Remember the unbelievable letter that Sports Illustrated printed about the kid who was pulled over for speeding by a so-called Officer Ricky Thurman, but was let go with a warning by Thurman because the kid was racing home to beat his dad to the mailbox to fish out the SI Swimsuit Issue? Remember that a thorough investigation yielded no evidence that this Officer Ricky Thurman actually existed?
I wrote to Sports Illustrated explaining my concern over the seemingly fraudulent item, and they told me that they were “looking into the matter.”
I received an update from SI over the weekend, and their response only raises more questions:
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from: Time Inc <siletters@simail.com>
to: clevelandfrowns@gmail.com
date: Fri, Apr 17, 2009 at 3:16 PM
subject: Ricky Thurman’s letter to the editor
Although someone purporting to be Mr. Thurman satisfactorily answered ourresearcher¹s questions prior to the letter¹s inclusion in our magazine,further research reveals the letter to be fraudulent. SI has maintained a level of trust with our readers from our first issue on August 16, 1954. We take this relationship very seriously, which is why every letter we receive is considered for publication. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. It is clear that the Cleveland Frowns also have great respect for our letters section, a vital part of our magazine that remains very popular with our readers.
Sincerely,
SI Letters Department
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I wrote back to SI, asking about their researcher’s investigative efforts into the alleged letter’s authenticity. Did they bother trying a google search for Officer Ricky Thurman? The results of that effort, combined with the incredible nature of the story contained in the letter, might have given the researcher cause for concern. I also asked to see a copy of the letter.
Will keep you posted.
UPDATE: “SI Swimsuit Letter Mystery Solved: Officer Ricky Thurman Still at Large”
