Pewter Report weighs in

Pewter Report has been mostly quiet editorially regarding the Stevens signing, but in a piece today that's normally only available to subscribers, Scott Reynolds and team offer what I think is a thoroughly fair, even-handed and smart analysis of the situation. Select highlights:

"...Somewhere at One Buc Place, beleaguered wide receiver Antonio Bryant, who sat out 2007 due to a DUI and a four-game league suspension, is smiling because all of a sudden, none of the negative press is about him. He’s no longer the Bucs’ bad boy, and wisely, Bryant, who had a much-publicized tirade with former Dallas coach Bill Parcells, has yet to grant the first interview in Tampa.

The people that should be out either defending themselves or at least stating the team’s positions – Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen – haven’t been noisy enough and are getting damaged from a public relations standpoint in the media and on sports talk radio, especially WDAE 620 AM....

Don’t blame the Tampa Bay public relations staff for all the bad press the Bucs are getting in the media and on sports talk radio. The staff gets its marching orders from Allen, who does not provide a full understanding of his roster decisions to fans and dangerously leaves them open to interpretation in the media. The outlets that may have a bias against the team or certain members of it understandably run wild with a negative story. Controversy sells, right?

In the end, the negativity that has hit the local press and local sports talk radio has had an effect on Bucs fans’ feelings towards the organization. What should have been a relatively positive offseason with Tampa Bay returning to its winning ways with 9-7 record and third NFC South division title since 2002, has turned sour with the uproar generated from re-signing Stevens and the disgruntled Garcia and Simms spouting off about their respective situations at One Buccaneer Place."

Well done PR, this is why I'm a regular subscriber! Read the full piece.

Protest at Bucs' FanFest?

"If the public outrage that Stevens has sparked is in fact as real and widespread as it has been broadcasted, we should all see it begin to boil over this Saturday in the form of low attendance, public displays and boycotts – all that fun stuff."

From a scathing anti-Stevens column from The Suncoast News.

Ouch.

New Media

Pewter Report's Jim Flynn and Al Keck from ABC Action New discuss the Jerramy Stevens controversy. Watch it.

Nothing particularly new, but Flynn does say the public outcry is understandable considering the Seattle Times article -- with all new details about Stevens' past -- came out after the Buc's 2007 season.

I don't hear anyone saying the guy will be cut anytime soon.

Bucs' Website Bans Link to Seattle Times

As posted on AOL Sports, and based on an original report by ProFootballTalk, the Buc's official website has banned members from posting a link to the Seattle Times story about Jerramy Stevens.

Why?

I understand the organization is probably deeply frustrated by the seemingly never-ending public outcry about this story, but how many more dumb PR moves are they going to make? How does banning access to information help make a case for the signing? If you have a problem with the story, then make a case against the story. But by openly preventing others from even reading it is essentially an open admission you find the article inconvenient and embarrassing.

Though, let's be honest, we really shouldn't be all that surprised considering these were the same people who were so confident of the Stevens signing in the first place that they released the announcement of it late on a Friday night.

The obvious question now is: how much more pain can the Bucs take? How much more community venting has to happen before the team realizes the costs outweigh any minimal benefit of Stevens' presence on the squad? One thing for certain: this story is not going to go away. In fact, it now seems to be catching on nationally, which likely spells even more trouble.

Bucs' TE Coach Defends Stevens

Pewter Report has weighed in with another Jerramy Stevens story. In an exclusive interview, Bucs' tight ends coach Bob Casullo observes:

"Obviously [Stevens] can't say his side of the story. We don't know why because we don't know what happened in the legal system, and he is adhering to what the legal system told him he could and could not say. But there are certain people that don't want to accept that. They're making an issue out of it when his hands are tied."

We understand this is now the official line of the Bucs -- that Stevens can't tell his side of the story -- but he can't and won't talk about it because that's precisely what he and his lawyers demanded as part of the settlement. There's a reason why some are calling a $300,000 payout "hush money." It was to shut everybody up.

So, to now say it's "unfair" that he can't tell his "side of the story" is disingenuous at best, openly misdirecting blame and trying to mislead the public at worst. Regardless of the rape allegation (but, read the Seattle Times story and see if you aren't deeply disturbed), the man is still unquestionably guilty of other serious crimes and exceedingly poor judgement. Taken as a whole, it clearly adds up to bad moral character.

Once you consider this man's long past in its totality, and realize he just got yet another extreme DUI as little as 15 months ago -- which led to the NFL suspension last week -- it should give anyone with an objective brain cell in their head serious pause.

Read the PR article, but we also suggest subscribing. We do, and if you're a Bucs fan, Pewter Report is a great source of information and insight.

Wear your disgust

Our good friends over at Fire Jerramy Stevens have put together a line of clothing that lets you promote your disdain for the punk publicly.

What better way to make your thoughts known around town, say maybe at next weekend's BucsFest (though we don't recommend that...we think they might be a tad sensitive to any such displays)?

Pay 'em a visit and load up now!

More Media...

The Tampa Tribune waxes philosophic about Stevens. Our favorite part:

"Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the Bucs only want to do their bit for helping the down and out and this is their way of reaching out. My only suggestion is that if you do go to one of their games, you leave early and get out of the parking lot before the players hit the road. You might live longer."

And the St. Pete Times too:

"We could ask how creepy is too creepy for the Bucs, but we probably don't want to know the answer."

Be sure to also read the slew of moronic reader comments that follow. It's amazing what a few idiots with keyboards can accomplish. Most offer nothing in the way of perspective or understanding, just crass insults and stupid, counterintuitive arguments.

They have the collective IQ of a bag of hammers.

Stevens Press Conference Video

Pewter Report posted a video of Jerramy Stevens' press conference from yesterday. Their website says it will only be up for the next 24 hours.

Check it out.

National media weighing in...

ProFootballTalk.com also reported on the Stevens story and dropped an amusing line about the Bucs' organization and this situation:

"The only positive aspect of the situation (if there is one) is that the Bucs didn’t apply the same double standard that teams like, for example, the Stellers have used. In Pittsburgh, when a scrub does the same thing off the field as a star, the star keeps his job and the scrub gets fired. In Tampa, they’re willing to look the other way for all of the players — even those who aren’t very good, like Stevens."

Stevens a "scrub"... beautiful.

False report about WDAE & Buc's Fanfest

Steve Duemig just reported on WDAE that the Seattle Times ran some of the Tampa Tribune's Ira Kaufman's reporting on Stevens, but incorrectly included a line that claimed the Big Dog would be leading a protest at this year's Buc's FanFest. Duemig never said this and has formerly denied it, also adding that no one from Clear Channel (WDAE's owner) will be doing so, though they're certainly not pulling punches about intensely disliking the Stevens re-signing.

The mistake was apparently added by an editor at the Seattle Times and Ira Kaufman, the Tribune, and Duemig have all demanded they correct it. As of this moment, it's still up.

UPDATE (4:30 p.m.): Chris Landry just said on Steve Duemig's radio show that he took Jerramy Stevens off his NFL draftboard in 2002 because of known character issues. He said he also knew of several other teams who wouldn't draft him for his past. Hmmmm.

Rage Building

The Bucs are guilty of misinterpreting community reaction against Jerramy Stevens as merely a tempest in a teapot. If anything, fan reaction grows stronger by the day. Just listen to the callers deluging WDAE's morning and afternoon programs: the tone is clearly "kick the bum out." And the Bucs' odd decision yesterday to put an uncomfortable, thoroughly reticent Stevens in front of the media only aggravated the situation.

What did the Bucs hope to accomplish by this? Whatever it was, it clearly failed to assuage a skeptical media and public, that's for sure. In a St. Pete Times' article by Stephen Holder today, there's an interesting quote from Stevens that specifically addresses the community backlash:

"I don't feel it's a good use of my time to focus on that, so I'm doing everything I can to try and go forward. It's not surprising to me. It's a fan's right to try and understand what's going on. The fact that I play for the Buccaneers and the fans in the community are concerned, I understand that. … The only way I can move forward and become a better person and stay that way is to keep my eyes focused forward and not backtrack and talk about these things that happened and I learned from." [Full story]

So, let's see if we understand this correctly: it's our right as fans to try to understand what's going on with your past, and whether you belong in our community, but you're simply not going to answer any questions that would help facilitate that process? Okay, how about this, then ... we're done thinking about it: Get out. Now.

And lest the critics of those who oppose Stevens (and your message board behavior, mostly crude, stupid insults, and child-like failed logic, speaks volumes), and that those who are speaking out are acting unfairly toward the DUI-meister, check out the stern words the NFL levied on Stevens in it's suspension statement yesterday:

"Jerramy Stevens of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been suspended without pay for the team's first two regular-season games of 2008 and fined an additional game check for violating the NFL Substance Abuse Policy. However, if he has any further violations of either the Substance Abuse or Personal Conduct policies between now and the start of the 2008 regular season, Stevens would be suspended without pay for the team's first three regular-season games and face additional discipline for the new violation." [Source]

As Stephen Holder translated: Better not mess up again, son.

The bottom line is the Bucs could make all this go away in the blink of a Bruce Allen eyelash. Stevens is a mediocre talent who has never had to suffer the sum consequences of his many sordid actions. We don't want to be the community that suffers from his final act of bad judgement that would prove his critics right all along.

We wonder if anyone recalls the last time a young, troubled NFL star (who also had rape allegations hovering over his head) showed up in Tampa for a "last chance"? That didn't end up very well at all, did it? Remember?

Stevens issue gaining media traction..

Thanks to Ron and Ian's and Steve Duemig's refusing to let up on the Jerramy Stevens' re-signing by the Bucs on WDAE -- despite a hectic day of breaking Lightning news -- the Tampa Bay area media is beginning to report on the emerging community outrage surrounding the decision (understand why the organization waited until late Friday evening to announce it?). Check it out:

* St. Pete Times' John Romano
* Tampa Tribune's Ira Kaufman

Also, tonight the Pewter Report broke the story that Stevens will miss the first two games of the 2008 season on suspension because of his "extreme DUI" arrest in March 2007 in Arizona. (Read their story here --better yet, treat yourself to a subscription!)

Of course, this once again raises the question of why the team feels the need to jeopardize the community for a mediocre-at-best football player with serious character flaws. Does the team really expect us to believe that they can't find another tight end to replace 18 catches between now and the third game of the 2008 season?

Puh-lease!

Sign the online petition now!

We've created a secure online petition to demand that the Bucs organization immediately sever ties with tight end Jerramy Stevens. Here's the text of the petition:

We sign this petition to make clear that as citizens of Tampa Bay, and as die-hard Tampa Bay Buccaneer fans, we demand the organization immediately sever ties with Jerramy Stevens. As a convicted multiple DUI offender, and as a person of highly questionable character, we do not want him as a member of our team, nor as a member of our community.

Please join us in expressing your outrage by this decision. Hopefully our community voice will lead the Glazers, and the team's management, to reconsider this horribly short-sighted decision.

Sign the petition now.

No Jerramy Stevens in Tampa!

This blog was inspired, in part, by the comments made today by Tampa Bay's leading afternoon sports talk show host, Steve Duemig, also known as the "Big Dog" on WDAE-AM. As he, and many of his listeners noted, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' committed an utterly disgraceful act be re-signing tight end Jerramy Stevens late last week (and shamefully trying to hide the decision by announcing it late Friday night). Stevens has been convicted of multiple DUIs and is associated with a disturbing sex crime against a young woman in Washington State. This "football" decision has crossed a line, violated our community standards, and we will not remain silent about it.

It also came to our attention from listening to the Big Dog's program that comments posted in Internet public forums associated with the Buccaneers about this signing were allegedly taken down and the commenter's banned. Well, welcome to the new world of free speech and expression on the Internet, ladies and gentlemen. This blog is therefore for you, the Tampa Bay Buccaneer community, who wants no part of this player and wants our voices and dissension heard far and wide.

We only started this site today, so at the moment, all you can do is vote on the poll located to your right. However, we are in the process of creating an online petition to publicly oppose this decision, while also giving you the ability to directly post comments without fear of deletion or outright banning. Look for this website to rapidly grow as the community outrage inevitably grows about this unbelievably short-sighted decision by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

We will also share the results here with the team and with the Tampa Bay area media.

Winning at all costs, and at the expense of a community's safety and well-being, is not acceptable or appropriate. And we plan to let the Glazers know this loud and clear. Please join us in this effort!