Chris Ferguson’s Apology Brings Out The Fire And The Fury

When Chris Ferguson issued his 42-second statement on the Full Tilt Poker debacle yesterday, he was probably hoping that it would lead to players and poker fans alike cutting him some slack in the upcoming WSOP – but the reaction has instead been one of fire and fury from some of the biggest names in the game – Daniel Negreanu chief among them.

In an interview with Pokernews, Negreanu explained his views on the Ferguson ‘apology’, stating: “I didn’t hear any personal responsibility. I didn’t hear the biggest shareholder, who convinced everyone that Ray Bitar was the right CEO, really showing genuine responsibility or remorse. Besides that, in some cases there is a case of too little too late, and this was too little, and way too late”.

‘Too little, too late’ was a recurring theme throughout the day as the poker world came to terms with Ferguson finally making a statement – some seven years after the event and two years after he sauntered into the World Series of Poker as though he’d never been away, saying only ‘”I’m here to play poker. No comment” when asked about his FTP involvement.

Not that Ferguson was or is ever likely to get a pass for his role in the scandal which saw $440million or so of player funds disappearing into the pockets of the men at the top of the FTP food chain, but Phil Hellmuth’s defence of last year’s WSOP Player of the Year probably didn’t help his cause – a mutual inability to empathise with the poker masses causing its own huge stir on Twitter…

Back to Negreanu and his thoughts on Hellmuth’s defence of Ferguson, the Canadian thinks Hellmuth is “blinded” to his friend’s major role in what went down at FTP pre- and post-Black Friday, stating: “I think because Chris was his friend, it somewhat has blinded him from the reality of what the situation is”.

For those who may not be aware of what the huge outcry is even about, Joe Ingram tweeted a resume of sorts covering Ferguson and his FTP involvement…

…and Negreanu tried to clarify the difference between Hellmuth’s Ultimate Bet role and Ferguson’s place within FTP, telling Pokernews: “Phil Hellmuth … was not the leader; he wasn’t running the place. Chris Ferguson was at the top and he knew everything that was going on, so Chris had a lot of responsibility”.
Writers of the game were also in full flow yesterday, a meaty story to whet their appetites…

…while the pro hits just kept on coming…