‘DUMBEST DECISION’ OF HIS LIFE TO POST SENS VIDEO, TEARFUL UBER DRIVER SAYS
The Uber driver who recorded several Ottawa Senators players and posted the video online says he’s been fired from his job after making “the dumbest decision” of his life. James Sparklin was behind the wheel the night seven Ottawa Senators players climbed into his Toyota Sienna van in Phoenix. His recording of that Oct. 29 trip has sparked a firestorm over the violation of the players’ privacy — and also over the recorded comments, in which the Senators joked about their own team’s struggles and criticized one of their coaches. Sparklin on Thursday said in an interview he had been aggravated by something that happened early in the trip that centred on how many passengers he would be taking in his van. Without being specific about the incident, Sparklin said he had not been prepared for seven passengers at pickup and that he was worried his $1-million liability coverage would not be enough protection in case of an accident. In a 20-minute phone conversation, Sparklin, a driver for 2 ½ years and father of six, was clearly distraught, at one point sobbing. After stewing over the episode with the players over the course of the evening — it was the day before the Sens took on the Coyotes — Sparklin said he posted part of the video on YouTube in an intoxicated state. “I was not in the right state of mind.” He said his intention was to show other drivers the behaviour of the high-priced athletes, none of whom he knew or recognized, having attended one NHL game in his life. “You get a bunch of guys together and they’ll typically be guys,” he said, by way of partial explanation of the incident at the start of the ride. “They wanted to stay together.” The decision to transport seven highly paid professional athletes, he said, “put me at high risk.” “What really upset me the most was, if I were to get in an accident, I don’t believe the insurance would cover it. The million-dollar policy would go very fast.” Once the video went up, he said it had about 100 or so views before he was contacted and told to take it down, which he did. Beforehand, however, Sparklin had also tweeted about it. He tried to explain his position to Uber but was told he had violated the terms of service. “I’m in Arizona, so you can fire someone for the colour of their shoes.” He said he was surprised at the level of candour from the players during the ride. “I think when you see that video, it’s kind of shocking. I’m just not accustomed to that kind of language and how they’re talking in that kind of atmosphere.” Sparklin sounded remorseful for posting the segment. “I didn’t think about my actions at all. I wasn’t trying to get money or anything like that. I got contacted and took it down right away.” He said he had put the camera in his vehicle for his own protection. A few weeks ago, he said he was involved in an accident near the Phoenix airport in which a 19-year-old motorist caused $11,000 in damage to his vehicle. Since then, he had made it a habit of running the camera while he was working, he said. There is no warning inside the vehicle that passengers are being recorded, he said, but nor is there a requirement in Arizona to do so. He said Uber encourages the use of cameras for drivers’ protection. Sparklin is now worried about his name becoming public and the effect on his family. “I’m worried about my name getting out. My life being ruined and my children.” The video caused a sensation in the Senators’ world and the broader NHL community. Not only was it a rarely-seen moment of candour between young players, but it called into question the degree to which the team has successfully rebuilt the dressing room “culture” after the tortured departures of captain Erik Karlsson and top scorer Mike Hoffman. It also raised issues around the effectiveness of coaching techniques, as team leader Matt Duchene is recorded saying he had stopped listening to special team coach Martin Raymond — a Guy Boucher confidante — “three weeks ago.” All seven players have apologized for their conduct. Many have rallied to the players’ defence, including Ann Cavoukian, Ontario’s former privacy commissioner and one of Canada’s leading experts on privacy law, who has said she was “appalled” by the recording, which she called “total unwarranted surveillance.” Arizona is a “one-party consent” state when it comes to privacy, meaning that conversations can be recorded if one person “who is present during the communication” gives the OK. The Senators said they had moved quickly to deal with the matter internally once they became aware of the video. After the video came to light publicly, alternate captain Mark Stone said the team had “dealt with this long before this video was released.” The team issued a statement this week saying they felt that, by taping and posting this conversation on the internet, the Uber driver had breached the players’ privacy. Coach Guy Boucher added in that statement that the Senators had “every confidence in Marty Raymond’s coaching; in the effort and determination of our team; and in the sincerity of our players’ apology.”
I wasn’t trying to get money or anything like that. I got contacted and took it down right away.