CLEVELAND, Ohio – A portion of Interstate 90 in Cleveland is now named after Johnny Tetrick, a Cleveland firefighter who died in the line of duty.

The move became official Friday after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 107 at Cleveland Fire Station 22, where Tetrick worked for 25 years. DeWine was joined by Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, members of Cleveland City Council, Association of Cleveland Firefighters President Jake Konys and Ohio Rep. Tom Patton (R-Strongsville), who is the bill’s primary sponsor.

“Our first responders every single day risk their lives, whether the police officers, whether the fire department,” DeWine said. “They’re out, and they take a risk every time they go out on the highway. … So, I think today is an opportunity for us to say thank you, to honor Johnny, to honor his family.”

House Bill 107 passed unanimously in both chambers of the Statehouse. It designates I-90 between East 77th and East 105th streets as the Cleveland Firefighter Johnny Tetrick Memorial Highway

During the ceremony, Konys read quotes from firefighters who worked with Tetrick. His colleagues described him as a “go-to-guy” with a strong work ethic, a devoted father and a mentor to younger firefighters.

On Nov. 19, 2022, Tetrick, 51, of Kirtland, was part of a group of first responders called to a car accident on I-90 near the exit to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. A car had flipped over in the left lane, cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer reported previously.

Police cars closed off lanes to divert traffic while officials cleared the scene. Tetrick was picking up debris when a car drove through the closed lanes and struck him while going nearly 50 miles per hour. The driver then fled the scene.

The man who struck Tetrick, Leander Bissell, was convicted of murder in 2023 and was sentenced to life in prison with the chance to get parole after 16 years behind bars.

After the incident, the famously tight-knit firefighter community rallied around the Tetrick family, said Regan Tetrick, 22. Regan, the middle of Johnny’s three daughters, said she has received literally thousands of text messages of support from the firefighter community expressing support.

“I’m closer with some of the firemen and their families than I am with some of my own blood, and that is really saying something for me,” Regan Tetrick told reporters after the bill’s signing. “From the time I was born to right now, every holiday, every family event, I was always with the firemen. It really is a fire family.”

Regan’s sisters were not there physically. Johnny Tetrick’s youngest daughter, Eden, was taking final exams and his oldest, Falon, was in labor with a daughter of her own.

Asked about the timing of the bill signing likely being on the same day as her first niece being born, Regan Tetrick said, “I think everything always happens for a reason, and God’s timing is always perfect.”

©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit cleveland.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Ali, Frazier, Holyfield … Carmelo?

New York Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony had his share of bouts at Madison Square Garden and he has offered behind-the-scenes look at the extracurriculars on his “7PM in Brooklyn” web series, a Wave Sports + Entertainment Original. Anthony previously expounded his famous showdown with Kevin Garnett and used the latest episode to discuss the infamous brouhaha he waged against the Knicks when he was a member of the Denver Nuggets.

Prompted by guest and rapper Fat Joe, who was in attendance for the unexpected heavyweight bout in December 2006, Anthony described his involvement as getting “caught in someone else’s beef,” namely that between head coaches Larry Brown, George Karl, and Isiah Thomas.

“I see Zeke … he’s trying to get my attention,” Anthony recalled about the lead-up. “[He said] ‘Yo, don’t go to the hole.’ I’m like, what? He said tell your teammates, don’t go to the hole.”

At the time of the incident, the Nuggets had a healthy lead on the Knicks but Denver coach Karl kept his starters in the game, which was said to be a way of humiliating Thomas and New York for supposed mistreatment of prior boss Larry Brown, Karl’s close friend. The decision to keep starters in and inflate the lead was widely criticized at the time, as was Thomas’ relatively indirect threat to an opposing player.

Tensions boiled over in the penultimate minute with Denver holding a 119-100 lead: Knicks rookie Mardy Collins took down a driving JR Smith, leading to confrontations under the basket. Smith, a future Knick, attempted to confront Collins but was intercepted by Nate Robinson, who engaged Smith in a one-on-one fight that spilled into the courtside photographers’ area.

“I knew [Smith] was going to do something crazy on the dunk,” Anthony said. “Once he’s about to go up, I see Mardy Collins come flying down the court and grab him. I’m looking at Isiah like ‘you motherf***er.”

Coaches and security managed to prevent further escalation but Anthony launched a punch at Collins, striking him in the side of the face before retreating to the Denver bench with a restrained Jared Jeffries in pursuit. An insistent Fat Joe reminded Anthony that he “punched a guy in the face” several times and of his subsequent attempt to flee, giving the All-Star a chance to address his escalation.

Fat Joe claimed that Anthony was backing up to watch his work, but Anthony reminded him that the Knicks immediately sought revenge.”

“I ain’t watching the work,” Anthony said. “I had [guys] coming from this way and that!”

Anthony was on the other end of the court when Collins committed the excessive foul, which was a Flagrant 2 charge. He told his fellow panelists that, when he confronted the rookie, Collins claimed that Anthony wouldn’t do anything, leading to the mad dash.

All 10 players on the floor were ejected from the game, which Denver eventually won by a 123-100 final. The league threw the book at Anthony in the eventual discipline, charging its leading scorer at the time with a 15-game suspension, the longest among the offenders.

Robinson and Smith got 10 each and many (including Anthony) viewed the lengthy departures as the NBA attempting to set an example, as the fight came just over two years after the infamous “Malice at the Palace” between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers, where on-court fighting spread into the stands after a fan threw a cup of beer at Metta Sandiford-Artest (then known as Ron Artest).

The Knicks and Nuggets, of course, wound up burying the hatchet well enough to pull off a monumental deal just over four years later, as Anthony was traded from the Rockies to his hometown team in February 2011. Smith joined the Knicks as a free agent in the following year, setting the stage for the memorable “Knickstape” era at Madison Square Garden.

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