2005 was a strange year for the Minnesota Vikings. It began with the trade that sent Randy Moss to the Raiders. It continued with a change in ownership. It culminated with quarterback Daunte Culpepper suffering a torn knee ligament trifecta against the Panthers on October 30.
Earlier that month, the strangeness reached a crescendo on Lake Minnetonka, where a bye-week booze cruise became a money-for-sex romp that resulted in several players facing criminal charges.
It came to be known as the Love Boat scandal, and Michael Rand of the Minneapolis Star Tribune looks back on the fiasco a day after its 10th anniversary. (The Wikipedia page devoted to the case, regardless of accuracy, is far more entertaining.)
Back in December 2005, Deadspin summarized the police reports, which include bizarre allegations involving Fred Smoot and Bryant McKinnie. More recently, Smoot described McKinnie’s activities that night in a way that may or may not induce a craving for okra.