Hours before the biggest men’s basketball game in decades for Oregon State on Saturday, the team’s radio play-by-play voice Mike Parker claims to have been attacked in downtown Indianapolis.
The frightening incident, according to Parker, happened in broad daylight along the city’s Canal Walk, when he was approached by a man in his mid-20s, who demanded to see inside his bag. Parker told the man it was his work bag, and he was heading to work. But the man persisted, became aggressive and ultimately attacked Parker.
“He said, ‘Stop! I need to see what’s in your bag,’” Parker recalled. “And then he said, ‘Do you have a bomb in that bag?’ ‘No, I don’t have a bomb in that bag,’ and I kept walking. And moments later I’m tackled to the ground.”
According to Parker, he ripped the elbow on his shirt after landing hard on his right side, almost rolling into the canal when the man threw him to the ground. Police were nearby to intervene and remove the man off Parker. The Oregon State radio voice gave police a statement, but chose not to press charges to ensure he would make it to work on time.
Despite a few abrasions and feeling sore, Parker did call Oregon State’s Sweet 16 victory over Loyola of Chicago and noted the win helped lessen the pain. It was the first time Oregon State advanced to the Elite Eight in 39 years, but the Beavers Cinderella run came to an end Monday night in a loss to the University of Houston. Parker, a six-time Oregon Sportscaster of the Year winner, has been the play-by-play voice of Beaver football, men’s basketball and baseball for more than two decades.
This was the second time in recent years Parker made news after walking away from a dangerous incident. In 2019, Parker’s car spun out on major West Coast interstate I-5, and was luckily stopped by median barricades, allowing the sports broadcaster to exit the vehicle on his own power.
