Casper
June 3rd, 2005, 11:51 AM
If anyone hasn't heard about this, here's the story:
The 49ers' owners, John York and Denise DeBartolo York, apologized Wednesday for a players' orientation video that contained racist and sexist material. At the same time, players defended the video's star and producer, team public relations director Kirk Reynolds.
"The video was offensive in every manner,'' the Yorks said in a statement. "We regret that anyone from our organization would produce such senseless, inexcusable behavior. ... Policies are being put in place to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again."
The training video showed Reynolds, posing as the mayor of San Francisco, cavorting with topless dancers when the topic of dealing with women in the locker room is broached, spoofing gay marriage, and talking with a man in Chinatown who spoke in an exaggerated accent while wearing glasses and buck teeth.
Players appeared more upset that the tape on how to deal with the media, which was shown to the team during training camp in August, reached the public. The tape was sent to The Chronicle anonymously.
"It wasn't meant to harm anybody or be any kind of negative message at all. It was supposed to be an in-house thing,'' linebacker Julian Peterson said at the 49ers' Santa Clara facility, where the team gathered for an off- season practice.
"I know Kirk personally. I know he has not addressed anybody with racial slurs. I'm just so upset this got out of proportion like this."
Peterson appears on the tape as a panhandler saying that he will tackle for food. At the time the video was shot, Peterson had just ended a contract holdout. Peterson said his part of the video drew laughs from the team.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/06/02/MNGUOD277F1.DTL
Videos here (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/06/01/MNNINRSXCRPTS.TMP&type=universalnewads)
The 49ers' owners, John York and Denise DeBartolo York, apologized Wednesday for a players' orientation video that contained racist and sexist material. At the same time, players defended the video's star and producer, team public relations director Kirk Reynolds.
"The video was offensive in every manner,'' the Yorks said in a statement. "We regret that anyone from our organization would produce such senseless, inexcusable behavior. ... Policies are being put in place to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again."
The training video showed Reynolds, posing as the mayor of San Francisco, cavorting with topless dancers when the topic of dealing with women in the locker room is broached, spoofing gay marriage, and talking with a man in Chinatown who spoke in an exaggerated accent while wearing glasses and buck teeth.
Players appeared more upset that the tape on how to deal with the media, which was shown to the team during training camp in August, reached the public. The tape was sent to The Chronicle anonymously.
"It wasn't meant to harm anybody or be any kind of negative message at all. It was supposed to be an in-house thing,'' linebacker Julian Peterson said at the 49ers' Santa Clara facility, where the team gathered for an off- season practice.
"I know Kirk personally. I know he has not addressed anybody with racial slurs. I'm just so upset this got out of proportion like this."
Peterson appears on the tape as a panhandler saying that he will tackle for food. At the time the video was shot, Peterson had just ended a contract holdout. Peterson said his part of the video drew laughs from the team.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/06/02/MNGUOD277F1.DTL
Videos here (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/06/01/MNNINRSXCRPTS.TMP&type=universalnewads)