Fred Smoot had one piece of advice for anyone who ever set foot on that ship: “If you ever get on this ship, please don’t turn on the black light. Please.”That line, delivered to Barstool Sports in 2018, tells you everything you need to know about Oct. 6, 2005 The Minnesota Vikings’ “Love Boat” scandal remains the most illegal, storied off-the-field incident in modern NFL history, and 20 years later it has found its way back into the conversation.
How the Minnesota Vikings’ Love Boat scandal actually began, with seven players urinating on an unknown turf
None of this becomes a national story without Cathy Hough.Hough lived at 4997 Tuxedo Blvd. in Mound, Minn., a five-minute walk from Al and Alma’s charter boat company on Lake Minnetonka. On the night of October. 6, 2005, she was folding laundry when she looked out her bedroom window and saw a black limousine bus pull up on the corner of her street. Seven large men came out and lined up along her yard.They urinated on their grass. Hough marched out, screaming at them, and one of the men told him, “It’s just water, ma’am.”She got into her Chevy Lumina, followed the bus to Al and Alma, drove home and called 911. That phone call sparked a police investigation that turned the NFL upside down.The two-yacht excursion was organized by first-year Vikings safety Fred Smoot and possibly two other players, according to Stephen Doyle, Al and Alma’s attorney. Smoot had a budget of $80,000 and one night to throw a rookie party during the bye week. He put down his credit card, chartered two large boats and arranged for sex workers to come from Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles, New York and Texas. About 100 women arrived in limousines. “You’d think the president was moving at this time,” Smoot later told Barstool Sports.The ships were ordered to return to shore just 40 minutes into the planned 3.5-hour cruise after supervisors learned what was happening on board. Cleanup crews found used condoms, KY jelly and sex toy wrappers on both vessels. One crew member told investigators, “Never in the history of this group of people have they had anything like this.”
Daunte Culpepper, Fred Smoot, Bryant McKinney and Moe Williams four players charged and what each of them faced
On December 15, 2005, Hennepin County prosecutors charged Daunte Culpepper, Fred Smoot, Bryant McKinnie, and Moe Williams with three misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct, disorderly conduct, and lewd or lascivious behavior. Each count carried a maximum of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.Specific allegations according to eyewitness accounts, as reported by ESPN and Minnesota Public Radio: Culpepper danced with a naked woman at a bar on the ship and put his hands on her. McKinnie placed the woman on the lounge bar and performed oral sex on her, then later received oral sex while sitting in a lounger with three other unidentified men. Smoot uses a sex toy on two women on the salon floor. Williams was given a lap dance by a topless dancer.Charges against Culpepper were dismissed in April 2006. Williams was found guilty of disorderly conduct, fined $300 and ordered to perform 30 hours of community service. Smoot and McKinnie pleaded guilty in May 2006 to disorderly conduct, paying a $1,000 fine and serving 48 hours of community service. Their prison sentences of 30 days were suspended for one year.In September 2006, the NFL determined that Smoot was $82,352 and McKinnie was $41,176. None were suspended. The day after McKinnie was fined, the Vikings gave him a seven-year, $48 million contract extension.
How much the Love Boat scandal really cost the Minnesota Vikings
The franchise paid a price that went beyond the fines.Head coach Mike Tice was fired at the end of the 2005 season, and the love boat scandal was a significant factor in owner Zygi Wilf’s decision. Wilf subsequently issued a 77-page code of conduct for all team personnel. The Vikings finished 9-7 that year and missed the playoffs in tiebreakers, the team that had been in the NFC Championship the previous season.Smoot, looking back years later, put it the only way a person probably can: “We were a bunch of 20-year-olds with millions of dollars in our pockets. What do you expect the boys to do? They’ll have fun and find some trouble.”And Cathy Hough, the woman whose 911 call started it all? The Vikings never apologized. Al and Alma sent her a basket of gifts. She told Sports Illustrated’s Jeff Pearlman, “I guess public shaming does that to people.”
What to know about the Minnesota Vikings’ Love Boat scandal
What was the Minnesota Vikings’ Love Boat scandal?
The Minnesota Vikings’ Love Boat scandal was an off-field dispute in 2005 involving several Vikings players on two charter boats on Lake Minnetonka. Crew members reported public sexual acts and other inappropriate behavior, and four players were later charged with misdemeanors.
When did the Minnesota Vikings’ Love Boat scandal happen?
The Minnesota Vikings love boat scandal occurred on October 6, 2005, during the team’s bye week. Several Vikings players were on two charter boats on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota when crew members reported public sexual acts and other inappropriate behavior.
Which Minnesota Vikings players were charged after the Love Boat scandal?
Daunte Culpepper, Fred Smoot, Bryant McKinnie and Moe Williams were indicted in December 2005. Any offense he faces counts as misconduct, disorderly conduct, and lewd or lascivious behavior.
What happened to the charges in the Viking Love Boat case?
Charges against Culpepper were dismissed in April 2006. Williams was found guilty of misconduct. Smoot and McKinnie later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and were fined by the NFL.
Why did the Viking Love Ship scandal become so notorious?
The scandal became notorious due to the graphic claims of witnesses, the police investigation, misdemeanor charges and the damage it caused to the Vikings’ public image. It also happened during the regular season and became one of the NFL’s most talked about off-field controversies.
