More On 'The Issue'

Wednesday, February 18, 2004
by Scot H. Laney

A) If anyone commits a rules violation that helps put fish in his boat, we will be the first in line to execute him, and that will be a long line because many of you will be there too. Our policy on matters of outright cheating are quite simple: two in the head, one in the chest. There's no room in this sport for such actions or anglers.

B) We will not participate in rumors, second-hand information and gossip when a career is on the line. Let the facts speak for themselves. If you have any facts, let us know. Facts are not "I heard this" or "I have a friend that was there and saw this" simply by themselves. Facts require going on the record with what you know, and being able to prove it. ("Off the record" means you can't print it, and isn't the same as being an anonymous source.) Can rumors be true? Absolutely. We know that and we have theories just like anyone else in this matter. Will we report our feelings absent any factual basis? No way. Do you have a right to do so if you feel you are correct? Sure, but watch out for the long arm of the law. That's not meant to be some "holier than thou" statement, just the plain, simple truth. Jay Kumar's column was trying to remind you that we live in a litigious society. Be careful.

C) Why is all this process and fact-finding important? Because any angler could find himself in this situation. When it happens, we hope that the process is documented, standardized and fair. That's all we ask. Does this mean we are the self-appointed watchdog for the whole industry? No. But we have a right to demand these things, and so do you. Or not. Your call.

D) Will we ever find out the truth? Who knows, but based on what we've seen so far, it's doubtful. If we don't, won't that hurt the sport? We believe it will. Fans have a reasonable expectation to know what's going on. If there's some sort of ongoing investigation, FLW should tell the fans that. We understand that FLW has legal responsibilities here, both to themselves and to the angler. But the other major-league sports (NBA, NFL, MLB) always let the fans know what is going on in matters of suspensions and banning. That's for a reason. Our sport should be no different.

E) We just report the news. In this case, no defense of anyone or anything was intended, but you take from it what you want. BassFan.com is the only daily source of news reporting on professional angling in the world. Occasionally, some of the news is not good. We wish that wasn't true. But it is.