Did George Steinbrenner Help "Gillooly" Nancy Kerrigan?

A news report beamed to us from the year 1994, brings together two names you never thought you'd see in the same sentence*— Tonya Harding and George Steinbrenner.

A new biography of Steinbrenner talks about George's generous support of amateur athletics and alleges that back in the day, he even gave financial support to figure skaters Nicole Bobek and Tonya Harding. Presumably, that money was to support their training, but Harding found something else it could be used for.

It later emerged that Harding's husband, Jeff Gillooly, hired a goon to smash Kerrigan's knee to help his wife's chances at the 1994 Winter Games. "After he gave money to Harding, it turned out that some of the money was used for the 'hit,' " Golenbock writes. "When George heard that, he wanted to hunt down Harding and get his money back." But Steinbrenner's rep told us: "George's people have no recollection of giving money to her and have found no records."

Maybe he should have cut out the middle man and just had Danny Tartabull hit Kerrigan with a fungo.

STEINBRENNER'S WEIRD TONYA 'LINK' [New York Post] Steinbrenner Went Gillooly [Josh Q Public]

*Unless that sentence was, "Tonya Harding will fight a crippled George Steinbrenner on Pay-Per-View next month."