Viking’s Culpepper Charged in Boat Scandal
Thursday, December 15th, 2005Prosecutor Steve Tallen looks like he’s nabbed a real big fish up in Minnesota:
Quarterback Daunte Culpepper and three other Minnesota Vikings were charged Thursday with three misdemeanors each for taking part in a bawdy boat party earlier this season on Lake Minnetonka.
Culpepper, Bryant McKinnie, Fred Smoot and Moe Williams were charged with indecent conduct, disorderly conduct and lewd or lascivious conduct, according to court papers.
Prosecutor Steve Tallen’s decision was based on findings by the Hennepin County sheriff’s office, whose investigators reviewed allegations of lewd and drunken behavior aboard a floating party Oct. 6 that involved some Vikings players.
Crew members complained that some people took off their clothes and engaged in public sex acts during the cruise, according to Stephen Doyle, an attorney representing the boat owners, Al & Alma’s Supper Club and Charter Cruises in Mound. The crew members identified 17 Vikings among about 90 people on the two boats.
Doyle had said Smoot paid for one of the cruises. Smoot responded by threatening to sue whoever “put my name in there.”
You’ll remember I blogged about this back in October when all of this happened. Since then, the team has replaced Culpepper with Brad Johnson and gone on a 6 game winning streak, partially easing the discomfort of the local fans.
Regardless of whether or not the players are charged with felonies, they ought to be suspended without pay at least for the rest of this season and part of next season as well. The new owner of the Vikings had instituted a new conduct policy after the scandal broke, and suspensions such as these would put some teeth into them.
Remember, you’re not dealing with men here, you’re dealing with boys who get paid large sums of money to play a game for the amusement of others. In order to get anything across to them, you’ll need to treat them as such.
Print This Post
