The Bob Stoops shakedown of Berry Tramel just got a tad more complicated.
Thanks to a tip via The Ogle Mole Network™, we’ve learned that Berry “Boomer” Tramel – the wise old sports sage who will apparently sign any document you put in front of him if you’re happily smoking a celebratory cigar – has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in Western Oklahoma court.
According to the filing, submitted in late November, Tramel reports having about $1.5 million in assets tied up in his home, retirement accounts, and high-mileage foreign cars. He also earns roughly $8,500 a month between his gigs at The Tulsa World and The Sports Animal.
Wow! That’s not a bad balance sheet for a guy who spends his days writing and talking about sports on dying media delivery mediums! Who knew you could become a millionaire doing that!
Unfortunately, Berry also lists a $600,000 “nonpriority unsecured claim” related to the lawsuit the Stoops-Keith-Switzer collective filed against him for foolishly co-guaranteeing the Sellout Crowd loan.
I’m not always a silver linings kind of guy, but one positive about Berry’s and Bob’s breakup is that it’s finally freed Tramel to go against the OU homer media company line, and actually call out Brent Venables – a.k.a. Bob Stoops’s Gary Gibbs – for being disorganized, in over his head, and obviously not the right guy for the job.
It’s a shame it took a $600,000 lawsuit to spark honesty in the local sports media, but hey, it’s progress, right?
“Patrick! This is BULLFEATHERS! Stop picking on Berry! This is a private matter and shouldn’t be reported!”
Listen, I don’t enjoy covering people’s bankruptcies. But Berry Tramel is a public figure, and the rapid rise and spectacular collapse of Sellout Crowd was a major local news story. His private poor business decisions becoming public news isn’t my fault!
Besides, I’m sure Berry would agree this saga serves as a cautionary tale: beware of false prophets with pitches too good to be true, and always, always read the fine print on legal documents—or loan guarantees—before signing.
The question now is what Berry’s bankruptcy means for the Sellout Crowd case and the Stoops-Keith-Switzer collective’s efforts to claw back their money.
I asked a smart lawyer, and here’s what they said:
Filing for bankruptcy triggers an automatic stay against debt collection. If a judgment is issued against Tramel in the Sellout lawsuit, any collection efforts must go through the bankruptcy process. It’s possible the debt could be discharged, but creditors can argue against it. Essentially, this just leads to more litigation.
Make sense? A sports analogy might be that Stoops and company are marching down the field with an up-tempo no-huddle offense, while Berry falls to the ground faking an injury to slow them down.
Or something like that.
To get a second opinion, I asked Chat GPT to explain:
Tramel’s bankruptcy could discharge most unsecured debts, limiting Big Dog Media’s ability to recover funds. Any non-exempt assets he owns might be liquidated to repay creditors, but this likely won’t cover the full amount. While the lawsuit is paused for Tramel, co-defendants may face heightened pressure to pay.
Finally, for a third opinion, I reached out to my friend – former NBA MVP and Thunder great Russell Westbrook. His response?
“I don’t like him!”
Anyway, now that Berry has filed for bankruptcy, and Mike Koehler – the failed mastermind behind Sellout Crowd – has already had a default judgment entered against him, the clock is ticking on their co-defendants Kris Murray and Mike Sherman. Will they file for bankruptcy, too? Guess we’ll wait and see.
In the meantime, stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
