05/04/24
April 04, 2006
Judge tosses boat-party charges against Culpepper: Daunte Culpepper got rid of his last headache in Minnesota on Tuesday when a judge dismissed misdemeanor lewd conduct charges, saying a prosecutor didn't show probable cause. Now he can really forget about Minnesota, and just concentrate on his Dolphins.
Dear knuckleheads who shot your collective mouths off in the previous threads on this subject: I believe many of you owe Daunte Culpepper, who always maintained his innocence, an apology. Anyone feel like owning up to convicting him in their minds already? Love, Chico
posted by chicobangs at 07:47 PM on April 04, 2006
He denied it!!! But....but....but he said he loved me!! /sob
posted by commander cody at 07:53 PM on April 04, 2006
but he said he loved me!! That was just pillow-talk, baby... Oh, and, um, sorry daunte...
posted by wingnut4life at 08:02 PM on April 04, 2006
Anyone feel like owning up to convicting him in their minds already? not really. not until he stops that tina turner rolling down the river thing.
posted by ninjavshippo at 08:43 PM on April 04, 2006
Chico I think that might be an uphill battle; people on SpoFi have little respect for the decisions of courts of law in regards to athletes, hence all of the prom comments on the Chmura thread.
posted by everett at 12:20 AM on April 05, 2006
Oh, I figured, everett. Not to mention all the people who sign up one day while waiting for Jim Rome to come back from commercial, take a big racist all-caps ignorant monosyllabic dump on the site and then wander off the next day, never to come back.
posted by chicobangs at 01:10 AM on April 05, 2006
people on SpoFi have little respect for the decisions of courts of law in regards to athletes, hence all of the prom comments on the Chmura thread. There's nothing wrong with the "prom" comments. He deserves it. He was aquitted of rape, not of acting inappropriately. In his own words he said that his behavior at a post-prom party "wasn't something a married man should do". Of course, he blames it on "a raucous lifestyle led by many NFL players" and he wanted to write a book to "help others". The court said there wasn't enough to convict him of rape. Good enough. Doesn't mean I would let him around my 17 year old daughter. Doesn't mean he doesn't deserve the comments. This is a guy who boycotted meeting president clinton because he was disgusted by Clinton's moral and ethical shortcomings. So you can add hypocrite to chmura's list of wonderful attributes. He made his bed...
posted by justgary at 01:34 AM on April 05, 2006
A big time athlete/celebrity didn't convcted (or in this case brought to trial) That's a big surprise.
posted by scottypup at 08:22 AM on April 05, 2006
I realize I've posted on the Vikings subject, but I'm not sure any of my comments have absolutely convicted Culpepper individually. My only concern with the entire episode is that the complaints of the employees that possbily didn't want to be exposed to this type of behavior be heard. I don't care whether it was Culpepper, Smoot, McKinney, Williams, etc. These guys, whether they be white, black, yellow or blue need to know they ARE in the public eye, and acting in that questionable a manner, in public, has a fairly good chance of making the news. If every one of the guys have the charges dropped, then good for them. But hopefully they realize the next time the hookers are flown in for a party they need to take it to one of their own 20,000 square foot pads, not a boat with public employees. I'm sure their wives won't mind them hosting that type of bash.
posted by dyams at 08:28 AM on April 05, 2006
I don't care whether it was Culpepper, Smoot, McKinney, Williams, etc. These guys, whether they be white, black, yellow or blue need to know they ARE in the public eye, and acting in that questionable a manner, in public, has a fairly good chance of making the news. Well, you should care. It certainly matters whether Culpepper's actions were questionable or whether he was charged merely for being on the boat. His reputation has been damaged. Only half of the people interested in the initial story will be interested in this one. And, since we have no idea if Culpepper even knew there would be strippers, then the only lesson is that it sucks to be a black star football player in Minnesota.
posted by bperk at 08:47 AM on April 05, 2006
Please, the only reason the employees of the charter service ever filed a complaint was because the Vikings stunk at the time. Its good to see charges dismissed that would not have been filed in the first place had the Vikes been a .500 team or better. I wish I could turn a whole boat load of Lions players in for the same thing or at least for being incredibly boring lollygaggers.
posted by gradys_kitchen at 08:56 AM on April 05, 2006
Well, you should care. Well, I don't. Race isn't the issue with me, and if it was for the people on this boat, then the problem goes over to them (in this intance). I'd say the same thing whether it was Fred Smoot, Fred Smerlas, or Fred Savage. These people want the publicity when it works in their favor ($), but want it all swept under the rug when it doesn't. Welcome to the public eye! Anyone, myself included, who thinks they can put themselves in/around this type of a situation and not think their reputation might take a hit needs to wake up. I've seen small, piddly little high school coaches get axed from their jobs for being involved/around this type of activity, in public. I don't invent the morals expectations, I just live with them like anyone else.
posted by dyams at 09:46 AM on April 05, 2006
You keep making it seem like Culpepper did something to put himself in this situation. He went on a boat cruise with all of his teammates. That's it. It turns out that some people (like the boat captain that went uncharged) acted badly. He didn't actively put himself in a bad situation. In fact, he avoided it by going to play dice. The fact that he was charged and accused of something that he did not do is an injustice, not a case of a celebrity expecting things to be swept under the rug.
posted by bperk at 10:06 AM on April 05, 2006
I'd say the same thing whether it was Fred Smoot, Fred Smerlas, or Fred Savage. Oh I see, so if it had been Fred Flinstone you would care? You toon hatin' humanbeing you. How hippicritical, I bet you even let your kids watch toons. I bet you even (dare I say it) let the kids look up to them as hero's. How do you feel about UnderDog as sometoon to idolize? oh shit the mind-altering drugs of yesteryear are givin' me flashbacks.
posted by Folkways at 10:41 AM on April 05, 2006
everett, I certainly understand your comments, and I think they particularly apply to just about any discussion of b------l, B---y B---s, and s------s. However, in the Chmura case, I must respectfully disagree. Read the transcripts from the trial, and you will find that Mark Chmura provided a minor with alcohol, encouraged said minor to imbibe said alcohol, then made inappropriate physical contact with that minor while she was in an impaired state (and no, I don't mean Wisconsin!). The problem is, he was charged with rape, which a jury found him innocent of. He's hardly the poster child for "innocent until proven guilty in the court of SportsFilter opinion." Just my .02.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 10:51 AM on April 05, 2006
I appreciate the comment Black hand, but what were the deleted words? Sorry for being obtuse...
posted by everett at 11:19 AM on April 05, 2006
everett: check every other syringe-related thread on the front page.
posted by chicobangs at 12:34 PM on April 05, 2006
I think the Culpepper probable cause hearing, from what I have heard (in the Earl Gray interviews and so forth), went down like this: The defense presented testimony of Culpepper, and at least one other witness, that he was not involved in the conduct alleged in the complaint. The prosecution then, rather than present its own witnesses and testimony (maybe they didn't have any to present) rested on the disclosures in the file. At that point the Judge basically has to decide whether that is enough, or "given the facts disclosed by the record, is it fair and reasonable to require the defendant to stand trial." Where the defendant produces exonerating testimony/evidence, the Judge can still rule in favor of the prosecution if the Judge finds that the prosecution "possesses substantial evidence that will be admissible at trial and that would justify denial of a motion for a directed verdict of acquittal." Lazy prosecution or nothing there? Maybe both (also Earl Gray, despite the teabag name, is a very good defense attorney). Either way, Culpepper is cleared because the Judge found that there was insufficient evidence for him to even have to stand trial for the charge(s). In case anyone was wondering about all of that...probably not.
posted by chris2sy at 01:31 PM on April 05, 2006
You keep making it seem like Culpepper did something to put himself in this situation. He went on a boat cruise with all of his teammates. IIRC, this was an annual boat trip, not just the first ... which would make me think Culpepper knew full well what sort of activities would be offered on-board. Anyone care to correct me on that? I'd look myself, but curiously, the Yahoo News link from the original discussion about this now goes to the story about Culpepper's charges being dismissed rather than the story at the time.
posted by wfrazerjr at 03:46 PM on April 05, 2006
From a google story that is cached and not available: One current Viking said early last week that this tradition started several years ago, with rookies treating veterans to a lavish party. But the festivities evolved last year, starting with dinner at a Mall of America restaurant then continuing at Fahrenheit Night Club in Minneapolis, both of which were rented out by the players. Then, a handful of players went to an Eden Prairie hotel, where the strippers were staying. One of the former players did not attend last year's party but was informed of the plans because there is an open invitation to all players. But last year, as was the case with this year's festivities, players knew not to bring along wives or girlfriends. The player who attended last year's event estimated that more than 30 players went to the restaurant and club. But most of them, including himself, did not proceed to the hotel with the strippers. The player said he was not aware of any players having sex with strippers at the hotel last year.
posted by bperk at 04:11 PM on April 05, 2006
"I didn't get a lap dance, I was just Gambling." Yep Chico, he's innocent alright.
posted by LostInDaJungle at 10:57 AM on April 06, 2006
Well, now, if he was on a boat, a certain distance from shore, he would have been in international waters, where gambling would be legal. I'm not sayin' I know exactly where the boat was...I'm just sayin'.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 01:26 PM on April 06, 2006
International waters?
posted by tron7 at 03:00 PM on April 06, 2006
I don't know the exact rules on International waters, but I get the impression that you can get away with almost anything while on them.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:14 PM on April 06, 2006
Yep Chico, he's innocent alright. Okay, you take a short quote out of context, and I'll take his word (which has never changed since day one) and that of the legal opinion, which looked at all the evidence and summarily tossed the case against him.
posted by chicobangs at 08:14 PM on April 06, 2006
Lake Minnetonka isn't exactly international waters, but I think he was kidding anyway.
posted by tron7 at 10:18 AM on April 07, 2006
I know that it wasn't international waters, I just want to know what the laws are when you are on them.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 03:52 PM on April 07, 2006
Gee, I didn't see this coming. Even though Dante gets on my nerves, this whole story smelled like somebody wanted to burn him. Not because he was black, mind you, but because he was a pro football player. Maybe one day we'll hear the true story, I don't know. It's probably stuck somewhere between the prosecution and the defense.