Predators Site Redirects To Sex Offenders Site Because Of Troll Ex-Owner

It seems that Orlando's Arena Football team has been the subject of some out-going regime hijinks. The franchise was recently sold to David Siegel, CEO of Westgate Resorts, and around the same time as the sale was announced, the team's website began redirecting to Florida's website for tracking sex offenders. It was a short-lived mystery.

As it happens, a company owned by David Pearsall, the former owner of the team, is listed as the reseller of OrlandoPredators.com, which means he can redirect the site wherever he likes. When he stepped away from the team in May, OrlandoPredators.com was reportedly just a generic web page. Once the sale was official, Siegel and his crew became aware of the new destination. New ownership and the AFL are not pleased.

Jared Saft became aware of the site's new content Monday, one day before he was announced as the new team president under new owner David Siegel, CEO of Westgate Resorts.

"Our initial reaction was to reach out to the league," Saft said. "We're really disappointed. He's potentially harming fans and children who are trying to get information on the team.

"When you register a domain, you represent that you're not infringing on a trademark. Well, he's infringing on a trademark."

The league agrees. "It's unfortunate that previous ownership did not handle this differently, but the appropriate legal action has been commenced and we are confident that the Predators' brand will remain as strong as ever," AFL Commissioner Jerry B. Kurz said in a statement to the Orlando Sentinel.

Pearsall's company might not be the entity doing the actual redirecting, it's possible the domain was offered for public sale and anyone could have purchased it and began redirecting it anywhere they pleased. Saft says they have filed a complaint with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a nonprofit that regulates domain names.

Orlando Predators' website gets sacked in team sale [Orlando Sentinel]