White Marlin Open: Ousted 2016 winners question silence on 2017 polygraph

The Daily Times

Following months of no updates regarding the failed polygraph of a 2017 White Marlin Open tournament winner, a representative from the boat in the middle of the 2016 controversy released a statement on Tuesday.

The first place white marlin brought in by the crew of the Wire Nut during the White Marlin Open is weighed on Friday, Aug. 11, 2017. The 95.5-pound marlin is the third largest in tournament history.

The Kallianassa was the boat used in the 2016 tournament when angler Phil Heasley caught the only qualifying white marlin. A federal judge later ruled Heasley violated tournament rules, resulting in the withholding of $2.8 million in winnings.

In 2016, the Kallianassa fairly caught the only qualifying white marlin during the 2016 White Marlin Open Tournament. The White Marlin Open (WMO) put the decision of the tournament’s winnings into court through an interpleader. This occurred five days after the second set of polygraphs were conducted. The WMO had not reviewed our polygraphs before putting the case into court nor did not they meet with us, as we had requested multiple times.

With this in mind, we would like to ask why the names of the boats who failed/had inconclusives on the 2017 polygraphs have still not been released nearly two months after the second round of polygraphs. We imagine other tournament participants and supporters would also like to know why there has been no follow-up or transparency on this year’s polygraphs and subsequent tournament action. We find this especially puzzling in light of the White Marlin Open’s August 28th statement, which again touted the merits of polygraphs.

We find their silence to be telling.

-The Kallianassa

DelmarvaNow reached out to the White Marlin Open for a comment regarding the statement from the Kallianassa.

The organization's statement is as follows:

We are nearing the end of our process and following all of our tournament protocols. A statement about the 2017 tournament will be forthcoming soon.

For more than a year, controversy has surrounded the White Marlin Open tournament, the world's largest billfish tournament that takes in Ocean City for one week in August.

At the conclusion of the 2016 competition, Heasley did not pass the required polygraph examination — a strict rule set down by the White Marlin Open.

Judge Richard D. Bennett ruled in favor of the White Marlin Open after an eight-day federal trial.

BACKGROUND: 1 White Marlin Open winner fails polygraph, 2 being retested

MORE WMO: Maryland angler wins White Marlin Open's top prize of $1.65 million

Heasley and his legal team announced on Aug. 2, 2017 that they would appeal the decision, and are currently progressing through the appeals process.

The crew of the Wire Nut poses for a photo with their 95.5 pound marlin during the White Marlin Open at Harbour Island Marina in Ocean City on Friday, Aug. 11, 2017.

On Aug. 9, the 2017 White Marlin Open tournament kicked off, with Maryland native Glen Frost claiming the top prize of $1.6 million with his catch of a 95.5 white marlin on the final day of the competition.

Less than three weeks later, tournament founder Jim Motsko revealed that a winner of the 2017 tournament had not passed a polygraph examination and would be subject to a retest, while another angler's results were inconclusive. Any angler who wins $50,000 or more is subject to an examination, per tournament rules.

A tournament official did confirm that Frost had not failed his polygraph, but stated they would not reveal the name of the angler who failed the first test until the tournament spoke with a legal representative.