In The Least Surprising News Ever, It Turns Out That The 6 Guys Who Fought Biz In Scottsdale A Couple Weeks Ago Are Apparently "Irish Travellers"

(Apologies in advance. This company's app is a disgrace, and any blog that is more than just an embedded tweet is unreadable on it. So with this one being as long as it is, you're probably better off opting to visit www.barstoolsports.com on a web browser.)

Ok so there's a really long backstory here on this. If you're just jumping in on this knowing none of it, do yourself a favor and catch up on this story; check out Jordie's blog from last week here - 

and listen to Biz' personal account here - 

This isn't just typical manufactured "bARstOoL DrAmA" bullshit either. This became national news last week.

People Magazine - On Sunday, November 24, 2024, former NHL player and current TNT analyst Paul Bissonnette was involved in a physical altercation at Houston's restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona. Bissonnette, a regular patron of the establishment, noticed a group of intoxicated men causing disturbances and harassing the restaurant staff. When one of the men became physically confrontational with the manager, Bissonnette intervened, leading to a confrontation that escalated into a brawl both inside and outside the restaurant. 

The altercation involved six men, who were subsequently arrested on charges ranging from misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct to felony aggravated assault. One of the suspects, Sean M. Daley, was found in possession of a fraudulent military ID during his arrest. Bissonnette sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was hospitalized for evaluation

We waited with baited breathe for these goons mug shots to drop, and suffice to say, when they did, they did not disappoint. 

First off, shout out to this Shea Stevens guy. Talk about putting in the work. I'm half impressed, half ashamed with myself for not seeing these guys' names released last week with their mugshots (see blog here), and not googling them. No brainer by Shea. 

But just for context, here is what google defined "irish travellers" as: 

As KFC so eloquently explained, these scumbags started a fight at the bar at the golf club they were at earlier in the day. 

I reached out to Shea to tell him I was going to blog this story, and asked him for more details that I could include. When I was asking him if "irish travellers" are basically "gypsies", here is the news story that he sent me - 

Gainesville Sun - New Mexico state Rep. Bill Rehm has heard the line more than once, so when a Traveller came calling to his Albuquerque home in March, he recognized the scam.

'We are working on a (paving) job just down the street, and we can do your driveway for $2 a square foot. Today. Right now.' He said they had over-ordered materials. They must go to college to learn this line," said Rehm, a retired sergeant with the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department, recalling the pitch.

Rehm turned the Traveller away, but others weren't so savvy. This spring and summer, some Travellers — nomadic clans of Irish, English and Scottish descent — roamed the country soliciting construction jobs and home repair work, bilking people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to law enforcement officials and a Traveller who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity.

"It is crazy how much money can be made," the informant said. "You can make $100,000 a week."

From New Mexico to Iowa to Washington state, officials warned residents about swindlers — including some Irish Travellers based in the Fort Worth area — rolling through their towns. Still, plenty of people got taken. And only a handful of Travellers got arrested.

"A lot of cops don't understand about the Travellers," said Lt. Mike Moore of the Casper, Wyo., Police Department, who believes that the public needs to be better-informed about the clandestine group. "These people are very, very good. They are masters at their trade. I'm not going to say all of them are scam artists, but it is unfortunate that you have to go to the press and tell people, 'Watch out, they are about to take your money.' "

Travellers often speak a secret language, marry within the family and make their fortunes on the open road.

Because they rarely develop relationships with outsiders, whom they refer to as "country men," Travellers are almost as mysterious today as when they arrived in the United States more than a century ago.

And that's how Travellers like it.

Authorities say the reason for the secrecy is simple: Many Travellers are masters of illusion and confusion. Armed with multiple addresses and fake identities, police say, Traveller families, including those who call Fort Worth and White Settlement home, hit the road every spring and summer in shiny new vehicles and travel trailers. They travel around the country, specializing in itinerant work such as asphalt paving and sealing, painting and roof repair.

Sorry, this shit is blowing my mind that I've never heard of these people in this country until now. 

The informant said they might show up at houses with a truck full of "leftover" materials and tell the homeowners that their shingles need attention, that their barn needs painting or that their driveway needs repair. Once a deal is made, Travellers often hire transients or undocumented workers to do the actual work.

"We get the work and stay clean," the informant said. "We just drive by until it is time to get paid. If a cop comes up, we are going to flee, and they are going to talk to the hired help."

The work is usually substandard, according to the informant. The paint might be watered-down or the driveway paved with a thin layer of asphalt. Once Travellers get their money, they disappear before the homeowner figures out that they have been duped.

Experts on Travellers say it's all about the money.

"If they can do a paint job for $300, they will charge $300," said Joe Livingston, a senior agent with the South Carolina Intelligence and Information Center, who has investigated Travellers for more than 20 years. "If they can get $3,000, they will charge that."

When the weather turns cool — usually in early November — Travellers return to their home base and show off the wealth they accumulated.

"The more you have, the more you want," the informant said. "It is prestigious to drive a $200,000 car, to have a $50,000 watch on your arm. Live like a rock star, go on the finest vacations, stay in the finest hotels."

These guys are true scum. 

In a recent interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the informant, who is not being identified for fear of retribution, said many Travellers see nothing wrong with their line of work, which is rooted in deep tradition.

"It is handed down through the generations. How do you know it is wrong? It is your way of life. You are never taught that it is wrong. It is what you are raised to do. We are raised to believe that everyone is a mark," the informant said.

Most of the Travellers contacted by the Star-Telegram did not return messages or declined to comment.

Here is the convo I had with Shea, the guy who dug all this up on these lowlifes. 

Bizarre, bizarre stuff. At the same time, it's entirely consistent with the norms of 2024. 

I'm not sure if it's the most or least surprising thing ever that in this day and age there are groups of people roaming around the country conniving, swindling, and preying upon people. Going out in public to start fights where they can outnumber and intimidate workers and defenders. That is a scene straight out of King Arthur or any other medieval-era fiction. 

Wild stuff. 

But either way, it sounds like these guys had a very rude awakening and made a colossal mistake when they fucked with Biz. Now their whole gig is up and by the looks of what Shea is dealing with, they are having a meltdown over it. 

Props to Biz yet again.

Here are some of their favorite scams to pull as a heads up - 

Paving

To pull off this scam, illegitimate contractors must first make residents think they are local. They get a post office box, buy license plates and get 1-800 numbers through a telephone answering service. They have business cards made up with their "address" and "phone number," along with magnetic signs to put on their vehicles. Their crew pulls up to a house, tells the homeowner they have leftover asphalt from a previous job and offers a deal. The workers do shoddy or substandard work, spreading only a thin layer of asphalt or mixing asphalt with other materials. Afterward, they may tell the homeowner that there was a problem and charge more than the agreed-upon price. Once the homeowner hands over the check, the contractor immediately cashes it. When the driveway washes away or cracks, the swindler is long gone. All the homeowner has is a phony address and a 1-800 number.

Selling lightning rods

This is a scam that can be pulled on a rainy day. The worker arrives at a house with lightning rods and might tell the homeowner that someone's house recently burned to the ground after being struck by lightning. Once the sale is made, the worker goes up to the roof and puts up the rod. The work is fraudulent: The worker neither has the proper permits nor ties into electric or phone lines. The worker then charges the homeowner $1,000 or more.

Painting

The worker offers to spray-paint a homeowner's barn or house. The paint mixture is diluted with water or another substance. The finished job lasts two or three months before the paint blisters and discolors. By then, the worker is gone.

Roofing

The worker approaches a homeowner, says his or her roof has dried out and offers to repair it. The worker goes up on the roof but applies either diluted oil or a substance that is no good. The worker, who likely gave a false name, leaves before the homeowner figures it out.

p.s. - possible tweet of the year