26 Facts About Richard Jewell

Richard Jewell discovered a backpack containing three pipe bombs on the park grounds and helped evacuate the area before the bomb exploded, saving many people from injury or death.

Richard Jewell was cleared as a suspect after 88 days of intense public scrutiny.

Jewell's life has been the subject of popular culture, including the 2019 Oscar-nominated film Richard Jewell directed by Clint Eastwood and the ten-episode 2020 season of the anthology series Manhunt, Deadly Games.

Richard Jewell was working as a security guard for the event.

Richard Jewell discovered the bag and alerted Georgia Bureau of Investigation officers.

The New York Times reported in October 1996, when he was cleared as a suspect, that "a number of law-enforcement officials have said privately for months that they thought Mr Richard Jewell had been involved in the bombing, even though there was no evidence against him and some evidence seemed to rule him out".

Richard Jewell was never charged officially, but the FBI thoroughly and publicly searched his home twice, questioned his associates, investigated his background, and maintained 24-hour surveillance of him.

The scrutiny began to ease only after Richard Jewell's attorneys hired an ex-FBI agent to administer a polygraph, which Richard Jewell passed.

Richard Jewell was arrested in 2003 after a lengthy manhunt.

Perdue said Richard Jewell "deserves to be remembered as a hero".

Richard Jewell worked in various law enforcement jobs, including as a police officer in Pendergrass, Georgia.

Richard Jewell worked as a deputy sheriff in Meriwether County, Georgia, until his death.

On July 30,1997, Richard Jewell testified before a subcommittee of the US House of Representatives calling for an independent investigation into methods used by FBI agents during their investigation of him.

Richard Jewell appeared in Michael Moore's 1997 movie The Big One.

Richard Jewell had a cameo appearance in the September 27,1997, episode of Saturday Night Live, in which he jokingly fended off suggestions that he was responsible for the deaths of Mother Teresa and Diana, Princess of Wales, both of which had occurred earlier that year.

Richard Jewell married Dana Richard Jewell in 1998; they remained married until his death.

In 2001, Richard Jewell was honored as the Grand Marshal of Carmel, Indiana's Independence Day Parade.

Richard Jewell was chosen in keeping with the parade's theme of "Unsung Heroes".

Richard Jewell's estate continued to press the case even after his death in 2007, but in July 2011, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled for the defendant.

On July 23,1997, Richard Jewell sued the New York Post for $15 million in damages, contending that the paper portrayed him in articles, photographs, and an editorial cartoon as an "aberrant" person with a "bizarre employment history" who was probably guilty of the bombing.

Richard Jewell eventually settled with the newspaper for an undisclosed amount.

Richard Jewell filed suit against his former employer Piedmont College, its president Raymond Cleere, and college spokesman Scott Rawles.

Richard Jewell's attorneys contended that Cleere telephoned the FBI and spoke to the Atlanta newspapers, providing them with false information on Richard Jewell and his employment there as a security guard.

In 2006, Richard Jewell stated that the lawsuits were focused on vindicating his reputation rather than financial gain, highlighting that the vast majority of the settlements were allocated to legal fees and taxes.

Richard Jewell is played by Paul Walter Hauser, while Kathy Bates played his mother Bobi, for which she earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination.

Richard Jewell was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in February 2007 and suffered kidney failure and other medical problems related to his diagnosis in the ensuing months.