Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 18, 1990                   TAG: 9007180027
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CLEVELAND                                LENGTH: Medium

MACKEY SAYS HE HAS LIVED LIFE OF 'HELL'

"I was on a collision course to kill myself or somebody else, the way my life was going out of control," he said.

Mackey, 43, was arrested Friday in his car along with a female companion after police, acting on a tip, staked out a suspected drug house and allegedly saw Mackey leave and drive away erratically.

Mackey pleaded innocent Monday in Cleveland Municipal Court to driving under the influence and having an open beer can in his car. Later that day, a crime lab's test of a urine sample, which Mackey voluntarily provided while being booked, showed traces of cocaine.

Mackey has not been charged with a crime stemming from drug use.

At a news conference Tuesday, Mackey said he had been a drug abuser for about three years and was unable to control his drinking the past five years. A father of three, Mackey spoke with his wife Kathleen, son Brian and brother Steven at his side.

Lawyer David Roth, representing Mackey, asked Cleveland State officials Tuesday to grant the coach a medical leave of absence.

Ed Mayer, a spokesman for Cleveland State, confirmed Tuesday that university officials met with Roth. He said a "decision on the course of action regarding Kevin Mackey might come in a few days."

Mackey's teams have compiled a 144-67 record since he became the Vikings' basketball coach March 16, 1983. He previously served as an assistant at Boston College and as head coach at Boston's Cathedral High School.

Mackey, who signed a new, two-year contract July 11, said he hopes to salvage his coaching career.

"Should I be given the opportunity, I will devote all my energy to leading one life, a clean life, to go home at night, to be with the people that love me and care about me," he said. "I think abuse of alcohol led to situations where I would move toward drugs. . . .

"I brought this on myself. This is my fault. There isn't anyone else to blame in this matter.

"I always tell my players to look in the mirror. When I look in the mirror now, I don't like what I see. I sincerely believe that I am sick, that I have a problem."

Mackey's 1986 Cleveland State team went 29-4 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's round of 16. That team upset Indiana in the NCAA Tournament, and Mackey called the season "The Magic Carpet Ride."

However, on Tuesday, Mackey called his past three years "the descent into hell."

Mackey said he was glad he took the urine test, which can reveal drug abuse, rather than just a breathalyzer or alcohol intoxication test.

"In the past year, there have been periods of time that I don't remember," he said. "There are conversations I've had, places I've been, that I can't recall. That's not a very good feeling. . . . Sometimes a person's strength is a gift wrapped in weakness."

Asked at the news conference how often he used cocaine, Mackey said: "Not that frequently."

However, Mackey said he led two lives, one as a public figure and family man and the other in drunken or drug-induced stupors. He said he never was under the influence during any of his team's games.

"I was totally out of control," Mackey said. "It started with the alcohol and it led to drugs. My wife is a saint. She lived with a devil."

Kathleen Mackey limited her remarks to one brief statement: "I've known this man for 27 years, and this man is not the Kevin Mackey I know. The Kevin Mackey I know is inside there and will be back."

Mackey and Alma Massey, 36, were stopped Friday about 8:30 p.m., a half-block from the suspected drug house.

Massey pleaded innocent Monday in Municipal Court to child endangering and speeding charges filed previously. Police said they found what they believed to be heroin and drug paraphernalia, including a syringe and spoon, in her purse after her arrest.

Cleveland television station WJW reported Monday that Mackey had been involved with Massey for more than four years and that Massey's mother, now deceased, called the television station several years ago to complain about Mackey.

Asked at Tuesday's news conference about his involvement with Massey, Mackey said, "The worst thing that ever happened to Alma Massey was meeting Kevin Mackey."