit when their vehicle collided head-on with a car traveling the wrong way in the fast lane of Interstate 5 about 22 miles north of the California-Oregon border.

The driver of the car, Rene Guzman-Velloso, died at the scene. Police said Guzman-Velloso was intoxicated and planned to kill himself when he veered out of the northbound fast lane, crossed the grass median and smashed into the players’ van. The van rolled several times before coming to rest in the median.

Washington, who had been seated in the front passenger seat, suffered the most serious injuries. Washington and former Long Beach Wilson cornerback Michael Steward, who broke his right thighbone and every bone in his right arm, had to be cut from the van. Both were unconscious.

Adrian Jamison, a friend of the players, was hospitalized with multiple leg fractures.

“I was sitting there thinking and then I turned around and the van was turning over and flipping,” Washington said. “All I remember is waking up in the hospital and pulling IVs and tubes out of my nose.”

Washington underwent emergency surgery in Medford and was airlifted to Long Beach Community Hospital, where he had two more operations. Washington lost 40 pounds from his 200-pound frame during the ordeal.

A titanium plate was bolted to his chin in one operation and a steel plate was screwed to his pelvis and three screws placed in his hip in another.

His jaw was wired shut, forcing him to eat strained food. His foot was placed in a cast for 2 1/2 months.

Doctors told Washington he might never walk without a limp and it was doubtful he would play football again.

“I made a vow and promised myself I was going to play again,” Washington said.

Washington spent the winter recuperating at home. It was two months before he could walk. First with a walker, then crutches and a cane.

He gained medical clearance to participate in spring drills, but redshirted during the 1992 season. This spring, Washington said he was faster than ever, dropping his 40-yard dash time to 4.63 seconds.

Washington was moved from strong safety to free safety and placed third on the Huskies’ depth chart. Uncomfortable with the position change and the opportunity for playing time, Washington decided to transfer to Long Beach this past summer.

“I was unhappy and lost my love for football at Washington,” Washington said. “I’ve been playing football since I was 6 years old and never sat out. When I went home after spring ball and was home with all my friends, I decided I’d be much happier at Long Beach.”

The same could not be said about his father.

“We argued a lot and it got real bad at times,” Washington said. “He thought I was throwing away a scholarship, but I was serious about not going back to Washington.”

Washington lives in an apartment with a married couple in Signal Hill, supporting himself with a part-time job on campus. The relationship between father and son has improved. Washington now visits for weekly dinners on Sunday.

Neither, however, has changed his stand.

“He has to realize the importance of the decision and has to live up to it,” the elder Washington said. “I know what’s best for him and I’ll be the first one to tell him ‘I told you so.’ If he was capable of making a lamebrained decision and messing up his own life, he was man enough to move out.”

Washington said impending NCAA sanctions against the Washington football program had no bearing upon his decision to leave. In August, the Huskies were placed on probation for two years and banned from bowl games for the 1993 and 1994 seasons for numerous NCAA rules infractions.

“I heard rumors, but I already had made my decision,” Washington said.

The addition of Washington has helped Long Beach (7-0) to its best start in 28 years. The Vikings, ranked fourth in the state, will play host to El Camino (2-5) in a Mission Conference game at 7 p.m. Saturday at Veterans Stadium.

Washington is playing his first full season since his junior year in high school in 1990. An All-Southern Section Division I selection in 1991, Washington missed half of his senior season because of a shoulder injury.

“I was a little nervous at first,” Washington said. “But I feel as good as ever. The only pain is the normal day-after-the-game soreness.”

At Long Beach, Washington has been reunited with former Husky teammate Joel Rosborough, who starts at split end for the Vikings.

Rosborough, Washington’s roommate in Seattle, was the driver of the van the night of the crash. Rosborough, 20, suffered a bruised sternum, sprained ankle and cuts. He redshirted the 1992 season and decided to leave Washington in January because of academic difficulties and differences with then-coach Don James.

“The crash brought everyone involved all closer,” said Rosborough, who attended Long Beach Jordan. “I haven’t played with Richard since high school. It’s fun to be the on the same team with him again. In some ways, I do regret leaving, but I feel I’m doing the right thing. We have a chance for a championship at Long Beach.’

The other crash victims, cornerback Reggie Reser of Muir, running back Leon Neal of Paramount, guard Eric Battle of Banning and linebacker Douglas Barnes of Verbum Dei, suffered minor injuries and are playing at Washington this season. Steward is redshirting at Fresno State.

Washington, who was granted a redshirt year as a freshman because of medical reasons, will have three seasons of eligibility remaining after this season.

“Long Beach is not a step down from Washington at all,” Washington said. “In some areas, there is more talent at Long Beach. It’s fun to be out there playing every Saturday night.”