PORTLAND, Ore. _ With scandal now surrounding Tonya Harding, her once-appealing image as ``the hard-luck girl from the rough side of town'' may become a handicap to a future professional career, her former agent believes. In a sport where off-ice mayhem once extended only to grinding an opponent's skate blades into concrete or ripping her costume, the possibility that close members of her camp may have been behind the bludgeoning of rival Nancy Kerrigan could also wreck Harding's chances at next month's Winter Olympics or lead to her removal from the Olympic team. Shawn Eric Eckardt, 26, Harding's bodyguard, and Derrick Brian Smith, 29, of Phoenix were arrested Thursday in Portland in connection with the attack on Kerrigan, according to Michael Schrunk, Multnomah County district attorney. Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, reportedly will surrender Friday and a fourth suspect, identified by television station KOIN as Shane Standt of Portland, is being sought. The U.S. Olympic Committee issued a statement Thursday saying Harding's place on the team for next month's Lillehammer Games is secure as long as she is not implicated in the Kerrigan case. Kristin Matta of the national figure skating association said officials there won't make ``speculative'' statements about Harding's status until ``additional facts are available.'' A report by a Boston television station that Harding was named in arrest warrants was denied later Thursday by authorities in Detroit, where the attack on Kerrigan occurred, and in Portland. Harding's future as a professional skater remains promising, but she's been ``totally eliminated'' from any endorsement possibilities, said Michael Rosenberg, Harding's former agent. ``Most people assume commercial endorsements are the big part of a skater's income,'' he said. ``The cake is touring, professional competitions and personal appearances. If anything, those may be enhanced as long as Tonya isn't tried and convicted. Most skaters don't have endorsements, but they have a real nice career with a six-figure-per-year income.'' Others in sports marketing agreed with Rosenberg's assessment of her endorsement future. ``There's a difference between having an attitude and having problems with the law,'' said Liz Dolan, spokeswoman for Beaverton, Ore.-based Nike, which includes Michael Jordan among its athlete-endorsers. Harding's attitude made her a virtual recluse on tour and at competitions, said Joan Burns, who served several times as the U.S. team leader. ``It was just as if she was not there,'' Burns said. ``I think this is what could happen at the Olympics and at worlds (competition). Last year all the other skaters tried to cheer up Nancy (Kerrigan) when she skated badly at worlds. I don't think that would happen with Tonya.'' Indeed, before she left last week's nationals, Harding said Kerrigan's absence took the satisfaction out of her victory but that in Lillehammer, ``I'm going to whip her butt.'' ``She loves to beat people and then to gloat about it,'' Rosenberg said. Some in the skating community believe it would be best if Harding withdraws from the Olympic team. ``I don't know how Nancy Kerrigan can get on the ice with her,'' said skating judge Bonnie McLaughlin. Burns, who has judged internationally, said if Harding remains on the team, ``she's just creating more problems for herself. I wouldn't want to judge her for a million dollars.'' In what apparently is the closest precedent, 1984 Olympic silver medalist Bruce Kimball was allowed to compete at the 1988 Olympic diving trials after he was charged with manslaughter in the death of two teen-agers he struck while driving drunk. Kimball failed to qualify for the Olympics, however, and recently was paroled from a Florida prison. Harding remained in seclusion Thursday, and Kerrigan, recuperating at home in Stoneham, Mass., declined comment. Before last week the most unsavory aspects of skating competition ranged from equipment sabotage, incidents of which have been reported in many sports, to attempting to influence judges. ``Where skaters really go after each other is through their coaches, trashing other skaters to the judges and trying to trade off votes,'' Rosenberg said. As what appeared to be a case of a crazed stalker evolved into what now looks like a violent attempt to alter the outcome of competition, many in the skating community decried the Kerrigan attack as more universal than just an indictment of their sport. ``Is tennis dead because of the (Monica Seles) stabbing?'' asked Morry Stillwell, a U.S. Figure Skating Association vice president. ``There are fans and nuts in all of the sports. Look at the violence in soccer. I don't see why this affects us any differently.''
