National Basketball Association

Prank phone calls: Los Angeles man charged after contacting coaches

Published Dec. 17, 2013 10:46 p.m. ET

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A Los Angeles man who allegedly made prank calls about job vacancies to coaches in major league sports and universities, then posted them on social media sites, was charged Tuesday with eavesdropping.

Kenneth Edward Tarr, 32, is charged with a felony for allegedly recording more than a half-dozen calls without consent. He could face a potential three-year sentence if convicted, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office announced.

Tarr was arrested earlier this month and released on bail. It wasn't immediately clear whether he had obtained a lawyer and a telephone listing for him couldn't immediately be located.

Tarr called several coaches while claiming to be a representative from various other teams, prosecutors said.

The targets were with the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, Major League Baseball and university football programs. Tarr "gauged their interest in managing other sports teams and, in at least one instance, offered the victim a coaching position," the DA's statement said.

Tarr posted video of himself making several calls on social media sites, prosecutors contend.

They have not identified any specific coaches.

In October, however, USC athletic director Pat Haden said two people pretending to be school representatives contacted two coaches and tried to discuss the Trojans' football coaching vacancy.

Haden said one of the pranksters repeatedly tried to speak to an unnamed member of the Denver Broncos' coaching staff about the USC opening.

A person impersonating a school representative contacted Tony Dungy, the former Tampa Bay and Indianapolis coach. Afterward, Dungy talked about his apparent contact with USC on a national radio show, saying he turned down the representative. Steve Sarkisian was later hired as coach.

Dungy later tweeted that he had been misled by "someone acting on their own" and apologized to Haden for the mix-up.

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