The news that Nate Wellman was fined and put on "probation" following his win at Erie was pretty shocking. All of the other sites have posted the press release from B.A.S.S. and angler's are definitely voicing their opinions about this on the Facebook feed at the bottom of the story. The BBC Boards also have quite a few comments on this story. The majority of the comments are blasting Wellman, but the few that suggest the co-angler shouldn't have said anything are more shocking.
If you didn't read it, he was fined and put on a one year probation for comments he made to his co-angler on the final day (where he went on to win and gain the automatic Classic berth). The Co-Angler reported the comments after feeling uncomfortable of the situation.
The press release doesn't officially say what exactly he said but the common topic that keeps coming up was that he offered to buy a fish from his co-angler.
Overall, joking or not, it shouldn't have happened. I wasn't there so I can't say for sure what he did/didn't say, but it is a black eye for him and B.A.S.S. for not doing more about it.
From this I have two major questions:
What is B.A.S.S. probation? Does he have to report to someone or do anything extra?
What does it take to be actually DQ'd? This looks like a good enough reason for me.
I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.
10 comments:
Your two questions are what everyone who is reading this is thinking and wondering.... The issue seems pretty clear that he did it after you read Nate's comments. If a person was "joking" he would defend himself not admit he "made a bad judgement call because he was under pressure"?????????? Pack your stuff Nate and hit the road the sport has had enough of cheaters!
If KVD and One other angler got DQ'd a couple years ago for letting a co drive their boat while they looked for fish. I would think offering to buy one would be WAY Worse. If its true he needs to be DQ'd and loose his Classic Birth.
Sorry but I think the co-angler should have had the guts to tell him to shut up while they were in the boat if he thought it was serious..... Nate should not have said it but I can't stand tattle tales....
I for one am glad the co-angler had the nerve to stand up and report it. I guess its up to BASS at that point.
Jeremy, are you saying that its ok to cheat as long as you are not caught? This is not about the coangler "tattle telling". It's about Nate attempting to cheat. The coangler did the right thing. If you watch someone steal something in a department store, you call the police.. This isn't tattle telling. It's not like somebody said something mean to someone else and now you are going to tell mommy. The fact that Nate was willing to buy a fish and potentially rob another angler of the trophy and a check is good enough reason to be put on probation. If the coangler would have kept his mouth shut, Nate might just gotten away with this in the future. So the "tattle tale" probably saved somebody else from being robbed in the future. And that right there is probably what pushed the coangler to report him. I'd hate to fish a tournament against you, Jeremy.
It's a shame that Wellman even suggested such a thing. Enough people believe that cheating takes place in fishing tournaments, now this guy lends credibility to their beliefs. To the co-angler, he deserves a huge "Atta-boy" for saying something to the BASS officials. That took some guts, and I'm glad he did it.
Thanks for all of your input. It seems like the issue is pretty divided but most are Anti-Wellman at this point
Not knowing either person it's a tough call. From what I hear Nate has a reputation for being a cocky a$$hole so that's not helping matters. On the flip side we don't know the co-angler either. He could of easily said all this stuff in a joking manner, even with details of the transaction. If it was a joking manner I would hope the co-angler would not report it because the repercussions are huge. If he was making a serious attempt to buy a fish he should be DQ'd and banned. I fished the event.
I think the way BASS has handled this is an absolute joke and a slap in the face to every person out there who has plunked down their hard earned cash to fish one of their tournaments. Whether Nate's comments were in jest or not, the co-angler did the right thing. The fact that Nate is not denying that any of this actually transpired is reason to question his intent. To joke about having a nice kicker on your side of the livewell is one thing, but to go in to such detail as to how the transaction could happen and to bring it up several times, to me shows intent that it could have happened. Ike got DQ'd from the biggest stage in fishing for kicking his light pole that had the American flag on it, G-Man got DQ'd for buzzing someone's boat, KVD for the incident mentioned earlier and the list goes on....to me, this was an offer and I think he should be DQ'd.
If you have looked at Nate Wellman's web site, it is obvious that he cannot put a cohesive sentence together. His press release regarding the "cheating" allegations was obviously crafted by a PR professional. Thanks Dad!! The obvious question that needs to be addressed is what responsibility his father has in this mess. Nate was certainly confident that “dear ole dad” was willing to participate in the ruse. Shame on you Ross Wellman. Not a very good example of honesty and integrity. Boy, I certainly know where to purchase or lease my next trailer. NOT!!!
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