NU grad Emanuel shows no mercy for Vandy player
Count Mayor Rahm Emanuel as one of the proud Northwestern University alums delighting in the team’s historic Cinderella dance into the second round of their first-everNCAA tournament.
But the mayor who has a reputation for being ruthless in politics is showing no mercy for the Vanderbilt star whose mistake made it possible: sharpshooter Matthew Fisher- Davis.
“The guy on Vanderbilt needs a witness- protection program,” Emanuel said during a postgame taping for the WLS- AM radio program “Connected to Chicago,” to be broadcast at 7 p.m. Sunday .“How do you foul a guy when you’re up? I don’t get it. He must have had a brain freeze.”
After almost singlehandedly shooting his team back into the game, Fisher- Davis committed an intentional foul against Northwestern’s Bryant McIntosh in the mistaken belief that Vandy was down by one point, rather than up.
When McIntosh proceeded to nail his free- throws, the Wildcat victory was sealed.
Northwestern head coach Chris Collins took the high road, saying he felt badly for Fisher- Davis.
After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, Emanuel got his master’s degree in communications from Northwestern.
Now he’s like so many other NU grads, delighting in the team’s success.
“Coach Collins and the team — I give ’ em a lot of credit,” the mayor said. “When he was recruiting the kids, he said, ‘ I’ve got nothing to offer you but a dream and a hope.’ And they signed up for it.’ And that ticket came home.”