I haven't addressed rumors before, but I'm making an exception here because for some reason the rumor mill on this one seems to have gotten way out of hand.

By this time I've heard a bunch of rumors about Tony Christian. I'd say all of them, but they have a tendency to mutate like a virus. I've also spent much of the last few days talking personally with everyone I was able to who, from what I was able to find out, was or could have been a party to whatever happened to get Christian's day 2 weight disqualified at the Atchafalaya Basin FLW.

The Facts

Here are the facts as far as I could determine:

  • Christian's weight was DQd that day for an infraction involving FLW's broad Sportsmanship rule. FLW Outdoors isn't being more specific, citing confidentiality (more on that later), and Christian said he wasn't told what rule he allegedly broke.

  • Whatever the violation was, Christian swears he hasn't done anything (illegal or otherwise) that would have aided his fish-catching to where he could win or place high in that (or any) tournament. Again for privacy reasons, FLW Outdoors wouldn't confirm or deny that regarding the Atchafalaya event, but at least one high-placed source there strongly indicated to me that the rumor mill on this one was 100 percent wrong.

  • Neither of his partners at the tournament, both of whom I spoke to, noticed anything unusual about their days with Christian. Both said they enjoyed fishing with him, which isn't a surprise as he has a reputation for being considerate to his co-anglers. (If you think FLW Outdoors is trying to muzzle these guys and that they're going along with it, you must be: a) a Soviet immigrant; b) a paranoid schizophrenic; or c) have a low opinion of bass fishermen.)

  • Christian and his partners wore mics and were followed by a camera boat both days at Atchafalaya, all day long. The boats were never out of sight of one another, from launch to check-in. This also was done to Christian and his partners at Okeechobee, at the BFL All-American and at the 2003 EverStart Championship. The reason given was that FLW Outdoors was compiling documentary footage on Christian, who has been amassing one of the most phenomenal careers in FLW Outdoors history.

Those are the facts, minus the one key fact of exactly what FLW DQd Christian for. Anything you're hearing beyond that is euphemistically called "second-hand" information. Really, they're outright rumors. But if you really know (not think you know) something I don't know because you or your buddy was part of whatever happened, tell me or send the firsthand source to me. I can't find him.

I am not a lie-detector test. I can be lied to and not realize it, though hopefully rarely. But at this point, given the facts above, I don't think Christian or his co-anglers or FLW Outdoors is lying. I reserve the right to change my opinion based on facts, but only based on facts. And if other facts come to light, they will be reported on BassFan.com, regardless of what anyone's opinion is.

Again, if you have proof of something bad, send it to BassFan, whoever is involved. We'll do our best to get to the bottom of it, as always, and will keep the source of such information confidential.

The Rumor Mill

"Innocent until proven guilty" is supposed to be the guiding principle of America's world-leading justice system, but we all know it's usually the other way around. That's in large part thanks to the mass media. Once a suspect for a crime is arrested, people assume he or she has to be guilty (that's why the British media don't print the names of suspects). Neighbors and co-workers, who probably talked to the suspect for a total of 5 minutes in their lives, say things like, "I always knew there was something funny about that guy."

BassFan.com will not participate in such lynchings. Just because there's a rumor doesn't mean any facts underlie it. For example:

  • When Jay Yelas won the 2002 Bassmaster Classic, a few people claimed (separately) that they were the ones who put Yelas on the fish. Not only is that ridiculous in that specific case, it happens all the time: When any pro wins any event, someone will lay claim to giving that pro the winning pattern, area, bait, whatever. Is it true sometimes? Maybe, but far less often than not. And some people probably will go to their graves believing that they helped Yelas win the Classic. That's just the way people are.

  • When Aaron Martens won last year's Wheeler FLW without having a valid Alabama fishing license – something he not only readily admitted, but also told FLW officials about before the weigh-in – the rumor mill insinuated that Martens somehow did it on purpose (makes no sense), and that FLW and Wal-Mart were involved in a cover-up that would result in a Wal-Mart store coughing up Martens' license (never happened). It was just a bad episode all around, and everyone in bass fishing learned a lesson from it.
Regarding Tony Christian, you think what you want. But if you don't know of any facts to support what you think – facts you have personally experienced or personally researched from talking to people who were directly involved (not just pros, FLW employees, etc. at the event) – keep it to yourself. Not only is that the decent thing to do, it also might save you some money.

Ever hear of the term "libel?" If you're writing stuff in a public forum (web sites count) that unjustly "defames or harms one's reputation," you might not want to bet on the First Amendment to save your butt in all cases. (Didn't write it? "Slander" is the verbal version of libel.) You better be darn sure of your information, or make sure your insurance is in order.

The Present

Unless someone presents actual evidence that shows Tony Christian doing something wrong, he has done nothing wrong. In fact, he's done a whole lot more right than most of us ever will when it comes to a rod and reel.

In fact, in light of his tremendous achievements on the water, it bothers me to tarnish them by even acknowledging the rumors – since, again, there's no evidence to support them.

And while I understand (but do not agree with) FLW Outdoors' policy of keeping disciplinary issues between themselves and the anglers, I believe in this case – whatever the facts – it's doing more harm than good. I hope FLW says something soon. Give us that one key fact. It surely would be better than the current situation, as evidenced by this:

> Christian had the gas lines in his boat cut at some point between leaving the ramp and getting home.

That is appalling, and criminal. If a bass fisherman did that, he better not have been acting on rumors. Not only is that stupid, it will make that knuckle sandwich taste even worse.

I ask BassFans not to participate in the rumor mill. You say they're not rumors? If you know for certain that one of your buddies has proof of something – either your buddy was directly involved in whatever it was, or has video, audio or written proof – tell him to give it to us. If he doesn't have the guts to show us, he doesn't have anything.

BassFan.com has looked into this and will continue to look into it. We constantly keep our nose to the ground, rumors or no rumors. But we will not act or react solely on rumors, and I recommend that you don't either.

Notable

> FLW Outdoors denied my request to talk to the tournament director and the men in the camera boat. The only person I have talked with for the record on this issue is FLW Outdoors CEO Charlie Hoover, who is much more involved in on-the-ground stuff than his counterpart at BASS. While I still believe that it would do more good than harm for FLW Outdoors to say something, they believe they have said all they need to say, which is in keeping with the way they have treated matters like this in the past.

> I keep wondering something: If no more facts come to light, do people actually think that Tony Christian is too good (at fishing) to be true? If so, that would be pretty strange.

> I'll repeat this in case you missed it: If other facts come to light, they will be reported on BassFan.com.

Jay Kumar is BassFan's CEO.