The Love Boat: Fallout From Vikings’ Sex Cruise Continues

Zygi Wilf Leaves Team Retreat

After 17 Vikings players allegedly participated in illegal sexual acts and other activities aboard two charter boats last week, the NFL is once again “monitoring a legal issue involving the Vikings, anti-stadium opponents are having a field day, public relations is at its lowest point in memory and the Vikings are the butt of jokes,” according to Mcenroe, Craig & Doyle of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Minnesota state Rep. Andy Westerberg, the chief sponsor of a bill for a new Vikings stadium in Anoka County, said the boat incident “certainly does negatively affect the opportunity” for legislative approval of the financial package the team and county seek. Mcenroe, Craig & Doyle report Vikings Owner Zygi Wilf left a team retreat Tuesday night and flew to his home in New Jersey “without commenting on how his team is dealing with the controversy.” Vikings coach Mike Tice also “refused to comment or confirm any details” (STAR TRIBUNE, 10/13). NFL VP/PR Greg Aiello said the league is “monitoring the developments” around the alleged activities. Aiello added that there is the “possibility of action if any player is deemed in violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy” (USA TODAY, 10/13).

OFFICIALS QUIET: Wilf said that Tice’s job “is safe for this year and that the coach will not be the scapegoat for bad decisions made by some players.” Tice said that he was “guaranteed at the start of the season by [Wilf] that he will coach the Vikings throughout the season, regardless of the team’s record” (STAR TRIBUNE, 10/13). Tice said that he had “discussed the allegations” with Wilf, and that the team is “in the process of formulating a code of conduct for employees” (WASHINGTON POST, 10/13).

Mewelde Moore Says He Saw Nothing On Boats

PLAYER DENIALS: While Stephen Doyle, an attorney for the boats’ owners, told KARE-TV there was "no doubt" Smoot paid for at least one of the boats, Smoot’s agent, Bus Cook, said Smoot “did not pay for this boat trip in any way." Smoot said that he was “planning to take legal action against whomever ‘put my name in there.’" Smoot: "They're killing my name. Point blank. Somebody's going to have to pay for it" (ESPN.com, 10/12). In St. Paul, Silver & Jensen report the cruise was “organized and paid for by the 2005 rookie class” (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 10/13) Vikings RB Mewelde Moore, who acknowledged being on one of the boats, said, “I don’t know exactly what the problem is because nothing happened” (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 10/13). A Vikings player who was on one of the boats said that he “was not aware of any prostitutes on board, but he knew beforehand that [strippers] would be present.” The player said he knew “nothing about sex” that allegedly took place (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 10/13).

EVERYONE AFFECTED: Twins President Dave St. Peter said that the allegations against the Vikings “will make it easier for politicians to just say no this year” to a special legislative session concerning new facilities for the Twins and Univ. of Minnesota, as well as the Vikings. St. Peter: “To the extent that legislators and elected officials are looking for a convenient excuse, they’ve been handed one on a silver platter. But is there a direct correlation between where our bill is today in terms of being taken up by a special session? No.” St. Peter added, “The Twins, the Wild and the [T’Wolves] all pay the price in the sports environment.” Univ. of Minnesota (UM) AD Joel Maturi, added, “This should not be affected by what a group of Vikings allegedly did on a boat” (STAR TRIBUNE, 10/13). Minnesota state Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson “indicated the reports are a negative factor in the stadium debate.” UM political scientist Larry Jacobs said, “Legislators and corporate sponsors are appealing to voters or consumers, and no one wants to be associated with a product that appears regularly on the police-blotter page” (Aron Kahn, ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 10/13).

Tice’s Job Appears Safe Despite On-, Off-Field Problems

SHOULD TICE BE FIRED? ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser said Wilf “has already had The Original Whizzinator on his team, he’s already had a coach who scalped Super Bowl tickets last year, he’s got a bad team right now (and) now he has another scandal. I think he’s got to stand up and basically say, ‘We’re cleaning it out’” (“PTI,” ESPN, 10/12). In Minneapolis, Patrick Reusse writes Tice “fell so far behind in making players accountable for wretched behavior that any new attempt at discipline would be futile” (STAR TRIBUNE, 10/13). But also in Minneapolis, Sid Hartman writes, “While some media types are calling for Tice’s firing, I can’t agree. The days are over when a coach could control these players and what they do off the football field” (STAR TRIBUNE, 10/13).

MORE REAX: In Minneapolis, Jim Souhan writes, “The Vikings have spent the past 20 years orchestrating what appears to be a highly organized campaign to ruin their image and disgust their fans. And it is in those 20 years that their popularity has grown exponentially” (STAR TRIBUNE, 10/13). In St. Paul, Tom Powers: “Any Viking involved in what supposedly happened ... should be booted from the active roster” (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 10/13). In San Jose, John Ryan writes, “We could ask, for the hundredth time, exactly how was ESPN’s ‘Playmakers’ misleading?” (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 10/13).

TV MONITOR: Last night’s 11:00pm ET edition of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” led with the Vikings story, followed by MLB playoff coverage. Also among shows covering the story last night were CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360”; ESPN’s “NFL Live” and “PTI”; Fox News’ “On The Record”; FSN’s “Totally Football”; MSNBC’s “Scarborough Country”; and NFL Network’s “NFL Total Access” (THE DAILY). NBC’s Jay Leno also touched on the story, saying, “The government today rounded up a group of sex peddlers and perverts in their war against indecency. But enough about the Minnesota Vikings. ... What are they, 1-3? That’s the only offensive thing they’ve done all season” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 10/12).