NFL: Bucaneers linemen prank rookies with massive dinner bill

Tackle Donovan Smith of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during training camp. Photo/Getty Images

It's the oldest trick in the book - run up a huge dinner tab and then force the rookies to pay.

Only this time, as the veterans from the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers introduced their first-year players to the big leagues, there was a wicked twist.

The Bucs hit up a Jacksonville steakhouse for their traditional rookie dinner this week, with the normal rules - the rookies foot the bill for each position group.

That spelled fear for Korren Kirven, 22, and Cole Gardner, 23, given they'd be covering whatever was consumed by the team's monstrous offensive linemen.

Even Kirven and Gardner couldn't believe their eyes when the following $US26,357 ($NZ36,179) receipt landed on their table.

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

But a close inspection of the orders started raising flags. $US10,000 in cognac? Another $US3450 in red wine? It was a fake.

Starting left tackle Donovan Smith confirmed the vets had teamed with the restaurant to produce a sham bill as part of a prank on the newcomers.

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

In even better news for Kirven and Gardner, the older crew also paid the real total, which was about $US3000 ($NZ4120).

"We didn't have to pay for anything," Kirven 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."