June 02, 2005
"And now, introducing your San Francisco 69ers!"
San Francisco 49ers public relations director Kirk Reynolds is looking for a new job, now that a "training" video that would have been more at home being shown late nights in a frat house has surfaced.
The video includes off-color racial jokes, lesbian porn and plenty of profanity. It features Reynolds as the "mayor" of San Francisco (including a segment taped in real SF Mayor Gavin Newsom's office), discussing how to deal with the press and comport one's self as a player for the 49ers -- and in one scene, cavorting with several topless women.
The 15-minute video (see it here), some of which was filmed in the City Hall office of Mayor Gavin Newsom — who comes in for a few unsubtle swipes — was intended as a primer on how players should handle the media in diverse San Francisco.Reynolds believes that former 49ers GM Terry Donahue sent the video to team owner John York as retaliation.Instead, it's turned into a team embarrassment — with PR man Reynolds looking for another job.
The video, said team lawyer Ed Goines, "is absolutely contradictory to the ideals and values of the San Francisco 49ers."
"I thought it was one of the funniest things I ever saw," cornerback Mike Rumph said. "The locker room is like a fraternity. The outside world can't really judge that."
Just who knew about the video outside the locker room, and when they learned of it, is a bit murky.
Then-General Manager Terry Donahue showed a racy, 30-second snippet of the video to team owner John York in January, just one day before he was fired.
In March, Donahue sent a version of the tape to York at the request of his ex-boss. Apparently it sat unopened on someone's desk until about three weeks ago, when it was brought to Goines' attention.
A call to York's office was returned by Goines, who says he has been investigating the tape matter.
Donahue believes Reynolds helped push him out the door during York's team house cleaning. Some people close to the team think he showed the tape to York to discredit Reynolds, and now the PR man is convinced Donahue is the one leaking the tape to the media.No word from the NFL on how the League views this yet, but I'm sure that e-mails and phone calls are sailing back and forth between the 49ers and League officials."Absolutely'' he's behind it, Reynolds said Tuesday. "He made that clear to a couple of people close to me and a couple members of the media that he was going to do everything he could to take me out with him.''
Reynolds says Donahue didn't see the tape in advance but was well aware of the contents, having been told "the general premise'' ahead of time.
Reynolds points out that Donahue's roommate at the time appears in two scenes of the film — including one as a gay partner.
For his part, Donahue said, "I have never, nor would I ever, have been involved in any way with any kind of tape like this."
Reynolds says that he regrets some of the content of the video, but not the intent.
Wanna see the video? Take a look (Video contents NSFW).