The 2005 season was a rough one for the Minnesota Vikings.
A year after sneaking into the playoffs at 8-8 and winning a playoff game at Lambeau Field, the Vikings started the season 1-4. They had traded Randy Moss to the Oakland Raiders the previous off-season, Daunte Culpepper was hurt in Week 7 as the Vikings saw their pass offense drop from 2nd with Culpepper and Moss to 20th with Brad Johnson and Travis Taylor.
While things did eventually turn around mid-season with a six-game winning streak, that's not what media outlets and fans were talking about.
The Vikings were 1-3 heading into their Week 4 bye. Newly signed defensive back Fred Smoot was the allegedly coordinated a group outing on Lake Minnetonka. He rented two houseboats from charter company Al & Alma for the get-together of an estimated 100 guests. Prostitutes were flown in from Atlanta and Florida.
Everything that happened next was taken out of police reports from the incident.
The first call came into police around 9:20 on the evening of October 6th to report that "seven black men" had exited a "big shuttle bus limousine" and had urinated in her front yard. Once the boats left the docks, some of the sex acts alleged by witnesses during the party included "masturbation, oral sex, and anal sex"...among other things. The cleaning crew found used condoms, lube and wrappers for sex toys all over the boats.
Seventeen key members of the Vikings were charged in their role in the party including Smoot, Culpepper, Mewelde Moore, Pat Williams, Bryant McKinnie, Nate Burleson, Ralph Brown, Troy Williamson, Travis Taylor, Jermaine Wiggins, Kevin Williams, Lance Johnstone, Willie Offord and Moe Williams. Four of those players were eventually charged with misdemeanors while the other cases were dismissed.
When the "Love Boat Scandal" hit the media, the Vikings became the object of national ridicule from sports channels to late-night TV. Owner Zygi Wilf allegedly yelled at the team for 45 minutes, including threatening to cut any and all players who were involved. Wilf, who was seeking state funding for the new US Bank Stadium, publicly apologized to Governor Tim Pawlenty and other state officials before instituting a new team Code of Conduct.
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