Me: When did you buy the portion of the team exactly?
AE: Very end of last season, just before the Ultimus game. Sunk a good chunk of what I have into it. I came into this thinking I was walking into a sure winning bet and then everything fell apart. The owner offered that I could back out but I decided to jump in deeper and I took the GM spot. Here we are.
Me: That seems somewhat out of step with your previous decisions. Taking a public job role is unusual for someone who clearly values his privacy as highly as you do.
AE: I'll be blunt. I don't give a shit about my privacy. Not beyond the average person, anyway. What I value is the privacy of those close to me. And that is what made this decision difficult. Finding that balance is incredibly challenging when people want to take a piece of you constantly. At the end of the day though, I had to take the shot. I'd be angry at myself forever if I didn't. My family agreed and here we are. Sometimes you have to live as if there's no tomorrow. So far so good. I’m still going to protect my family as best I can though. That’s about as much detail as I’ll go into.
Me: Your tenure certainly started with a lot of drama.
AE: That's putting it mildly. Since day one of my tenure we’ve had a lot of problems on our plate and they only really seem to have slowed down now. I assume this will be the part of the article where you list the ridiculous amount of things that happened? Make sure to be thorough.
He’s not exaggerating. Star defender Jayce Tuck had more than a dozen tests come back for banned substances that Ess has openly stated were steroids. Backup runner Jaxon Tuck (no relation) stabbed and killed a man in a nightclub fight and was sentenced to 26 years in prison. Linebacker Luke Luechly and Offensive lineman Pat Pancake quit football for unrelated reasons. Kicker Cristiano Ronaldo expressed his disgust and left the country, but was later found to be on steroids himself, which was only revealed after the new GM had vouched for his innocence. Lineman Tim Pest was found to have been able to hack into multiple team computer systems where he gained access to most playbooks, team notes on other players, calls, and much much more. Pest gave the information to several assistant coaches, who are also no longer with the team.
On his first day as GM, Ess traded Jayce Tuck away and began remaking a franchise that had lost five Pro Bowlers in a matter of days. They would lose a sixth when Dustin Evans requested to be traded to the Las Vegas Legion to start fresh. Ryan Flock was traded away as part of a trade to acquire Lincoln Jefferson, who promptly announced that he would retire at the end of the season. Prior to the scandal breaking defensive standouts Blaster Blade, Calvin Harris Jr., and Phillipe Carter had also left in Free Agency. Just after this interview took place, Ess traded Lincoln Jefferson to the San Jose Sabercats and Arbin Asipi also announced his own retirement at the end of the season, citing back injuries.
Me: It’s quite a list of players who left or are leaving for one reason or another.
AE: We’re still standing, though. We’re not a bunch who gives up easily. Not when I’ve got any sayso.
Me: To go from virtual unknown to GM to having to rebuild an entire team to now finding out you're actually part owner of the franchise....that's a lot for people to take in. Especially after the blogs you wrote went public. Add that to rumors of locker room friction over the Jefferson trade and questions about whether or not Coach Cowher knew what was going on in his staff and you've got a recipe for disaster. Your initial responses appeared to be trading away the only player you still had access to from the group-
AE: You can call them the name. I don't mind it at all.
Me: Okay....the group that many have begun referring to as the Dirty Half Dozen, despite there being no evidence that Luechly or Pancake were involved in anything shady.
AE: I have to be very careful about what accusations I lay without having overwhelming proof of guilt. That said, I have seen enough to make me personally believe that Pancake and Luechley fit right in.
Me: Anything you care to elaborate on?
AE: I'd love to but my lawyers gave me a strong no on that topic. They're not gonna be happy I said anything as it is.
Me: Yet you did.
AE: If the...
He snickers and rolls his eyes.
AE: Reverend Pat Pancake and...Vanessa Luechly, as that individual is called now, want to make a fight over my little comments then by all means I can ask the NSFL to investigate them further and I'll hire my own to boot. In the meantime I'll take the stern phone call I'm going to get from the Commissioner. And I'll let everyone know that any profit from the jersey sales of the Dirty Half Dozen will be going directly to three Square. It's a charity that focuses on feeding people directly. And the money actually goes to that, unlike some other charities I could name. The kind that must pay a lot in giant red kettles.I’m not here to protect the guilty and pussyfoot around for liars and cheaters. That’s not who I am or will be. But to get back to your initial question, we had no indication whatsoever that Coach Cowher knew anything was wrong. His assistants who were involved did their homework. Or I guess I should say they took what Pest gave them and made it look like they did their homework. There’s a reason we hired something like 70% of our coaching staff in the last month.
GRADED
AE: Very end of last season, just before the Ultimus game. Sunk a good chunk of what I have into it. I came into this thinking I was walking into a sure winning bet and then everything fell apart. The owner offered that I could back out but I decided to jump in deeper and I took the GM spot. Here we are.
Me: That seems somewhat out of step with your previous decisions. Taking a public job role is unusual for someone who clearly values his privacy as highly as you do.
AE: I'll be blunt. I don't give a shit about my privacy. Not beyond the average person, anyway. What I value is the privacy of those close to me. And that is what made this decision difficult. Finding that balance is incredibly challenging when people want to take a piece of you constantly. At the end of the day though, I had to take the shot. I'd be angry at myself forever if I didn't. My family agreed and here we are. Sometimes you have to live as if there's no tomorrow. So far so good. I’m still going to protect my family as best I can though. That’s about as much detail as I’ll go into.
Me: Your tenure certainly started with a lot of drama.
AE: That's putting it mildly. Since day one of my tenure we’ve had a lot of problems on our plate and they only really seem to have slowed down now. I assume this will be the part of the article where you list the ridiculous amount of things that happened? Make sure to be thorough.
He’s not exaggerating. Star defender Jayce Tuck had more than a dozen tests come back for banned substances that Ess has openly stated were steroids. Backup runner Jaxon Tuck (no relation) stabbed and killed a man in a nightclub fight and was sentenced to 26 years in prison. Linebacker Luke Luechly and Offensive lineman Pat Pancake quit football for unrelated reasons. Kicker Cristiano Ronaldo expressed his disgust and left the country, but was later found to be on steroids himself, which was only revealed after the new GM had vouched for his innocence. Lineman Tim Pest was found to have been able to hack into multiple team computer systems where he gained access to most playbooks, team notes on other players, calls, and much much more. Pest gave the information to several assistant coaches, who are also no longer with the team.
On his first day as GM, Ess traded Jayce Tuck away and began remaking a franchise that had lost five Pro Bowlers in a matter of days. They would lose a sixth when Dustin Evans requested to be traded to the Las Vegas Legion to start fresh. Ryan Flock was traded away as part of a trade to acquire Lincoln Jefferson, who promptly announced that he would retire at the end of the season. Prior to the scandal breaking defensive standouts Blaster Blade, Calvin Harris Jr., and Phillipe Carter had also left in Free Agency. Just after this interview took place, Ess traded Lincoln Jefferson to the San Jose Sabercats and Arbin Asipi also announced his own retirement at the end of the season, citing back injuries.
Me: It’s quite a list of players who left or are leaving for one reason or another.
AE: We’re still standing, though. We’re not a bunch who gives up easily. Not when I’ve got any sayso.
Me: To go from virtual unknown to GM to having to rebuild an entire team to now finding out you're actually part owner of the franchise....that's a lot for people to take in. Especially after the blogs you wrote went public. Add that to rumors of locker room friction over the Jefferson trade and questions about whether or not Coach Cowher knew what was going on in his staff and you've got a recipe for disaster. Your initial responses appeared to be trading away the only player you still had access to from the group-
AE: You can call them the name. I don't mind it at all.
Me: Okay....the group that many have begun referring to as the Dirty Half Dozen, despite there being no evidence that Luechly or Pancake were involved in anything shady.
AE: I have to be very careful about what accusations I lay without having overwhelming proof of guilt. That said, I have seen enough to make me personally believe that Pancake and Luechley fit right in.
Me: Anything you care to elaborate on?
AE: I'd love to but my lawyers gave me a strong no on that topic. They're not gonna be happy I said anything as it is.
Me: Yet you did.
AE: If the...
He snickers and rolls his eyes.
AE: Reverend Pat Pancake and...Vanessa Luechly, as that individual is called now, want to make a fight over my little comments then by all means I can ask the NSFL to investigate them further and I'll hire my own to boot. In the meantime I'll take the stern phone call I'm going to get from the Commissioner. And I'll let everyone know that any profit from the jersey sales of the Dirty Half Dozen will be going directly to three Square. It's a charity that focuses on feeding people directly. And the money actually goes to that, unlike some other charities I could name. The kind that must pay a lot in giant red kettles.I’m not here to protect the guilty and pussyfoot around for liars and cheaters. That’s not who I am or will be. But to get back to your initial question, we had no indication whatsoever that Coach Cowher knew anything was wrong. His assistants who were involved did their homework. Or I guess I should say they took what Pest gave them and made it look like they did their homework. There’s a reason we hired something like 70% of our coaching staff in the last month.
Code:
1018GRADED
![[Image: 68.png]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/722696337912496132/759304283312881684/68.png)
