“I Lost $6 Million”: Vikings Veteran QB Reveals How the 2005 Minnesota Incident Cost Him Heavily
· Yahoo Sports
When a single night on a boat ends up costing a quarterback endorsement deals, the effects reach beyond the football field. That’s the case for Minnesota Vikings former QB Daunte Culpepper, who says the 2005 Vikings boat party, which he first heard about from his sports information contact, cost him $6 million in endorsements.
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“I will tell you this,” Daunte Culpepper told Jim McMahon and Sean Salisbury on the Unpaved podcast. “When that boat deal happened, I lost $6 million of endorsements. Just like this. Gone. The call from my sports information guy is like, hey, man, you guys had some type of boat party last week?
“I’m like, what are you talking about? So he goes, yeah, man, Channel 5 is about to run this story on this boat party y’all had. I’m like, oh, my God. I said, all right, it’s a big deal. It was all over ESPN. It was on the, you know, you would have thought it was a murder trial. It was the top story on ESPN for like two weeks straight. I’m like, bro, what is this?”
The negative media attention and public backlash led sponsors to cut ties with him, costing him an estimated $6 million in endorsement deals. And it all started back on October 6, 2005, when the Vikings found themselves in the middle of a story nobody in the organization wanted. A group of 17 players reportedly took part in a controversial private party on Lake Minnetonka, and two houseboats had been rented for it.
Daunte Culpepper, Fred Smoot, Mewelde Moore, Pat Williams, Bryant McKinnie, Nate Burleson, Ralph Brown, Troy Williamson, Travis Taylor, Kevin Williams, Lance Johnstone, Moe Williams and Willie Offord were all named in connection with it.
The situation soon moved from rumor to the courtroom. According to court papers, Culpepper, McKinnie, Smoot and Moe Williams were each hit with three misdemeanor charges, including indecent conduct, disorderly conduct and lewd or lascivious conduct.
For Culpepper, the timing could hardly have been worse. He had spent seven seasons in Minnesota, made three Pro Bowls, and put together a career year in 2004 with 4,717 passing yards and 39 touchdowns. Yet after the 2005 season, he was traded to Miami in March 2006, and the boat party was part of the backdrop to that move.
Not long after the trade, Culpepper addressed the mess in an email to the media. He accepted the responsibility that comes with being a high-profile athlete, and he apologized for the embarrassment.
“Without admitting to the ridiculous allegations, I do apologize for any embarrassment that this situation has caused the community, the organization, and especially my family,” wrote Culpepper. “I can handle the personal accusations because I know the truth. I expect the legal process to clear my name so that I can move on.”
He also used the email to thank the fans, his teammates, and former Vikings coach Dennis Green, who drafted him. Culpepper closed by wishing the Vikings well.
“I wish the best for the Viking organization as they go forward under the new ownership group and coaching staff,” he wrote.
The legal side wrapped up the following month. In April 2006, a Hennepin County judge found there was no probable cause to say Culpepper had committed a crime, clearing him of the misdemeanor charges.
His attorney, Earl Gray, was pleased with the outcome.
“I’m happy about it. I’m sure Culpepper is, and his family. It vindicates him from being involved in any sexual misconduct on the boat.”
Culpepper went on to play 11 NFL seasons from 1999 to 2009 for the Vikings, Dolphins, Raiders and Lions, finishing with 24,153 passing yards and 149 touchdowns.
Yet the stat line only covers what happened on the field. Even after the courts cleared his name, the boat party stayed with him, and by his own account, it cost him $6 million in endorsements.
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