Vikings' Moss Fined $10,000 by NFL for `Mooning' Celebration

[underpants]

Pffffffffffft Pocket change

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aXZWifspsd0k&refer=us

Jan. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss was fined $10,000 by the National Football League for pretending to expose his backside to Green Bay fans after scoring a touchdown in last week's playoff win over the Packers.

NFL rules say players can be disciplined for obscene gestures or other actions construed as being in poor taste. Moss was notified of the unsportsmanlike-conduct fine today.

``Your actions were based on poor judgment, did not reflect well on you or the Vikings, and were insulting to many,'' NFL Director of Game Operations Peter Hadhazy said in a letter to Moss. ``They have resulted in widespread criticism and needlessly detracted from Minnesota's dramatic playoff victory.''

In 1999, Moss was fined $40,000 for squirting an official with a water bottle, a penalty that was reduced to $25,000 on appeal. The Vikings fined him $15,000 in 2001 after he verbally abused corporate sponsors on the team bus. Moss also had to attend anger management classes.

In December 2002, Moss was fined $1,200 for bumping a traffic officer with his car in downtown Minneapolis.

[Taverner]

1. WTF? He didnt even moon them

This faux outrage is outraging ME

[Bono71]

2. I gotta say, I saw it happen live and thought nothing about it. n/t

[progressiveBadger]

41. I was pissed...

but I'm a Packer fan.

[Demrock6]

46. Thats why! LOL!

Go Vikes!

[Squatch]

3. How much did the Janet Jackson incident cost?

And that was full-on nipplage.

[AllegroRondo]

4. Should have suspended him from the next game

that kind of money doesnt mean much to him. take away his time on tv.

[Bono71]

8. You must be an Eagles fan. :) n/t

[underpants]

9. For what?

A FAKE mooning? I have seen touchdown celebrations that were way more sexually suggestive than that....err excuse me what Moss did wasn't even sexually suggestive.

[Bono71]

14. I know, remember when Tony Dorsett actually

made love to a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader in the endzone after scoring a toucdown in the '79 NFC playoff game against the Rams? Tasteless!

[Sandpiper]

5. NFL = No Fun League

Any time a player does something colorful or entertaining, the league moves with all possible haste to stifle it.

Up yours Emperor Tagliabue.

[underpants]

12. Yep-Notice he got fined MORE for verbally abusing a corporate sponsor

*GASP*

The Vikings fined him $15,000 in 2001 after he verbally abused corporate sponsors on the team bus

[Bono71]

24. That's because 1 was a standard fine by the league and the

other was a fine levied by his team.

[blm]

6. Were Senators punished for the crowning of Moon in the Senate building

last March?

[skylarmae]

13. now that's just down right funny...

LMAO

[slutticus]

7. I'm outraged about the outrage.

[StClone]

10. Prevent future unsportsmanlike conduct?

Otherwise the mooning is an equal travesty to the fine. I live in Packer Central and this is not the big news.

[Dookus]

11. Biggest feigned outrage ever....

it even tops Janet Jackson's nipple.

How did this even become a BLIP on the news? A fake mooning? This country is insane.

[underpants]

15. What's funny is that no one will show it again

Okay I don't watch ESPN much anymore but any discussion of this surely gets the "What did he do? Can I see it?" quesitons from anyone who didn't see it live.

[noamnety]

16. I don't understand what was offensive

There was no nudity. He faced his backside to the stadium ... but it's like theatre in the round, your backside's always facing someone if you're on the field.

He stuck his butt out, but football players are always standing around with their butts sticking out.



He moved his hands from waist high to thigh high. Is that it? hands cannot be moved downward while the butt is sticking out? I am just so lost on this one. I want to be outraged. I want to see the connection between this and the decline of moral values in America. I want to see this as worse than bombing civilians in Iraq. I want to fit in.

[Mills Street]

33. You don't have to be offensive to get fined by the NFL.

You just have to celebrate and taunt unnecessarily. That's what Randy did.

[Ezlivin]

17. What happens to the money? Does it go to help anyone?

Fine. So they take $10K out of Randy's wallet.

What do they do with money? Pay for more half-naked cheerleaders?

[Bono71]

21. Honestly, I think some of it does go to the United Way n/t

[Ezlivin]

23. Okay, so it's not a total waste n/t

[IndianaGreen]

18. How about fining those cheeseheads that always moon the visiting team?

The reason Moss did what he did is because Packer fans always drop their pants and moon the visiting team when it leaves the stadium on the bus.

[sybylla]

28. The difference is Moss is paid bazillions of dollars to act sportsmanlike

as he represents the league and the sport. Packer fans aren't. If Packer fans had a league, I'm sure they'd be appalled by the behavior of a few bad eggs and issue fines for their behavior too. Regardless, one tasteless act doesn't always deserve another. The league expects more from it's players. If Moss wants to be part of that and make his bazillions of dollars, then he has to play by the league's rules - fair or not.

Now that you mention it, I'm curious why security at the stadium or the police aren't involved if this is something that happens on a regular basis. Or are we taking Moss' word for it that Packer fans moon the exiting team?

[IndianaGreen]

32. It is a fact that Packer fans moon the visiting team

and I am not a Viking fan.

On edit (for those that always want a link):

Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy said Monday that Moss was simply making a "kind of humorous" response to a "tradition" among Packers fans: "They moon the visiting team's bus. And they go all the way."

Dungy did not seem upset about Moss' gesture.

"It's not the kind of thing you want to see on national TV, but I understand what it was all about," he said.

Asked Monday whether Packers fans motivated the move, Vikings coach Mike Tice said he can't speak for Moss but added that while he's "always felt that Green Bay fans had a tremendous amount of class, I didn't see that displayed particularly often Sunday."

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/vikings/2005-01-10-moss-fake-moon_x.htm

[sybylla]

36. You've been there to see it? You've seen photographs?

So far, it's Moss and Dungy's word against the Packer security and the local police.

http://www.packersnews.com/archives/news/pack_19389472.shtml
<snip>
Commander Ken Brodhagen, who directs the Green Bay Police Department’s security at all Packers games, has been working the games since 1976. We offer him as a source on the behavior of Packers fans.

Jerry Parins has been the Packers corporate security director for more than a decade and before that worked in security at the stadium when he was a member of the Green Bay Police Department. We offer his perspective as evidence.

<snip>
Here’s what Brodhagen said:

“That’s news to me. Maybe something like that happened a long time ago. But we have officers in the visiting team compound and something like that has never been mentioned.”

Here’s what Parins said:

“About four years ago, a visiting team reported that there was an incident on Ridge Road where a couple of individuals mooned them. We also had an incident where two ladies in a private suite mooned people down below. Heck, when we went to Chicago last week, two large older males — at 8:30 in the morning — mooned us as we went into Soldier Field.”
<snip>

Apparently, as usual, the press only has half the story. Remember, this is the city that had planned to fingerprint people for running a stop sign. This is facism central. I can't help but think this kind of thing wouldn't be tolerated by the GBPD. But what do I know? :shrug:

[IndianaGreen]

39. I'll take Dungy's word over that of a myriad of cheeseheads

Sorry Packer fans, but we are talking football, not politics.

[Mills Street]

31. I don't think the NFL has the authority to fine fans N/T

[Walt Starr]

19. Um, this is the standard "celebration" fine in the NFL

If he spiked the ball, he'd pay the same fine.

Bascially, the NFL says this is no different than spiking the ball or doing a dance.

[Skittles]

20. I don't watch football but this seems very silly

the fine I mean. Now bumping the traffic officer - THAT was indeed offensive.

Sounds like Mr. Moss has developed a reputation that perhaps attracts more attention to his lesser infractions.

[NoStinkinBadges]

22. What's the big deal NFL

Lighten up and concentrate on real problems like steriods.

[CanSocDem]

25. More evidence of the superiority of the CFL...

End zone celebrations are allowed and they really have reached new levels of creativity in the past few years. They are part of the show.

[Bono71]

26. Is it still a 20 yard deep endzone up there? n/t

[qanda]

27. Apparently the Green Bay fans

Moon the opposing team's bus when they're leaving the stadium. I think this whole thing is being blown way out of proportion. And Moss should get an acting contract when he's finished playing football-- that was a very good faux mooning.

[IndianaGreen]

34. Story about mooning cheeseheads

Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy said Monday that Moss was simply making a "kind of humorous" response to a "tradition" among Packers fans: "They moon the visiting team's bus. And they go all the way."

Dungy did not seem upset about Moss' gesture.

"It's not the kind of thing you want to see on national TV, but I understand what it was all about," he said.

Asked Monday whether Packers fans motivated the move, Vikings coach Mike Tice said he can't speak for Moss but added that while he's "always felt that Green Bay fans had a tremendous amount of class, I didn't see that displayed particularly often Sunday."

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/vikings/2005-01-10-moss-fake-moon_x.htm

[pokercat999]

29. He's lucky

"In December 2002, Moss was fined $1,200 for bumping a traffic officer with his car in downtown Minneapolis."

he wasn't shot. Cop must have recognized him.

[Mills Street]

30. Everybody keeps getting the NFL confused with the FCC.

This isn't a government fine people, it is the freakin NFL! So stop getting the two confused.

It wasn't that what Moss did was indecent for TV, it was just excessive and inappropriate taunting by the NFL's standards. And the NFL hands out fines for celebrating left and right, so this is no surprise.

[Renew Deal]

40. You would be correct on that.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[RetroLounge]

35. Let stop skirting the truth.

A Black man made a fool out the Packers and Brett Favre "the great white hope" of Green Bay.

The only offensive thing about it was the Packer's Defense.

NFL = Bullshit...

RL

[AgadorSparticus]

43. man, you got that right!!! i was watching Inside the NFL and Chris

Collingsworth said that he was on the field and to be fair, the fans were calling the players all kinds of racial slurs (i.e. buckwheat, etc.) for their afros. of course, that is never mentioned. but i find this whole incident just pure bullshit. you nailed it exactly, RetroLounge.

[olddad56]

50. When does it have to be a racist thing? ...

"A Black man made a fool out the Packers and Brett Favre "the great white hope" of Green Bay."

He made a fool of the packers on the field with his great athlete ability. He made a fool of himself in the end zone with his sophomoric behavior.

If he had any class, he would have acted like he had been there before, and no, I'm not a Packers fan (or a Randy Moss fan).

[fob]

37. Where can I send a few bucks to help pay this fine?

Anyone that takes the time to verbally abuse corporate sponsors is alright by me. I've also read somewhere that Randy does his own charity work because he feels the NFL uses the players and takes undue credit for their work. If anyone should be fined it should be Joe Buck for going instant hissyfit about it on live TV.

[Deja Q]

38. Well then, can I be fined 50 cents for doing the same thing? What a load,

especially when this arrogant, egocentric jerkwad hit a cop with his car.

The rancid pompous twerp should be rotting in jail, with a girlfriend named Rock. x(

[progressiveBadger]

42. Try "fake" mooning one of your customers at work

and see if your boss laughs it off or fires your ass.

[bobbyboucher]

44. Mr. Apple, meet

Mr. Orange.

[progressiveBadger]

55. How do you figure?

Moss is a paid employee under the umbrella company that is the NFL. The NFL has rules, just like any other company. Their rules say that a player will be fined if he violates their terms. Moss did that. If he doesn't like it, I think AFL has less rules for him to remember to follow.

[hector459]

45. I'm new here but I must say this incident was blown way out....

It just should have been ignored. So now personal obscenities are outlawed in public...or is it just public broadcasting? This nation is on a very slippery slope, indeed. We can't fine Bush for lying and getting our children killed and bankrupting the future of this nation but we can fine a black football player $10,000 for an act that hurt only his own image? Pardon me while I ponder this.

[Demrock6]

47. Welcome to the DU! I am still kind of new myself.

Now I am hear three times a day.

[against all enemies]

48. Is Joe Buck an asshole all the time? What a FCC kiss ass.

I saw the game, the announcer says, "Moss with the touchdown, now he's mooning the fans." The announcer is kind of laughing at it. Then Super asshole Joe Buck chimes in "What a disgusting act". Sorry Joe, the only thing disgusting was the way you sucked Right-wing Christian ass about the whole thing. Hey Joe, ever meet a football player, or even a high school kid? When they moon all you see is the big "full moon" as it's pressed against the car window. Joe Buck, get real, ASSHOLE!!

[steve2470]

49. hey a violation of his free speech rights LOL not nt

[MrSlayer]

51. The No Fun League is in full effect.

What a bunch of stuffed shirts. He didn't do anything that was remotely obscene or indecent. It was funny when I saw it without the context, it's even funnier knowing that Packer fans really moon the losing team's bus after games. He's just giving a little bit back to them. These "outraged" people have got to get over themselves.

[0007]

52. The NFL should moon Joe Buck!

[Lefty48197]

53. I'm assuming Randy didn't consider doing the "Lambeau leap"

so he did the classiest thing he could think of.

[drummer55]

54. take all his money and leave him with 10,000

That would be a better fine.

Course I hate professional sports and would rather see all that money and effort being spent on really important things like need starvign children, poverty, cures for diseases and other such silly things.