Shelly Saltman - Knievel Attack

Knievel Attack

In the mid 1970s, Saltman was one of the principals in a company called Invest West Sports. His company was contacted by boxing and sports promoter Bob Arum to invest the money necessary to fund and promote the now famous Snake River Canyon rocket-cycle jump by motorcycle stuntman Robert “Evel” Knievel. Shelly’s company agreed – on the condition that Shelly would head up the media promotion for Knievel’s unusual stunt. Arum and Knievel agreed to Saltman’s participation and the promotion went forward.

During the months of promotion, Saltman carried a cassette tape recorder with him in order to record the elements of the promotion for an upcoming book. Knievel, Arum, and many others involved in the promotion were daily featured on the recordings and Saltman claimed they were aware of his intention to write about his experience.

Three years later in late 1977, Dell Publishing released Saltman’s book under the title Evel Knievel on Tour, which included information about Knievel, information that Knievel claimed damaged his image and was misleading to the public. Knievel was outraged because he claimed the book misled the public about not only himself, but his family as well. A few weeks after the release of "On Tour," Knievel went onto the lot of 20th Century Fox Studios, where Shelly Saltman was a Vice President, with two of his friends and attacked Saltman with a baseball bat. Shelly's arm was fractured as a result of the attack. Shelly was caught completely off guard and he had no idea Knievel would seek vengeance.

When the news of Knievel's assault on Saltman was broadcast on national television, Saltman’s elderly mother had a heart attack . She died three months later. Knievel received a sentence of six months in work furlough for his assault on Saltman. A civil lawsuit was then filed; the civil court judge called Knievel’s acts “cowardly” and awarded Saltman $12.75 million in damages. Knievel declared himself to be bankrupt and none of the civil award was paid. In 2007, Saltman released a second book entitled Fear No Evel: An Insider's Look at Hollywood in which he told his side of the Knievel attack, as well as his involvement in American sports and media.

After Knievel's death in late 2007, Saltman announced he would be suing the estate for the unpaid award from the civil suit, which he claims now amounts to over $100 million US dollars with interest.