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WILKES-BARRE — With the 50th anniversary of her death coming up this week, relatives of Mary Jo Kopechne are making public a letter the Luzerne County native’s parents received from boxer Muhammad Ali shortly after her passing.
In it, Ali urges the family to sue Sen. Ted Kennedy, who was driving the car that plunged off a bridge into a pond on the night of July 18, 1969, from which Kennedy escaped and Kopechne’s lifeless body was recovered the next morning. She was 28.
The letter has been released to the Times Leader by William Nelson and his mother, Georgetta Nelson Potoski, Mary Jo’s first cousin. Potoski’s mother and Kopechne’s mothers were sisters.
Nelson said Ali’s handwritten letter to Joseph Kopechne, dated July 31, 1969, has never been shared outside the family, adding that it has been professionally authenticated by sports experts at Beckett Collectibles and “is a bit controversial to say the least.”
Ali wrote that the family should seek a good lawyer and they should sue Kennedy “for everything he’s got.” Ali suggested there was “an illicit sexual encounter” and he claimed there was foul play involved in Kopechne’s death.
Ted Kennedy never faced any serious charges over the incident and went on to serve for decades in the U.S. Senate. He died in 2009.
Born Cassius Clay in Louisville, Ky., Ali was a three-time heavyweight champion and gold-medal Olympian, who has been acknowledged as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. But he also was known for his activism. He changed his name and converted to Islam, spoke out in support of civil rights and opposed the war in Vietnam. Ali was convicted of draft evasion, a conviction he successfully fought all the way to the Supreme Court. He died in 2016.
It is not clear, however, whether or how Ali would have known details about interactions between Kennedy and Kopechne such as he alleged in the letter.
Nelson and his mother, who issued a statement in connection with the release of the letter, expressed gratitude to Ali for the support he showed their family at a time of great anguish. It can be read in full below, and a photo of the letter is attached to this story.
“Shortly after Mary Jo’s death, a young fighter who knew prejudice and injustice when he saw it and fought against them both in his professional and personal life, wrote this letter to the parents of Mary Jo Kopechne,” they wrote. “This letter is an example of the fire and passion that propelled Muhammad Ali to the champion he became in the boxing world as well as the champion he became for the downtrodden in everyday life.”
They note that in 1969 Ali had recently had his boxing titles stripped from him for his draft-evasion conviction, and had lost his means of providing for his family.
“He was by all reports frustrated and angry at the ‘establishment’ for taking away the life he had fought for, earned, and deserved,” they wrote.
His letter to Kopechne’s parents was written days after Kennedy’s televised speech on the Chappaquiddick incident, they note.
“This letter is written by a man swinging with all of his might for justice for a fellow victim and telling Mary Jo’s parents ‘You still have some power.’ Despite his own struggles, Muhammad Ali had the courage to come to Mary Jo’s defense at a time when her character and reputation were being destroyed,” the statement continues. “Mary Jo was being treated as a footnote in her own death when Muhammad Ali took the time to passionately speak out and that meant a lot to her parents Gwen and Joe and it means a lot to us today.”
Nelson and his mother say they feel strongly about releasing the letter even though some in the boxing community may object to the way it will reflect on Ali.
“His stance in this letter may not fit the narrative and image they want to portray of him today, just as his acts of defiance over fifty years ago didn’t fit into their narrative then,” they write in the statement.
“What critics may not realize however is that Muhammad Ali was not alone. After her death, Mary Jo’s parents received thousands of letters from all walks of life,” they add.
“We want to thank Muhammad Ali for defending Mary Jo with the passion and bravery he showed his entire life. God bless him and God bless Mary Jo.”
Nelson and Potoski have long been advocates of telling Kopechne’s story to ensure she will be remembered as an intelligent and hardworking young woman who was dedicated to education and supported the civil rights movement, spending time teaching in Alabama.
They are co-authors of a book, “Our Mary Jo” and co-founders of the Mary Jo Kopechne scholarship fund at Misericordia University.
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STATEMENT ON ALI LETTER
The following is our statement on the Muhammad Ali letter to the Kopechne:
“July 18th, 2019 is the 50th anniversary of Mary Jo Kopechne’s death. Today, we want to take a minute not only to reflect on the memory, character and potential of our girl Mary Jo, but to thank those who came to her defense those many years ago.
“Shortly after Mary Jo’s death, a young fighter who knew prejudice and injustice when he saw it and fought against them both in his professional and personal life, wrote this letter to the parents of Mary Jo Kopechne. This letter is an example of the fire and passion that propelled Muhammad Ali to the champion he became in the boxing world as well as the champion he became for the downtrodden in everyday life. To start to understand why Muhammad Ali wrote this letter, you have to consider his mindset at the time in which he wrote it.
“It was 1969 and amongst all the other challenges he faced, Muhammad Ali had recently had his heavyweight title stripped from him, he was convicted in a court of law for not reporting for service and had lost his means of providing for his family. He was by all reports frustrated and angry at the “establishment” for taking away the life he had fought for, earned, and deserved. Days after Kennedy’s televised speech on the Chappaquiddick incident and witnessing Mary Jo becoming a victim of the “establishment” herself, Muhammad Ali lashed out in her defense. This letter is written by a man swinging with all of his might for justice for a fellow victim and telling Mary Jo’s parents “You still have some power”. Despite his own struggles, Muhammad Ali had the courage to come to Mary Jo’s defense at a time when her character and reputation were being destroyed. Mary Jo was being treated as a footnote in her own death when Muhammad Ali took the time to passionately speak out and that meant a lot to her parents Gwen and Joe and it means a lot to us today.
“This letter has been in our family’s possession for the past fifty years and although it has been authenticated by renowned experts in the sports world, there are some in a boxing co mmunity who are against releasing it. There are a select few who are against showing the world this side of Muhammad Ali because it may taint his “public image” or his “brand.” His stance in this letter may not fit the narrative and image they want to portray of him today just as his acts of defiance over fifty years ago didn’t fit into their narrative then. So once again, fifty years later, there are some who are seeking to silence Muhammad Ali’s voice.
“What critics may not realize however is that Muhammad Ali was not alone. After her death, Mary Jo’s parents received thousands of letters from all walks of life. Muhammad Ali was not the only one who wrote passionate, strongly-worded letters to Mary Jo’s parents in support of her and in order to help ease a parent’s anguish of losing their only child.
“Those familiar with the Chappaquiddick incident know that time after time politics overshadowed the truth as privilege steamrolled justice and to allow this to happen today would be an injustice to Mary Jo’s memory as well as Muhammad Ali’s character and spirit.
“Although colorfully written, we couldn’t be prouder of Muhammad Ali’s act of support and compassion at a time when it was the exception to the rule. We wanted to honor and thank Muhammad Ali by sharing this moment in history with the world and we should use this letter going forward as an example when faced with the choice to defend those who cannot defend themselves. We want to thank Muhammad Ali for defending Mary Jo with the passion and bravery he showed his entire life. God bless him and God bless Mary Jo.
Sincerely,
William Nelson, Georgetta Potoski
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Editor’s Note: The date of Mary Jo Kopechne’s death was incorrect in an earlier web version of this story and in the print edition. It was July 18, 1969.
