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CNN Live At Daybreak

Interview With Brad Davis

Aired August 28, 2003 - 06:51   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk a little football right now. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Web site, well, it has something interesting on it. It's supposed to be all in good fun. As you can see, that's Colin Powell, President Bush and Condoleezza Rice, and they're talking about weapons of mass destruction being found in Iraq -- and, of course, the weapons of mass destruction are Tampa Bay's defense, of course, the stingiest in the NFL last season.
Some people are kind of upset about this, saying that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are poking fun at a very important issue. But are they? I don't know.

We'll ask Brad Davis.

He is the sports producer for CNN affiliate WFTS-TV in Tampa and he joins us live by phone.

Good morning, Brad.

BRAD DAVIS, WFTS-TV: Good morning, Carol.

How are you this morning?

COSTELLO: I'm fine. How are you?

DAVIS: Great, thanks.

COSTELLO: So, you've talked to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers about this Web site. This is something new for them, isn't it?

DAVIS: Well, it is a new, updated version of their Web site, and I think the fans in the Tampa Bay area are not offended by it. It's just an opportunity to enhance the team's defensive stature and take advantage of something that the American public is certainly dialed into at this time.

COSTELLO: Well, there's already been one newspaper coming out criticizing this. And I'm going to read you some of what it says. It says that, "The new intro is certainly topical, especially because preparations for the war on Iraq largely were directed from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. And, of course, the issue of weapons of mass destruction have been bitterly debated within the U.S. government."

So is this really proper?

DAVIS: Well, on the account of MacDill Air Force Base and Central Command being run out of Tampa, the organization and the team have a great relationship with the base there at MacDill. And, in fact, General Franks has been to the game several times and greeted the players in the locker room, both before and after the game. And I don't think that it's that big of an issue. It's anybody that logs onto the site, it's very obvious that there is no serious fun being poked at any military personnel. And obviously it's a serious situation over in Iraq.

But I think anyone that logs onto that site is quickly understanding that that's a greeting to a Web site about a football team and nothing more.

COSTELLO: I know you haven't gotten a chance to talk to the players, but the Bucs are being equated to like, stuff like anthrax, V.X. nerve gas and nuclear bombs. I wonder how they feel about that.

DAVIS: Well, I don't think that the players themselves take it all that seriously. I think that they know that there are marketing ploys out there that involve many, many different avenues and this is just one way of attaching a branding recognition to their defense and, again, I don't think anyone takes it so seriously that they think that the Buccaneers would in any way, shape or form poke fun at the United States military or even the president or Colin Powell, for that matter.

COSTELLO: You're a Bucs fan, aren't you? Come on, admit it.

DAVIS: I'm a Buckeye fan and a Buccaneer fan.

COSTELLO: And you think the Bucs are going to win the Super Bowl again, don't you?

DAVIS: Well, I'll tell you, that's one of the toughest tasks that there is in sports is repeating the Super Bowl champions. But this team came in just weeks after their Super Bowl victory and went to work back in March, as a matter of fact. And they've had over 80 practices before this pre-season will have wrapped up.

COSTELLO: Yes, yes.

DAVIS: And, you know, they had the trip to Japan. And I think that if any team can do it, they certainly are capable of it.

COSTELLO: Yes, well, let's just hope Brad Johnson carries it off once again, because we know their defense is good, but you never know about that offense.

DAVIS: No, it...

COSTELLO: Brad Davis from WFTS-TV in Tampa joining us live this morning.

DAVIS: Thank you, Carol.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired August 28, 2003 - 06:51   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk a little football right now. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Web site, well, it has something interesting on it. It's supposed to be all in good fun. As you can see, that's Colin Powell, President Bush and Condoleezza Rice, and they're talking about weapons of mass destruction being found in Iraq -- and, of course, the weapons of mass destruction are Tampa Bay's defense, of course, the stingiest in the NFL last season.
Some people are kind of upset about this, saying that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are poking fun at a very important issue. But are they? I don't know.

We'll ask Brad Davis.

He is the sports producer for CNN affiliate WFTS-TV in Tampa and he joins us live by phone.

Good morning, Brad.

BRAD DAVIS, WFTS-TV: Good morning, Carol.

How are you this morning?

COSTELLO: I'm fine. How are you?

DAVIS: Great, thanks.

COSTELLO: So, you've talked to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers about this Web site. This is something new for them, isn't it?

DAVIS: Well, it is a new, updated version of their Web site, and I think the fans in the Tampa Bay area are not offended by it. It's just an opportunity to enhance the team's defensive stature and take advantage of something that the American public is certainly dialed into at this time.

COSTELLO: Well, there's already been one newspaper coming out criticizing this. And I'm going to read you some of what it says. It says that, "The new intro is certainly topical, especially because preparations for the war on Iraq largely were directed from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. And, of course, the issue of weapons of mass destruction have been bitterly debated within the U.S. government."

So is this really proper?

DAVIS: Well, on the account of MacDill Air Force Base and Central Command being run out of Tampa, the organization and the team have a great relationship with the base there at MacDill. And, in fact, General Franks has been to the game several times and greeted the players in the locker room, both before and after the game. And I don't think that it's that big of an issue. It's anybody that logs onto the site, it's very obvious that there is no serious fun being poked at any military personnel. And obviously it's a serious situation over in Iraq.

But I think anyone that logs onto that site is quickly understanding that that's a greeting to a Web site about a football team and nothing more.

COSTELLO: I know you haven't gotten a chance to talk to the players, but the Bucs are being equated to like, stuff like anthrax, V.X. nerve gas and nuclear bombs. I wonder how they feel about that.

DAVIS: Well, I don't think that the players themselves take it all that seriously. I think that they know that there are marketing ploys out there that involve many, many different avenues and this is just one way of attaching a branding recognition to their defense and, again, I don't think anyone takes it so seriously that they think that the Buccaneers would in any way, shape or form poke fun at the United States military or even the president or Colin Powell, for that matter.

COSTELLO: You're a Bucs fan, aren't you? Come on, admit it.

DAVIS: I'm a Buckeye fan and a Buccaneer fan.

COSTELLO: And you think the Bucs are going to win the Super Bowl again, don't you?

DAVIS: Well, I'll tell you, that's one of the toughest tasks that there is in sports is repeating the Super Bowl champions. But this team came in just weeks after their Super Bowl victory and went to work back in March, as a matter of fact. And they've had over 80 practices before this pre-season will have wrapped up.

COSTELLO: Yes, yes.

DAVIS: And, you know, they had the trip to Japan. And I think that if any team can do it, they certainly are capable of it.

COSTELLO: Yes, well, let's just hope Brad Johnson carries it off once again, because we know their defense is good, but you never know about that offense.

DAVIS: No, it...

COSTELLO: Brad Davis from WFTS-TV in Tampa joining us live this morning.

DAVIS: Thank you, Carol.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com