Bucs linemen stick rookies with fake $26K tab to prank them

The Bucs pulled off an unorthodox prank while in Jacksonville for Thursday’s preseason game against the Jaguars.

Since sticking rookies with a large tab at a bar or restaurant has become a thing, the Bucs linemen elected to do something to that extent, but without the criticism of having young men pay an exorbitant amount of money that they don’t really have.

The Bucs linemen all went to a team dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse on Wednesday, and the bill came out to $26,357.31. They pranked two rookies — Korren Kirven and Cole Gardner — tricking them into thinking they had to pay it.

Here's a better shot of that Bucs offensive line rookie dinner tab. $10,000 in cognac, $3,450 in red wine at @RuthsChris … pic.twitter.com/7tYn1uqd1f

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 17, 2017

Bucs tackle Donovan Smith revealed that it was all a joke on Twitter.

Thank you for using your head it's a fake bill we tricked the rookies. Didn't take much for someone to logically think about this

— Donovan Smith (@DSmith_76) August 17, 2017

ESPN’s Jenna Laine provided the details behind the prank by speaking to Kirven afterward.

“We didn’t have to pay for anything,” he said. “We were shocked at first when we saw the bill. We thought we weren’t gonna make it. But at the end, knowing they paid it was pretty cool of them.”

Clever.