With quarterback Daunte Culpepper and three
other Minnesota Vikings charged with indecent, lewd and disorderly
conduct for participating in a bawdy boat party, owner Zygi Wilf might soon need to determine if suspensions are warranted.
If discipline is needed, an attorney for the team said Wilf will
not hesitate to suspend any players -- even if it affects the
Vikings in the playoffs.
"He will do the right and ethical and honorable thing ... if
that's two weeks from now or six months from now," Kevin Warren
said Thursday.
However, Wilf told the Pioneer Press of St. Paul, Minn., that he'll hold judgment until the cases are tried in court.
"My response will be swift, but it'll have to be done at the appropriate time," Wilf told the newspaper. "It has to run its course."
Culpepper, currently on injured reserve, Bryant McKinnie, Fred Smoot and Moe Williams each were charged with three misdemeanors
for their behavior aboard a boat on Lake Minnetonka, according to
court papers.
Vikings tackle Bryant McKinnie gave a short statement to ESPN concerning the charges against him.
"These are false accusations and I plan on taking legal action to fight the charges," McKinnie said.
If convicted, each player faces a maximum of 90 days in jail and
a $1,000 fine for each count.
"The night of the incident, there was no shortage of
inappropriate behavior on both boats," Hennepin County Sheriff Patrick
McGowan said.
Prosecutor Steve Tallen charged the players based on an
investigation by McGowan's office, which reviewed allegations of
lewd and drunken behavior aboard two craft chartered for the outing
on Oct. 6.
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 boats' owners, Al &
Alma's Supper Club and Charter Cruises in Mound, Minn.
Crew members were able to identify 17 Vikings among about 90
people on the two boats; McGowan said authorities ultimately
identified about 30 Vikings.
Smoot and defensive end Lance Johnstone arranged the charter,
according to court papers.
Smoot declined comment in the team's locker room before
practice. Culpepper and Williams, also on injured reserve, are away
from the team and undergoing rehabilitation. McKinnie wasn't seen
in the locker room.
"According to NFL rules and union contracts, there is a large
difference between allegations and charges and convictions," coach
Mike Tice said. "So until at any point there is a conviction of
some type, if there is, I have no action to take and nothing to
say."
Reports that some women at the party were paid to come from
outside Minnesota had raised the possibility of federal charges,
but U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger said Thursday that no such
charges would be brought. Heffelfinger cited insufficient evidence.
A Jan. 5 court date was set for the players.
The boat scandal hit the Vikings when they were already reeling,
off to a 1-3 start, and made them the object of national ridicule
on late-night TV and cable sports channels. Wilf, who had been
seeking state help for a new stadium, apologized to Gov. Tim
Pawlenty and instituted a new code of conduct.
The team has since recovered on the field and, with quarterback
Brad Johnson replacing the injured Culpepper, has run off six straight
wins to become a playoff contender at 8-5.
Running back Michael Bennett said he didn't think the charges
would hurt the team heading into Sunday's game against Pittsburgh.
"Everybody's upbeat," he said. "We have the distraction
today, but again we've dealt with it pretty well."
Asked if he was worried the whole team would be cast in a bad
light, receiver Marcus Robinson said:
"That's what happens in football. They label all football
players the same, all athletes the same. That's just a part of our
job right now. You've got to know who you are as an individual and
worry about what you can control."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.