Posted on 02/06/2004 11:08:29 AM PST by truthandlife
The National Football League has decided a Cincinnati Bengals quarterback will not have to pay a $5,000 fine for wearing a hat during interviews that features a Christian cross symbol.
Jon Kitna routinely wears the cap to signify his faith, but only league apparel can be worn during interviews immediately following games, an attempt by the NFL to protect its sponsorship deals.
An NFL spokesman told the Associated Press the league rescinded the fine before Kitna's appeal could be heard, but he gave no explanation for the decision.
Kitna told the AP he believed the league rule applied only to products with a competing company's logo or name.
"All along, there was never any malicious intent on my part," he said yesterday. "I don't think they ever intended for the fine to stick."
The wire service said religious stores around Cincinnati reacted to the fine by selling hundreds of similar caps to fans who supported Kitna.
Supporters around the country sent Kitna money to help pay the fine, and a local businessman said he would pay the $5,000 and every fine that followed if the quarterback continued to wear the hat.
After the fine, however, Kitna stopped wearing the hat for postgame interviews. He also has returned the money to fans with a personal note of thanks.
Kitna was the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year, leading his team into playoff contention until the final week of the season.
According to a news report this week, former NFL Most Valuable Player Kurt Warner said his Christian faith was directly assaulted by his own NFL coaches who purportedly said his Bible reading was hurting his on-field performance.
Warner was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV, but when his performance began to falter in recent seasons, he was told his benching to backup service resulted – at least partially – from his belief in Jesus.
"I actually had [Rams] coaches say I was reading the Bible too much and it was taking away from my play," Warner told the Baptist Press. "It was OK when we were winning, but now I was [messing] this thing up? People were saying I had lost my job because of my faith."
The salary might not be the greatest, but the fringe benefits are awesome. And the retirement plan can't be beat.
Carolyn
Here's a satire about Warner.....I won't link it cuz it does contain some profanities....so beware.
Its either eat a lot of bunny stew or lose my vegetable garden every year. The rabbits are so thick around here they need reservations to destroy my carrots and lettuce.
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