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SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness
SHARK
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A Tale of Two Troys: Posterboys for Rodeo's "Family Values”The Newest Voices of Rodeo Family ValuesMeet Some Rodeo FolksRodeo "Family Values"?!
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A Tale of Two Troys: Posterboys for Rodeo's "Family Values”Troy Ellerman and Troy Gentry are two of the sorriest excuses for men one is ever likely to find. The Two Troys have many things in common. Both men are liars, criminals, and have demonstrated contempt for the ethics and morals that guide decent people through their lives. But perhaps the tie that binds these characters together most closely is that they are both connected to the world of rodeo.
Troy Ellerman was the Commissioner of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). Troy Ellerman was also a criminal attorney, and it was in this capacity that he was caught in criminal and unethical behavior. The professional demise of Troy Ellerman began when he defended two people involved in the BALCO steroid scandal. (BALCO stands for Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative.) BALCO developed a new steroid that was undetectable by conventional testing. When it was finally discovered in use by some of sports most notable stars, BALCO operatives and clients were investigated and some were charged and ultimately convicted. Victor Conte was the president and founder of BALCO. For a time Mr. Conte was one of Ellerman’s clients, as was another BALCO executive named James Valente. In the course of the trial against Conte, Valente and others, Ellerman and other attorneys were given transcripts of secret grand jury testimony, but only after signing a statement promising that the transcripts would be kept secret. That’s the reason that it is called secret grand jury testimony. The problem is that Troy Ellerman didn’t keep the testimony secret. In fact, Troy Ellerman showed portions of the transcripts to two reporters for the San Francisco Chronicle, which when you think about it, is as unsecretive as a person can be. Predictably, the reporters wrote about what was in the secret grand jury transcripts. Trial judge Susan Illston wanted to know who the shiftless, lowdown, lying creep was who violated a promise to keep the transcripts secret, so she made the lawyers each sign a promise that they weren’t responsible. Troy Ellerman signed that promise, even though he was the shiftless, lowdown, lying creep who was absolutely responsible. Then Troy Ellerman demonstrated again what his signed word was worth by allowing the same reporters to see more of the transcripts. The reporters went on to not only write more newspaper stories, but also a book. If Ellerman’s story ended right here it would be a disgusting display of a corrupt individual who simply has no moral compass whatsoever – but there’s more. After violating court rules – rules that he promised multiple time in writing to abide by – Troy Ellerman accused the government lawyers of being the source of the leak. Ellerman went so far as to make a motion in court demanding that the BALCO case be dismissed based on Ellerman’s allegations that the government had leaked the secret transcripts, even though it was Ellerman who had done so. Ellerman’s web of lies and deceit began to unravel when Larry McCormack, a former private investigator who had worked with Ellerman on several cases including the BALCO case, went to the FBI and told what “Cowboy Troy” had done. McCormack had gone from being a private dick who worked with Ellerman to becoming the executive director of the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. You may be wondering exactly what McCormack’s credentials were for this position. It’s not that you would need any particular training to watch over a bunch of smelly, dusty rodeo paraphernalia, but one would think that the person overseeing it would be someone with a history in rodeo, and that would not be Mr. McCormack. The exact reasons for Ellerman’s choice of McCormack to head the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame are perhaps only known to Ellerman and McCormack, but I think a reasonable person could conclude that the arrangement had a certain stench to it. McCormack was fearful that if the truth came out, he would be a likely target for criminal charges for not telling what he knew. The FBI set McCormack up with a wire to record conversations with Ellerman, and it was all downhill for Cowboy Troy after that. Interestingly the FBI, who had on a few occasions attempted to set SHARK up on bogus claims of wrongdoing, was happy to work around the schedule of the rodeo mafia in deciding when to move in on Ellerman. They busted Troy at a time that would be convenient for him and the rodeo world, and waited to take Ellerman in until after the 2006 National Finals Rodeo, even though they had sufficient evidence beforehand. The reaction of the PRCA board after the accusations against Ellerman were publicized (and they were extensively worldwide) was very telling. They did nothing. The board surely must have asked itself why Mr. McCormack would lie to the FBI. After all, McCormack went to the FBI to avoid prosecution, so it was highly unlikely that he was lying to the feds. It was extremely likely that he was being very, very truthful. In spite of these facts, and the extremely damning story McCormack told to the FBI and the expectancy of very serious charges against Ellerman, the board left Ellerman in his position. Rather than give Ellerman the boot, or even question him about the very serious charges that he was likely facing, the board issued the following statement: “The majority of the PRCA Board stands solidly behind Commissioner Troy Ellerman as he continues to move the PRCA and the sport of professional rodeo forward.” The board clearly didn’t care if its commissioner was a lowdown, lying, corrupt and untrustworthy creep, likely because that is the nature of the PRCA’s preceding commissioners, and for that matter, the entire organization. A few weeks later, Ellerman agreed to a plea deal. He pled guilty to Obstructing Justice, Filing a False Statement and Contempt of Court. The penalty was a two-year prison sentence and a two hundred fifty thousand dollar fine. Even after the plea deal was announced, the PRCA board did not dump Ellerman. Instead, it allowed Ellerman to resign in his own good time several days later. Then, in a final act of contempt for ethics and the rule of law, the PRCA board actually voted to give Ellerman a going away gift to the tune of a year’s salary. The exact figure was unclear because the board claimed it didn’t really know exactly how much Troy Ellerman was paid. This sounds unbelievable of course, but that’s just the way things work in the PRCA. Unfortunately for Ellerman, the PRCA board’s overly generous gift fell flat with the association’s membership. Greed is one thing that can be counted on when it comes to the rodeo mafia, and the money that was to be given to Troy Ellerman was going to come out of each of the members’ pockets. There was such an outcry that the gift was voted down the very next day. A weak, unethical, contemptuous and unbelievably ignorant PRCA board dove for cover from an outraged, crying and ever whining PRCA membership. Typical rodeo mafia. Perhaps their bigger concern should be been that the PRCA is a non-profit organization. Such an organization should not be enriching certain members, especially a member who is an admitted criminal. This kind of highly questionable activity, both the latest and earlier incidents, had apparently caught the attention of the Internal Revenue Service. Rodeo blogs were turning up posts indicating that the IRS was investigating the PRCA’s books. A story in the March 4, 2007 edition of the Denver Post reported a rumored IRS investigation into the PRCA. It also reported that Larry McCormack would sue the PRCA for wrongful termination to the tune of a half million dollars. Incidentally, when Troy Ellerman was commissioner of the PRCA, he promised that the rodeo didn’t hurt animals. Today we know just how much stock to put in what Troy Ellerman says. Read more about Troy Ellerman's criminal activities here. Wallowing in the mud pit, immersed in the sludge of corruption right next to Troy Ellerman is Troy Gentry, who is one half of the country western duo, Montgomery Gentry. While Troy Ellerman fancies himself to be a great criminal attorney and cowboy, Troy Gentry imagines himself to be a great white hunter. In 2004, Troy Gentry’s illusion of being a great white hunter was so compelling that he went to Minnesota and bought a tame bear named Cubby. Then, in a fenced enclosure, Gentry shot Cubby to death with a bow and an untold number of arrows. Now I know what you’re thinking – this can’t be true. But it is absolutely true. The bear was completely tame, he really was named Cubby, and Troy Gentry really speared the bear to death. We don’t know exactly how many arrows Troy Gentry shot into Cubby before the tame bear was given the relief of death. Cubby can’t say, and Troy Gentry, the pitiful, pitiless, insecure, pathetic excuse for a man, won’t say. So far he isn’t singing about Cubby either, but if he does we’ll add the tune to this tale of a couple very small men – the Two Troys. Troy Gentry anticipated that killing Cubby the tame bear would be such a highlight in his life that he arranged for it all to be videotaped. In hindsight this would prove to be a very bad idea. The videotape was reportedly edited to make it appear that Cubby the tame bear was a ferocious wild bear, and that the killing had occurred in the wild. Sounds like Troy Gentry has a lot in common with Troy Ellerman, don’t you think? Lots of lies, and no credibility or dignity whatsoever. Even more in common, Troy Gentry, like Troy Ellerman, got caught. In November 2006, Great White Hunter Troy Gentry had his great big bow, and the body of Cubby the tame bear, which had been mounted and placed in Gentry’s home as a trophy signifying his manhood, taken away, leaving him with only his insecurity and his criminal record. He also paid a $15,000 fine and received a paltry three months of probation. Read more about Troy Gentry's despicable hunting habits here. If you are an animal lover, or if you just have a sense of ethics, morality and dignity, or if you are just a decent person then this story will likely set you off. If, however, you happen to be partial to lying, shiftless, lowdown, criminal animal abusers, then you can be happy for Troy Gentry, for this shameless killer of tame bears, is still popular with the rodeo crowd. They especially love him in San Antonio, where Montgomery Gentry was the headlining act for the final performance of the 2007 rodeo. Troy was playing rodeos before he shot Cubby, and he’s still playing rodeos now. The rodeo people are just fine with Troy Gentry, and why not? Rodeo people injure, maim and kill untold numbers of animal victims every year. Just how many animal victims and injured, maimed and killed in rodeos is one of the rodeo mafia’s most closely guarded secrets. Neither do rodeo thugs generally release information on those who have been cited for humane violations or what discipline, if any, they receive. Rodeo "humane rules" are a joke that exist for public relations purposes only. You can see evidence of what rodeos are all about at RodeoCruelty.com. Lest you think it unfair to rodeo folk to lump them in with Troy Ellerman and Troy Gentry, let it be known that the two Troys are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to crimes within the ranks of the rodeo mafia. SHARK’s CowboyCriminals.com website lists rodeo people, many of whom are significant players, who have committed crimes that will repulse and outrage decent people. These crimes include murder, rape and unspeakable acts against children, crimes against the environment, threatening public health and more. One rodeo thug named Harry Rowell, considered a legend in rodeo history, came to be in rodeo by abandoning the armed services of his native England in a time of war. This is the kind of patriotism you find in the rodeo mafia. Thinking, caring people have no desire to be party to a spectacle that torments, maims and kills so many animals who are no more wild than Cubby. |
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