There's fan devotion, and then there's Eric Torpy, the Oklahoma inmate who asked to have his 30-year sentence increased to 33 years to honor Celtics legend Larry Bird.
Now, according to The Boston Globe, Torpy is not surprisingly regretting the decision.
Torpy is serving the sentence in Holdenville, Okla., after being convicted of armed robbery and two counts of shooting to kill. He was originally sentenced to 30 years in prison, but Torpy wanted to honor Bird in his own special way.
To honor Bird, Torpy had an additional three years added to his sentence, making a 30-year sentence a 33-year sentence.
"He said if he was going down, he was going to go down in Larry Bird's jersey," Oklahoma District Judge Ray Elliot said at the time of sentencing, according to the Globe. "He was just as happy as could be."
In an unsurprising turn of events, though, Torpy is regretting the decision. The 33-year-old won't be eligible for parole until 2033.
"Now that I have to do that time, yes I do [regret asking for the extra time]," he told the Globe. "I kind of wish that I had 30 instead of 33. Recently I've wisened up."
Torpy said that he was "clowning around" when asking for the extra three years, and he also mentioned that he thinks Bird knows of the situation. Yet, Torpy doesn't think Larry Legend is necessarily impressed.
"I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm an idiot," Torpy said. "I mean, truthfully, most people do. My own family does. I'm pretty sure he does, too."
Torpy would eventually say "I'm sorry Larry Bird, but I don't love you that much to hang out to 2033. I'm ready to go now."
Torpy still has Bird's number tattooed on him, and he says he will continue to be a Celtics fan.
