Jim Sweeney, left, poses with documentary director Joe Lavine on Sept. 27 at the Boston Film Festival, where "Playing for the Mob" was screened. Sweeney played for Boston College during the scandal. (Courtesy of Joe Lavine)
Joe Lavine didn't really know Jim Sweeney, even though the two grew up in the same town, were the same age and went to rival prep schools.
"I met him once or twice, but I couldn't say I knew him,'' Lavine says now. "I had friends who knew Jim. He went to Lawrenceville and I went to Hun, so we were in the same circles. And of course I read the newspapers, so I knew who he was.''
Years later, Lavine and Sweeney would get to know each other in preparation of ESPN's 30 for 30 "Playing for the Mob'' the story of the 1978-79 Boston College point shaving scandal directed by Lavine. The documentary will air for the first time Tuesday night.
"One of my first jobs out of school was working for New Jersey Public Television,'' Lavine begins his story. "I was picking up a package and had to wait. I take out my new copy of Sports Illustrated and on the cover is the story of Boston College and the point shaving scandal. And in the middle of the story is Jim Sweeney.''
Like anyone else from the Trenton area, where both Lavine and Sweeney grew up, he was shocked.
"I couldn't believe it,'' Lavine said. "Then nine years later I'm watching Goodfella's -- I always loved mob movies -- and there's Henry Hill. And I go back to the Sports Illustrated article and I just couldn't fathom Henry Hill and Jim Sweeney involved together.''
Lavine worked at HBO for 17 years and directed several of their sports bios including "Lombard''i, "Namath'', "Ali-Frazier'', "The History of the AFL'' and others. He tried pitching the idea of the Boston College story there, but it never got through.
"I probably pitched it 15 times in 17 years,'' Lavine said. "Every year they said, 'it's a good idea, but. . .' When I left HBO, I took the idea to ESPN and they loved it.''
Lavine was able to get Sweeney, Hill, before he died, Ernie Cobb, Boston College's leading scorer that season, Michael Bowie, another player on the team, and others from the FBI agent on the case to the layers to cooperate in the making of the film that provides both sides of the story of what happened during that 1978-79 Boston College basketball season.
Living in New Providence, now, Lavine was also able to get Ray Liotta, who portrayed Hill in Goodefella's, to be the documentary's narrator.
"Ray lives one town over from me, so that's how that happened,'' Lavine says. "But it was great getting the guy who played Henry Hill.''
In "Playing for the Mob'' Sweeney and Cobb tell their sides of the story, Hill tells what he remembers and there is testimony from Rick Kuhn, Sweeney's old friend who knew Hill's friends, the Perlas and who served jail time for the scandal.
"We couldn't get Kuhn to come on camera,'' Lavine said. "He still wasn't ready for that.''
The stories to this day differ. Lavine provides every angle in his story.
"What Jim says happened and what Rick says happened aren't the same,'' Lavine said. "And I know that bothers Jim. Rick never backed off what he originally said.''
What does Lavine believe?
"I only saw my role as film maker,'' he said. "I wanted to give all sides of the story. I wanted to be fair and let the audience decide.''
Follow Mark Eckel on Twitter at @MarkEckel08. FindNJ.com Sports on Facebook.Contact Mark Eckel at mjeck04@verizon.net.
