Exactly a year after Book Richardson was arrested on felony bribery and fraud charges, his family told their story to the sports network Stadium. Reporter Jeff Goodman also wrote an accompanying story in which Richardson was described as nearly suicidal.
Richardson's wife, Erin, said the former UA coach regretted not being able to talk to the Wildcat players and that the only UA staffer who contacted him was former associate head coach Lorenzo Romar.
"He feels like he was deemed guilty and just thrown out with the trash before he was indicted," Erin told Stadium. "He feels like they just wanted to wash their hands of him, 'Just get rid of that and go about business,' and he knows at the end of the day this is business. But it still would be nice if maybe a card was mailed like they were thinking of you but itβs no one."
Erin also said she didn't understand why this was a federal issue, saying her husband is not murdering people. She said Book has spent much of his time in his room with the curtains closed, while his kids speak of the sadness he felt.
All of them also described how Richardson was arrested just before 6 a.m. on Sept. 26, 2017.
"We were both nervous," E.J. Richardson said of he and his father. "I was like `FBI agent? Why? I saw they also had a battering ram. Saw they were going to break down the door if we didnβt answer. We both thought this was a joke right?"
Book Richardson has not commented publicly since his arrest. He was fired by UA in January, and is scheduled to go to trial in April.
Here's a full transcript of the interview between Goodman and Richardson's family:
Where were you on Sept. 26 when your husband Book was arrested by the FBI?
Erin Richardson:Β "I was in New York City. I had just gotten there the night before. The next morning my daughter woke me up. I can still hear in her voice to this day: `Mom, the FBI is at the door and theyβre arresting dad.'"
What was your reaction?
Erin:Β "I didnβt know what to think. I jumped up and grabbed my iPad, because we have cameras in front of the house, in the back of the house and on the side of the house. I said `This has to be a mistake. This canβt be possible.β And on the cameras, I can see my husband surrounded by six or seven agents and he has on no shirt. He has on just his shorts and his shoes and theyβre handcuffing him. Shortly after that I saw them pull my son out and heβs standing there with them. So I didnβt know if they were going to arrest my son. I didnβt know what was going on. And I definitely didnβt know why they were arresting Book.β
E.J. Richardson (son):Β "Both me and my father we woke up. I came out of my room to say hi to him, to say good morning. Then we both heard the door ring. And there were like multiple knockings. We were both nervous. So we both quickly went to open the door. As soon as my dad opened the door I saw someone come in the front and I saw it was an FBI agent. I was like `FBI agent. Why?β I walked behind my father. I saw they also had a battering ram and that was also scary because I thought they were going to break down the door if we didnβt answer. When you see the door and itβs mostly glass. It was really scary because we didnβt expect them to be there and we both thought `this was a joke, right?'"
Erin:Β "I didnβt know what was going on. I couldnβt understand. It wasnβt making sense to me. Iβm trying to go back in my mind like, you know, does this have something to do with a friend? Or maybe somebody who came to visit that we didnβt know. Iβd never in a million years thought it had anything to do with basketball."
How did you find out exactly what it was about, the charges and what he was being accused of?
Erin:Β "I turned on the TV and it was everywhere."
Sere Richardson (daughter):Β "When they started reading off the charges I was with my boyfriend and we were like stunned, `Are we serious? Are we really being charged this right now?' I saw my dad and my dad I could tell in his eyes he was embarrassed. When he finally got out he just kept apologizing and he was sorry he had to put me through that."
Erin:Β "I was confused by why this was a federal issue, why they felt the need to be at my door a little bit before 6 a.m. with a battering ram. I couldnβtβ¦that didnβt make sense to me. My husbandβs not El Chapo. Heβs not out here murdering people and causing harm. So I was angry. I was angry. I was very angry because it could have went so horribly wrong."
What has this last year been like for your and your family? For Book?
Erin:Β "He would stay in the bedroom all day. He would not come out. He would be in the dark. Iβd come in and open curtains and Iβd go back out maybe to fix some lunch or something and heβd close them. He didnβt want to be bothered. He didnβt want to turn on the television. He didnβt want to talk to anyone. So I was getting scared. He just withdraws from us. And thatβs not like Book. He loves to be around people. He loves to talk and laugh and stuff. So I know and I try not to just overcrowd him and stuff because he does need time to process this. There were times he cried and I let him because he needs to get that emotion out."
"Itβs been up and down and Book is starting to deal with it a little bit better but there are days when I immediately know, you know, that heβs crawled back into that hole."
E.J.:Β "Before he was all fine but now Iβve seen him sad. Like, Iβve seen him cry. Heβs had some real personal talks with me. And I feel like I feel sad for him as well because Iβve never seen him like that and Iβve always felt like, `Hey, heβs the biggest, toughest guy I know.' I would never see him cry."
Sere:Β "My dad was the man of the family. He took care of everybody, and now I feel like he feels hopeless and thatβs the only thing thatβs really tough for me."
Whatβs been the hardest part for Book?
Erin:Β "The hardest part initially was not be able to talk to the U of A players. Not being able to explain to them, `Listen, I didnβt abandon you. I never wanted this to happen.β He couldnβt talk to them. He couldnβt tell his side and thatβs the part thatβs really burning him up. Because he loves to talk, you know, and he canβt go on anything and say how he feels, what he did, what he didnβt do. You just have to sit and listen to people on television, on social media, make you out to be this bad guy and you canβt tell your story.
"Thatβs whatβs really burning him up right now, and this is why this case just hit him so hard. Because heβs like, `Wait a minute. Iβve spent my years trying to make sure these kids can get out of the βhood and do well for themselves and their families, and youβre stopping me from doing what I love."
Whatβs been the reaction from the Arizona program, Sean Miller, coaches, the administration?
Erin:Β "(Lorenzo) Romar reached out to Book, and told him he was praying for him, and he loves him, and hang in there. Thatβs it."
Nothing from anybody else?
Erin:Β "No. Not a call. Not a text. Not an email. Thatβs it."
How do you think Book feels about that?
Erin:Β "He feels abandoned. He feels like he was deemed guilty and just thrown out with the trash before he was indicted, before it went to trial. He feels like they just wanted to wash their hands of him, (like) `Letβs just get rid of that and go about business.β And he knows at the end of the day this is business. But it still would be nice if maybe a card was mailed like 'Hey, thinking of you,' but itβs no one."
How much do you talk as a family, or maybe just you and Book, about what might happen because of all this? How much does he verbalize potentially going to jail and whatβs next?
Erin:Β "This is serious and heβs always been a person that instead of crying he finds a way to laugh. But now this is forcing him to say, `You know what? This is real life. I canβt laugh my way out of this one. Iβm gonna have to face this and Iβm going to have to deal with it.' But he knows he has has his family. And we are going to get through this if we gotta die trying. Thereβs no giving up."
