You remember Cameron Pettigrew; the guy who was fired by a Dallas-area Fidelity Investments firm for playing fantasy football on company time. I found his story intriguing, in a Jerry Lundegaard/Office Space kind of way, when I first wrote about it; but now Mr. Pettigrew is further explaining himself, and it’s been upgraded to downright hilarious. Except for that whole part about him losing his job during a recession. That blows.
Anyway, having exhausted all of his appeals with the company to get his job back, Pettigrew figured what the hell, I’ll chat about it on ESPN radio in Dallas. My favorite part: While he was undergoing a 90-minute interrogation by the company about his fantasy football activities, an executive followed him to the restroom.
What was that line from Fargo? “He’s fleeing the interview! He’s fleeing the interview!”
“It was October 21st, that was the day I was called, the day before I was doing my job like every other day. One of the directors for our department came and walked me down to a room where two men in suits were waiting for me and they preceded to interrogate me for about 90 minutes on everything I knew about fantasy football at the company. They even pulled a good cop bad cop on me. One guy was kind of hammering me and the other guy was trying to be my friend.
“It was so ridiculous they finally allowed me to at least go to the bathroom for a while. On my way back from the bathroom I noticed that one of the guys had come back to check on me as if I was going to run down to Mexico or something. I kept thinking all of this for a $20 fantasy football league; you have got to be kidding me.”
Photo of Pettigrew here. Audio here.
But the way I understand it, there were nine other fantasy leagues going in the company, and no one else was fired. Pettigrew’s take on that:
“Their reason, which I got several weeks later after asking forever, was that I was considered an organizer of gambling activities in their definition because I was the commissioner of my league. So since I was the guy that set it up online and took the $20, they considered me an organizer of gambling activities. It was like I was some sort of international gambling kingpin or something.”
If you can get fired for playing fantasy football, this country doesn’t stand a chance; start enforcing it everywhere, and watch the economy crumble like the freeway overpasses in the film 2012. Everyone would be fired. And by the way … what site were you just visiting before you came here? Security!
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Cameron Pettigrew: ‘They considered me an organizer of gambling activities. It was like I was some sort of international gambling kingpin’ [Sports Radio Interviews]
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- Carl - Dec 20, 2009 at 9:18 AM
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As a manager and fan of fantasy football, I feel no sympathy for Mr. Pedigrew. He should be running his FF from home. He is paid to do his job and he is using company property. I would expect the same treatment from my company if I did what Mr. Pedigrew did. Take accountability for your actions.
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- Tall Paul - Dec 20, 2009 at 11:58 AM
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I agree with you Carl. Does anyone know if Fidelity warned employees to stop this type of activity before Mr. Pedigrew was fired? I would imagine they did before they committed resources to chasing this down.
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- eddie - Dec 20, 2009 at 4:40 PM
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If more people spent more time at work actually working, maybe we wouldn’t be in the economic shape we are in. Between shopping, fantasy football, and games on the net, we waste way too much work time. The man pays you to work, not play.
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- anon - Dec 20, 2009 at 9:38 PM
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Fidelity has let dozen’s of people go in the past including Mgrs & VP’s for violation of this policy. Everyone there knows this is one of the two cardinal rules (the other is to behave at the holiday party). Supposedly started back in the 90′s when someone accidentally faxed a bracket to a high dollar customer. Rumor at work is that the people let go were spending substantial amount of 40 hour work week on their league.
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- jh - Dec 21, 2009 at 6:22 AM
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Sounds like old Cam may come from $$$$ I am sure the family will take care of him. No old fashioned work ethic, unless ripping off your company wasting hrs. is considered a work ethic. Good luck
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- Jim - Dec 21, 2009 at 8:39 AM
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I’m still waiting for the news value here. Cameron is guilty of theft plain and simply. And to think, this guy may have been handling my hard-earned retirement runds. I was downsized last month for doing such a good job the company didn’t need me anymore. It amazes me that this even made a headling anywhere. I guess the news media struggles from a down economy like the rest of us. I hope Cameron learned his lesson and treats his next employer with more respect.
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- THE VILLAGE IDIOT - Dec 22, 2009 at 9:46 AM
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SORRY, CHARLIE …
WHEN YOU GO TO WORK, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE TOILING FOR THE COIN OF THE REALM, NOT WASTING COMPANY FUNDS, INVOLVED WITH GOOFY COMPUTER GAMES!!
THIS MAY SOUND HARSH BUT I THINK THE REST WHO WERE LIKEWISE WASTING COMPANY TIME SHOULD BE TERMINATED, AS WELL – NO UNEMPLOYMENT EITHER, FOLKS!!!!
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- A - Jan 14, 2010 at 8:13 PM
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Good Grief. I know a company lets Fantasy Football go on company wide. They also organize an entry fee “Biggest Looser” contest with the winner getting the money.
