I spoke with Harris' longtime friend Fred Hardwell on Wednesday.

He's clearly distraught by the loss of the man he calls his best friend.
Fred says Tony was "happy", excited about the new child about to come into his life, and was a good person.
He says Tony's name is getting dragged through the mud, and it just isn't right.

Harris went to Brazil to make some money, playing basketball. He had a child, with wife Lori on the way.
Soon thereafter, he phones home to tell his wife he's concerned for his safety.
Then on November 4th, he disappears.

On Sunday, his badly decomposed body was found in a wooded area in Central Brazil. And almost immediately, the Brazilian Police say he committed suicide. They would later admit they came to the conclusion, while the scene was still dark. The accounts of what they found at the scene have varied, but it goes something like this:

His body was found slumped against a tree, and appears that he climbed up the tree and attempted to hang himself with his own SHOELACE. They also claim there was only one set of footprints at the scene.

We know that Harris was in a cab, perhaps headed for another country, when the driver stopped at a gas station. For some reason, Harris got out, left all his personal belongings, and took off.

If you believe this entire scenario as presented, Harris was delusional, paranoid, depressed, or on drugs. Lori Harris has been quoted as saying he wasn't depressed.

Why would he just jump out of a cab, and run into the woods to hang himself? There has been nothing to indicate he would do such a thing.

Another theory may be more plausible. Tony Harris had enemies in Brazil.

Fred Hardwell told me Harris' former Brazilian team was angry with him, because he "had taken off" during a previous season. I wonder if he was already paid in full, and that team could have been angry that he came back and demanded money from him? Was that what he was concerned about?

Did some unseemly Brazilian thug pull him out and take him into the woods? We may never know.

It seems like the Police there are saying "case closed." There has been nothing new to suggest otherwise.

Harris made an impact on young lives, and impact on the court. He boosted local pride at Garfield High School where he won state basketball championships, and at WSU where he averaged 12.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in two seasons. He took the team to the NCAA tournament, which has only happened one since.

He deserves better. His wife, Lori, and friends like Fred Hardwell deserve better.

I can hope American authorities seriously investigate, so Lori, his mother Ophelia, Fred, and others can put Tony and their minds to rest.

An account for donations has been set up under the name "Friends of Lori Harris Fund" at the Main Branch of US bank in Bellevue. However, donations can be made at ANY US bank branch by referencing the name of the account.