'Richard Jewell' exoneration: Why people still wrongly think he was part of the Olympic bombing

A wronged man is getting his public exoneration onscreen in "Richard Jewell."

The drama directed by Clint Eastwood (in theaters now) stars Paul Walter Hauser as Richard Jewell, the security guard initially hailed as a hero after he found three pipe bombs at Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park during a concert for the 1996 Summer Olympics.

His fast actions saved lives in the explosion, which killed one and injured 111. But when Jewell's name leaked out as the prime suspect in the deadly blast, his face and name became famous for all the wrong reasons.

Though police never arrested Jewell and ultimately dropped the investigation, and the actual bomber was eventually found, his lawyer and friend Watson Bryant says many people still think Jewell "had something nefarious to do with the bombing. It's just ignorance. He absolutely did not."

"The years pass. All you remember is the news avalanche and this idea that this guy had something to do with it," says Bryant, who served as a consultant on the film and is played by Sam Rockwell.

The movie, which traces Jewell's journey from hero to suspect to vindication, is billed as "based on a true story."

Here's what's fact or fiction in "Richard Jewell."

Why did Jewell's past spark suspicion?

Jewell is depicted as an eager-to-please mailroom clerk in Bryant's law office who reads dry penal codes in his free time.

The movie shows real warts from Jewell's failed attempts at a career in law enforcement. For example, he was let go from a security officer job at Georgia's Piedmont College for his overzealous tactics, which included raiding dorm rooms for student drinking violations.

"If you think that if a cop is overzealous, that’s evidence of him being a bomber, well, I sure as hell don’t," Bryant says.

Gun-loving Jewell, 33, is shown living with his mother Bobi (Kathy Bates), who is recovering from surgery at the time of the bombing.

He seemingly fit the profile of a lone wolf seeking to grab 15 minutes of fame, "but he was the antithesis of a bomber. And anyone who knew Richard knew that," says Bryant.

How did the hero become the suspect?

Jewell spotted the abandoned olive-green backpack containing pipe bombs under a park bench. When it became clear it was a legitimate threat, he helped move 75 to 100 bystanders away. (The scenes were shot in Centennial Park on the 23rd anniversary of the fatal bombing).

Immediately hailed a national hero, Jewell initially reached out to Bryant to help him with the paperwork on a proposed book deal. But that scenario flipped dramatically as law enforcement eyed Jewell as the primary suspect, leaked their investigation to the media, and the news frenzy began. Bryant stepped in as his lawyer, convinced of his friend's innocence.

"It was so incredulous when I saw the Atlanta Journal-Constitution famous headline, 'FBI suspects hero guard may have planted bomb,' " says Bryant. "I couldn’t believe it."

Why has the movie's portrayal of journalist Kathy Scruggs been fiercely criticized?

Olivia Wilde portrays real-life Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Kathy Scruggs, who wrote the story (with Ron Martz), citing Jewell as a suspect. Scruggs is depicted meeting an FBI agent (a composite character played by Jon Hamm) at a bar and is shown running her hand up his leg. He reveals the identity of the fed's suspect and the two leave the bar together.

The portrayal has roiled critics, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which says Scruggs is inaccurately portrayed as exchanging sex for information. Lawyer Marty Singer sent a letter to Warner Bros. and Eastwood on the news outlet's behalf that says the respected reporter is "reduced to a sex-trading object in the film." The letter demanded the filmmakers issue a "statement publicly acknowledging that some events were imagined for dramatic purposes and artistic license" and add a disclaimer to the movie.

Warner Bros. issued a statement in response, calling it the "ultimate irony that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, having been a part of the rush to judgment of Richard Jewell, is now trying to malign our filmmakers and cast."

An existing disclaimer at the end of "Richard Jewell" states, "The film is based on actual historical events. Dialogue and certain events and characters contained in the film were created for the purposes of dramatization."

Wilde tweeted a lengthy response to the controversy on Thursday, saying, "Contrary to a swath of recent headlines, I do not believe that Kathy 'traded sex for tips,' Nothing in my research suggested she did so, and it was never my intention to suggest she had."

The actress says her understanding of the "fictional dramatization of the story" was "that Kathy, and the FBI agent who leaked false information to her, were in a pre-existing romantic relationship, not a transactional exchange of sex for information."

Scruggs, who died in 2001, "unfortunately became a piece of the massive puzzle that was responsible for the brutal and unjust vilification of an innocent man, Richard Jewell, and that tragedy is what this film attempts to shed light on," Wilde wrote.

After the AJC staff saw a screening of "Richard Jewell," editor Kevin Riley called the portrayal "deeply troubling" in a written statement.

"Perpetuating false tropes about female reporters and journalism itself shouldn’t go unchallenged in a time when our profession finds itself under almost constant attack," he wrote.

How was Jewell vindicated?

As in real life, Bobi Jewell makes a tearful appeal to then-President Bill Clinton to clear her son's name if the FBI doesn't intend to charge him.

"Mr. President, you have the power to end this nightmare," she said before breaking into sobs and abruptly leaving a meeting with reporters in Atlanta, according to a USA TODAY report dated Aug. 27, 1996 – a scene re-created in the movie.

In October, the investigating U.S. attorney wrote a letter stating that "Richard Jewell is not considered a target" in the investigation.

Attorney General Janet Reno joined the "apologies raining down" on Jewell, according to a USA TODAY report published on Aug. 1, 1997.

"I regret very much what happened to Mr. Jewell," Reno said. "I don't think any apology is sufficient when somebody goes through what Mr. Jewell has gone through."

In 2005, anti-abortionist Eric Rudolph plead guilty to a series of bombings, including the 1996 Olympic bombing.

Bryant stands by the depiction in "Richard Jewell," acknowledging that some details are changed. "It’s a Hollywood movie. I think they honor the spirit of the event, the tragedy," he says.

Jewell, who died in 2007 at age 44 from complications of diabetes, was forever affected by the bombing, says Bryant. "Richard Jewell" takes a step in restoring his reputation.

"This movie will create a wave of information that will set the record straight," says Bryant. "Richard Jewell saved many lives doing his job and was one of many heroes who stood in the line of fire to move people. He was a hero."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Richard Jewell: People still wrongly think hero was tied to bombing