• ‘Niners video too racy for owners • Yates fares well at elite contest • Kapa‘a’s Villabrille drives away with top prize ‘Niners video too racy for owners By ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN FRANCISCO — A video meant to prepare San
• ‘Niners video too racy for owners
• Yates fares well at elite contest
• Kapa‘a’s Villabrille drives away with top prize
‘Niners video too racy for owners
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FRANCISCO — A video meant to prepare San Francisco 49ers players for dealing with the media features off-color humor — including racial jokes and nudity — and has outraged team ownership and the city’s mayor.
The 15-minute film shows team public relations director Kirk Reynolds sitting in San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s office, impersonating the mayor there and in other city scenes, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Wednesday.
The video, sent anonymously to the paper, also featured racial jokes, lesbian soft-porn and top-less women.
“Did I push it too far? I did,” Reynolds said. “The ideas of the tape are appropriate for the locker room — though some of the subjects were inappropriate for the values of this organization, and mine, frankly.”
Team spokesman Jason Jenkins told The Associated Press that Reynolds was leaving the team, but added that he had been planning that move “for some time.”
Team owners Denise and John York did not address Reynolds’ future and Reynolds did not return phone calls Wednesday. Goines said team executives never reviewed or approved of the video, and he has since disciplined “the person or persons responsible.”
The video was shown to players last August during training camp in Santa Clara where it was part of a diversity workshop.
Then-general manager Terry Donahue showed a snippet to team owner John York in January, just one day before he was fired, and then sent a copy to York at his request in March. Team lawyer Ed Goines got the tape about three weeks ago, the Chronicle reported.
In a statement Wednesday, the Yorks called it offensive, inexcusable and “absolutely contradictory to the ideals and values of the San Francisco 49ers.”
“Ostensibly, the video was created to raise player awareness about how to deal with the media and to demonstrate by example how poor conduct can unintentionally make news,” the statement said. “Unfortunately, this video is an example in itself.”
Reynolds opens the film sitting behind the mayor’s desk, then goes to Chinatown, where a 49ers trainer uses racial slurs about the Chinese community. The next scene, in a strip club, shows a topless, lesbian wedding officiated by Reynolds, again impersonating the mayor.
“You do something controversial, you say something controversial, it will have an impact on this team. So remember, be mindful of your actions,” Reynolds says later, wearing only a towel before joining three topless women for a group hug. “What you do is not only a reflection of yourself. It’s a reflection of the San Francisco 49ers.”
Yates fares well at elite contest
Kaua‘i senior Kirby Yates showed the rest of the state once again that he belongs, by starting for the Hawaiian Stars squad and pitching a scoreless inning at Hans L’Orange Park in the seventh annual Sportstan Sugar Mill Classic on Monday.
But the Aloha Stars got the last laugh with a 12-11 win. Yates also managed to get a hit and two RBI’s for the Hawaiian Stars. Waimea senior Kane Zalopany was the only other KIF baseball player invited to the event.
Kapa‘a’s Villabrille drives away with top prize
With over 250 competitors at the event, Kapa‘a’s Ralph Villabrille won the $3,000 top prize in the ninth annual George “Flint-stone” Andrade Memorial Day Weekend Drag Races at Maui Raceway Park.
Villabrille, who last competed on Maui 15 years ago, earned his “Wally” trophy by reaching a top speed of 153.57 mph in his 8.818-second run against Jaimie Texeira of Kahului.
Villabrille missed his dial-in by just .018 seconds in his Chevrolet-powered roadster.
The races began Friday and concluded on Sunday.
