49er Tape Won’t Make Funniest Home Videos

Most NFL teams address their players before the start of training camp about how to best handle the media.

Ram Coach Chuck Knox, trying to be innovative, asked me to speak to his entire team, and when the players began booing, I reminded them I’d be at the Super Bowl at season’s end, but I didn’t expect to see any of them there.

That was the end of that experiment.

Well, you’ve probably heard now about the 49ers’ racy and racist videotape, made to inform the players how to avoid getting in a fix with media by the team’s public relations director, who is now in a fix.

The videotape story involves the mayor of San Francisco, a porno theater, three topless strippers, a PR guy forced to resign, Deep Throat allegations leveled against fired 49er general manager and former UCLA coach Terry Donahue, and apparent hypocrisy on the part of the team’s owner, John York.

You can see what happens when you live in the general vicinity of the Raiders.

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THE SHORT history of tape-gate: Kirk Reynolds, in my experience the NFL’s best PR guy, noticed the players were not listening when he talked about the media. So five years ago he began making humorous videos to get their attention.

Reynolds received permission in August to use the mayor’s office. Video shots were taken later in a porno theater, followed by a number of racist-sexist skits designed to warn the players that a bad decision on their part could reflect poorly on the 49ers.

“I should’ve taken my own advice,” Reynolds said. “I regret what I did, and apologize for offending so many people.”

None of the players or coaches objected to the tape at the time they saw it -- hey, they’re football players -- and Reynolds said that his boss, Donahue, “was absolutely aware of it. His roommate was in the video.”

Reynolds thought the video had been taped by those filming practice, and there was no mention of the tape until January, when Donahue showed a 30-second clip to York. Reynolds claims that Donahue showed the clip to York because “Donahue had told friends if he was going down, he was taking me with him.”

A day later, a 2-14 season taking its toll, Donahue was fired.

York had asked Reynolds earlier to gather information about Donahue’s NFL reputation, and Reynolds said, “I gave him feedback, and it obviously was not positive. But if you asked John York if I had anything to do with the decision to fire Terry, he’d tell you no.”

(Although York was aware of the video in January -- and had the whole tape in March -- he didn’t react with outrage until it became public.)

Donahue, although fired, delivered the full tape to York in March, according to Reynolds, which indicated to Reynolds that Donahue remained vindictive. A week ago the tape was sent anonymously to the mayor and the San Francisco Chronicle.

“I believe Terry sent it,” Reynolds said.

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DONAHUE SAID he could be hurt financially if he breaches his confidentiality agreement with the 49ers, but, after consulting with his attorney, he said he’d e-mail some remarks.

“I want to make it absolutely clear that I had no role in the creation of the videotape and no knowledge of its contents until Jan. 3, 2005,” Donahue wrote. “I would never involve myself in anything so inappropriate or so potentially embarrassing to the 49ers and the community.

“When I did learn of the contents of this tape, I took the action that I felt was proper for any general manager to take, and brought it to the attention of the appropriate person in the 49er organization.

“I did not have anything to do either -- directly or indirectly -- with the release or leaking of this tape to the public....I will not dignify Kirk Reynolds’ false and irresponsible accusations regarding the release of the tape or speculate on his motives. However, I will not allow him to impugn my integrity or reputation by his lies and will vigorously defend my good name.”

There was a time when I thought Donahue might become coach or executive of an NFL team in L.A. There was a time when I thought Reynolds would be the ideal choice to be a PR guy for an NFL team here.

I’ll go so far as to say there was a time when I thought L.A. was going to get an NFL team. Things obviously change, but you can see what we’re missing.

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READER JOE VENEGAS e-mailed to say: “The Dodgers’ poll on their website asks, ‘Who you think is the best Dodger defensive outfielder?’ When you punch in Milton Bradley, it registers your vote for J.D. Drew. Could it be a poll manufactured by Paul DePodesta?”

I tried it. Venegas is correct. I voted for Bradley, and the vote went to Drew, DePodesta’s high-priced free-agent acquisition, which might explain why Drew has 7,400 votes and Bradley 229, although it doesn’t explain how Bradley got 229 votes.

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ANOTHER SHARP Dodger reader, Doug McIsaac, noted: “You know it’s getting bad when you find encouragement in the fact that Elmer Dessens is almost ready to come off the disabled list.”

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READER BRIAN asked, “What do you think of the new title for Frank McCourt’s biography: ‘Pennyball’?”

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I HEARD an advertisement on the Dodgers’ radio station suggesting that “We all know God is a Dodger fan, but where are his seats” in Dodger Stadium? The announcer tells us that God sits in the Dugout Club and the new plush seats. You’d like to think if he sat in the outfield seats the Dodgers might be able to return to $2 Tuesday nights once again.

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WHEN HEE-SEOP CHOI stepped to the plate last week, the scoreboard read: “Hee’s En Fuego,” while noting Choi was batting .307 in his last 27 games. No mention of the fact that he was 0 for his last 18 at the time.

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TODAY’S LAST word comes in e-mail from Steven McGuire:

“First they raise our ticket prices. Now they take away our beer. Becoming a winning program sure is fun.”

Better than losing and crying over spilled milk -- just ask UCLA.

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T.J. Simers can be reached at t.j.simers@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Simers, go to latimes.com/simers.