Behind the Bastards

Episode Title: Part One: How The FBI Botched The Olympic Park Bombing
Date: September 30, 2025
Host: Robert Evans (Behind the Bastards)
Guest: Courtney Kosak

Overview:

This episode of "Behind the Bastards" delves into one of the most infamous media and law enforcement failures of the 1990s: the investigation following the 1996 Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta. Host Robert Evans and guest Courtney Kosak break down how the FBI and media together upended the life of Richard Jewell, the security guard who saved lives during the bombing—only to be falsely accused and relentlessly pursued as the prime suspect. The discussion unpacks themes of law enforcement incompetence, media malfeasance, and the enduring harms caused by both, setting the stage for the next episode’s focus on the anthrax attacks and Steven Hatfill.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Bad Guys, Bad Systems

• Introduction: The episode opens with a brief about the show ("podcast you listen to if you're listening…") and the fascination with histories’ “bastards.”

• This episode’s twist: The "bastard" today isn't the obvious villain—the FBI and the media are the main antagonists, while the central figure, Richard Jewell, is actually a "protagonist" who gets wronged (06:36).

  “...we’re going to be telling two stories, really. And in both of these stories, the bad guy is the FBI and more broadly, our entire justice system, right? And the media…” — Robert (04:57)

2. The FBI’s Recent Failures & Their Aftermath

• Recent disasters like Waco, Ruby Ridge, and the Oklahoma City bombing had already stained the FBI's reputation before the Olympics (56:47).
• The Olympic bombing was another blow, raising institutional panic and a rush to scapegoat.

3. Richard Jewell: Life Before the Bombing

• Early life: Richard was born Richard White, adopted by John Jewell, and obsessed with becoming a police officer since childhood (11:40).

• His law enforcement career was marked by over-eagerness and missteps:

  • Foiled a robbery as yogurt shop manager—a local hero moment (13:01).
  • Was jailed for overzealous, borderline illegal activity: arrested a noisy couple while only a security guard, later charged with impersonating an officer and required to get psychological counseling (16:04).
  • Eventually became a real cop after working as a jailer, but didn’t fit in due to his perfectionist and inflexible attitude (17:56).
  • Was sidelined for being a “buzzkill” and lost his job for crashing a police car, leading to jobs as campus and security cop (33:23).

  “His phenotype is copy, right? Like he was born with cop in his blood. ... He grows the kind of mustache that if you are, like, if you are biologically a cop, your body just produces that mustache, right?” — Robert (11:40)

4. Cop Culture, Systemic Corruption, and “Testilying”

• Deep dive into police corruption: studies cited showing cops frequently commit crimes (simple assault, sex crimes, DUI), and the concept of “testilying” (falsifying evidence to get convictions) is endemic (22:28-25:41).

  “The most common crime committed by police is also the one they get arrested for the least often, which is lying under oath. This is so common that cops have a term for it called test-a-lying.” — Robert (24:35)

• Jewell’s sincere, strict approach put him at odds with the prevailing, corrupt culture. He “wanted to be a cop for what you would say are the right reasons”—abiding by the law and protecting people—but didn’t fit in (18:16).

5. The Olympic Bombing: A Tragedy Stopped from Being Worse

• Jewell, relegated to security guard work, was posted near a sound/light tower during the Atlanta Olympics (36:54).

• His vigilance and seriousness led him to notice an unattended green military-style backpack (39:58).

• He pushed to clear the area—coordinating with a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent—as the bomb was discovered and subsequently detonated.

• Outcome: Only two deaths (one from the blast, one from a heart attack), instead of the dozens that would have happened had Jewell not intervened. Over 100 injuries were still reported (46:26).

  “He treats the job the same way. And thank God he did because he's going to save a shitload of people's lives.” — Robert (38:58)

  “This may be the only time in history where a rent-a-cop being overly a buzzkill works out.” — Robert (39:58)

6. The Hero Becomes the Suspect: FBI and Media Failings

• A former boss at Piedmont College, who disliked Jewell, calls the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to cast suspicions on him (48:32).

  • The underlying logic: Maybe an attention-seeker planted the bomb to become a hero.

• FBI pivots quickly from seeing Jewell as a hero to suspect, largely for reasons of convenience and embarrassment—they failed, he succeeded, and scapegoating him could salvage their reputation (53:35, 57:36).

  “The only reason it wasn't worse and that dozens of people aren't dead is that a rent-a-cop outperformed the entire federal law enforcement apparatus.” — Robert (53:35)

• The press, especially the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC), picks up on leaks from within law enforcement and publishes Jewell’s name as the prime suspect (59:19-62:35).

  • The “chunklet”/”voice of God” style delivers news in blunt, uncontextualized terms, giving no hint at the uncertainty, and all but declares him guilty.
  • The paper runs multiple stories a day examining every negative aspect of his history, from his intensity as a campus cop to his social awkwardness (72:28).

  “FBI suspects Hero Guard may have planted Bomb … fits the profile of the lone bomber. This profile generally includes a frustrated white man who is a former police officer, member of the military, or police wannabe who seeks to become a hero.” — (Article quoted by Robert, 62:57)

7. The Ordeal: Public Shaming and Ruin

• Jewell is surveilled and harassed by the FBI, his home searched, his friends and family questioned (71:50).

• Journalists from local and national outlets set up near his house; he becomes a punchline (e.g., Jay Leno calls him “the Unidoofus”) and a national pariah (72:28, 73:17).

• All of this happens without Jewell ever being charged.

  “He couldn't go anywhere without being surrounded. He becomes an object of obsession for reporters... every day there's articles not just in the AJC, but in national papers. Digging into his backstory, talking about every embarrassing thing he ever did… He saved people's lives and everyone in the country hates him now.” — Robert (71:59, 73:17)

8. Exoneration and Aftermath

• Three months after the bombing, without apology or correction, the FBI and prosecutors quietly deliver a letter to his lawyer saying Jewell is no longer a suspect (76:48).

• Jewell successfully sues for defamation and wins settlements against the Justice Department and multiple media outlets—but irreversible damage is done.

  “They do a full court media press so that people know this guy is not, not suspected. They're just like, fuck it, he'll figure it out.” — Robert (76:49)

9. The Eastwood Movie and Media Blame Revisited

• Clint Eastwood’s 2019 movie "Richard Jewell" dramatizes these events but scapegoats the reporter Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde) as sleeping with an FBI source to get Jewell’s name—an unsupported, widely criticized distortion that itself illustrates ongoing media irresponsibility and sexism (77:53-80:21).

  “It does kind of the same thing to one of the journalists at the Atlanta Journal Constitution that they had done to Richard Jewell, which is… defame him or her.” — Robert (78:54)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On systemic police corruption:
  “The vast majority of criminal behavior inside our justice system is perpetrated by police officers. And not just police officers, but by people who are in the justice system who are attempting to get convictions and have to futz with the truth in order to secure conviction.” — Robert (26:13)

• On the FBI’s motive for targeting Jewell:
  “I think the attitude for a lot of people in the bureau is like... this looks really bad for us. Unless that fucker was the bomber. Then... the FBI gets to be the hero again, right?” — Robert (53:41)

• On media malpractice:
  “A person who is suspected of a crime has not been charged with it… because you're going to nuke his life and make a huge number of people think he murdered someone and tried to murder dozens more people. But on the other hand, he's gonna sell papers, so obviously print that shit.” — Robert (62:30)

• On the Clint Eastwood movie:
  “[The movie] shows Kathy Scruggs, a real woman, as played by Olivia Wilde, sleeping with a source in order to get Richard Jewell's name, which is not what happened… Just because the story didn't seem bad enough as it was. And… if you talk about what actually happened, then you have to be deeply critical about the FBI…” — Robert (79:49)

Important Timestamps

• 03:36–05:27: Introduction of Steven Hatfill (future episode protagonist); how the real culprit in this story is the FBI/justice system/media.
• 11:40–16:07: Richard Jewell’s early life, yearning for police work, and early career mishaps.
• 18:16–22:16: Discussion of the ideals vs. reality of police work, citing statistics on police crime.
• 33:41–35:40: Jewell’s campus cop days; overzealous conduct and conflicts with students and management.
• 36:16–46:02: The Olympic Park bombing—Jewell’s actions and how his seriousness saved lives.
• 48:32–53:40: The pivot from hero-to-suspect; JEwell’s old boss sows doubt, and the FBI acts.
• 59:19–62:35: How the Atlanta Journal Constitution published Jewell’s name as a suspect and shaped the nation’s perception.
• 71:50–73:17: The ordeal of surveillance, media harassment, public shaming, and the impact on Jewell’s life.
• 76:49–77:08: FBI quietly drops Jewell as a suspect; no meaningful apology or reparations.
• 77:53–80:21: The legacy of the case in media—including the Eastwood film’s new distortions.

Episode Tone and Takeaways

The tone is irreverent, sardonic, and deeply critical—typical of “Behind the Bastards”—blending dark humor, strong opinions, and historical analysis. The episode is highly sympathetic to Jewell as a victim of systemic injustice and eager to highlight structural failures, not individual villainy. The hosts are blunt, using humor to cope with and highlight the absurdity and cruelty of institutional failures.

For Listeners:

This episode is a cautionary exploration of how institutions eager to salvage their own reputation and media motivated by profit can destroy innocent lives. Richard Jewell’s mistreatment foreshadows other botched investigations and sets up the next episode’s focus on the anthrax attacks and Steven Hatfill.

Next Time:

Part Two will look at the aftermath of 9/11 and how a similar pattern of media and law enforcement failure unfolded with the 2001 anthrax attacks and the scapegoating of Steven Hatfill. Stay tuned.