NFL Football Cracks Down on End Zone Stunts

VOA ^ | 17 Dec 2003, 15:18 UTC | VOA Sports

[yonif]

The National Football League is again cracking down on player celebrations in the end zone. The league fined New Orleans Saints receiver Joe Horn $30,000 on Tuesday for making a choreographed cell phone call in the end zone to celebrate a touchdown Sunday. Horn's agent, Ralph Vitolo, says the player will appeal. Teammate Michael Lewis was fined $5,000 for helping orchestrate the stunt. After catching the second of four touchdown passes in a victory over the New York Giants on Sunday, Horn was handed a phone by Lewis, who pulled it from under the padding used to protect the goal post. Horn was still wearing his helmet when he punched in numbers, put the phone to the earhole and spoke into it for a few seconds.

The Saints were penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct for the stunt. After the game, Saints head coach Jim Haslett said the team would not punish Horn, but that he was disappointed in the receiver's "selfish" act.

In another game Sunday, Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson retrieved a sign from behind a snowdrift and held it up after a 10-yard touchdown catch. Johnson's sign read: "Dear NFL: Please do not fine me again." But the NFL did on Tuesday in the amount of $10,000.

[american spirit]

It's more like the Nat'l Freakshow League now....all the goofball antics and dances seriously denigrate the game as well as all the players who played it with class. Some of these morons playing the game now are a disgrace.

[Logic n' Reason]

This jerk is paid big money each year to play a game. The NFL is in business. If Horn's activities increase market share. . . then super!

Let's say Horn's contract pays him $10M per year. Given his fine (I'll bet his team and/or agent paid it for him) of $30K, let's do a little simple math.

This would be analogus to a person with $10 in their pocket being fined $.03!!

Horn is an ass...as are most of the supposed "super stars" of football. It's a waste of time to watch.

Find something better to do with your time and money and let these idiots wind up with no jobs.

[blowfish]

I don't care for it either. But the NFL is in no position to adopt a moral high-ground on this issue, and they look like idiots if they try.
These things tend to self-correct over time, but the NFL is big $$$ entertainment, nothing more. Everyone from the commissioner to the lowliest special teams player knows this.

[blau993]

how does celebrating a touchdown in the end zone equal unsportsmanlike conduct?

Because it is the equivalent of taunting the opposing players. This is not just bad sportsmanship; it fairly begs for retaliation.

[Revolting cat!]

I wouldn't mind if they banned the rest of what constitues this "football", that's played with armpits (Armpitball?) and just left the end zone antics competition!

[RoseofTexas]

This was a STUPID stunt!! Football should be football and that's it!! NO MONKEY BUSINESS! The guy tried to be a SMART A$$! The league outta impose suspension of one game, plus the money fine! That'll do it as a warning to others!

[new cruelty]

The National Football League is again cracking down on player celebrations in the end zone

Wait a minute. I don't get it. They can crack down on players celebrating in the end zone yet they can't seem to find the WMDs or bin laden... what gives?

[Catspaw]

Well, we here in Packerland treasure the Lambeau Leap, but it doesn't involve a sign or a cell phone.

[the invisib1e hand]

there goes The Man, trying to keep the brothers down again.

[Revolting cat!]

Here's something to react violently against, professor Alan Dundes' take on football. (Sorry, I don't have a link to the original source.)

[Revolting cat!]

uipment?

[Smittie]

"Pro Sports" does not get any of my money, in any way and damn little of my attention

Unfortunately, they play in playpens subsidized by taxes, so everyone pays in the end. I think it should be illegal to use tax money building stadiums. In Houston, they've just built all three pro teams new playpens within the last 3 or 4 years, while at the same time the shool buildings were shown falling apart on the news.

[RightOnline]

Glad to see it. Sick and tired of the b.s. hot-dogging........for doing their jobs. It has gotten to the point that a 4 yard run is all that is needed for some wild celebration.

NFL players today are pathetic.

[SaveTheChief]

The Icky Shuffle, the dirty bird and other types are fine with me but the prop celebrations is Ghetto ball and im sick of watching that.

Sadly, this will be turned into an issue of free speech and the NFL will be lost forever to an organization of thugs and self-promoting trash-talkers. Well... maybe not, but it is one possibility. Given the current trends in music and other forms of entertainment, professional sports cannot be too far behind.

[oldcomputerguy]

I thought that cell phone call was one of the classier endzone antics in a long long time.

I agree. I am not in favor of end zone stunts dances or the like, but I did think this was very inoffensive. I thought the fuss that Mike Patrick made out of it was BS.

I think T.O's signing of the ball was offensive because it impies someone full of themselves. Horns "phone call", to me, was sharing his happiness with presmably his family. Not the same thing at all in my book.

I live outside New Orleans but am actually a Vkings fan. I am sure, if I was a cellphone provider I would be signing Horn up now for commercials at more than 30k however.

[Skywalk]

I think these types of celebrations are hilarious. Especially when the game is no longer in doubt, I figured something should keep the crowd entertained.

Let's be honest--all NFL fans will remember TO's Sharpie stunt and they'll remember his standing on the star in Dallas. That's what makes for great theater. I'd be bored to tears if every football player were a stoic and brutal SOB who never celebrated.

I wonder if people got their panties in a twist when Homer Jones brought the spike to the NFL?

Plus, the references to "ghetto ball" make it clear to me that much of the anti-celebration crowd are really not fond of black athletes being enthusiastic or clever. Don't recall much criticism of Jim McMahon's antics.

Or the fact that in the "old days" you had thugs trying to kill people in the defensive backfield and were proud of it---Jack Tatum comes to mind.

[LS]

No, I disagree. The NFL is in a position to take care of this, and the way you do it is NOT just fine the player (which has little impact with their salaries) but with serious in-game penalties. The penalty after TD could move back the following kickoff to the 10 if you have to.

I guarantee you that after a couple of these, the defense that has to go out on the field after the antics of a TO or a Joe Horn will virtually kill the guy in the locker room.

[Ima Lurker]

A little celebrating in the end zone is fine. I don't mind it even if my team is on the receiving end. (which it usually is) But the NFL has got to get a tight rein on this or it will get more and more outrageous.

[LS]

I think there is a difference between a player celebration (and by the way, they drop the ball before the leap) and a "me-first," showboating thing like what TO and Horn did. And it's easily corrected by some stiffer in-game penalties, like the subsequent kick being moved back to the 10 yard line, or the 5 if you have to.

If your idiocy costs the team an almost-automatic 3 points, you won't engage in this crap for long before the defensive line breaks your legs.

[savedbygrace]

I don't think they can make the fines large enough to stop this practice.

Maybe the NFL should copy the NHL and, for certain penalties, put the player in the penalty box for two minutes game time. Force the team to play with only 10 players.

I think the coaches and other players would see that the behavior stopped in a hurry. Or not.