Southern Hospitality
by: gambitxxx
A look back at some of the dumbest NFL fines...
Nov 06, 2007 | 3:54PM | report this

We all know the NFL has a cast of characters that are sometimes more hillarious than your all time favorite cartoons. They do and say things that sometimes make you mad and other times make you laugh. The NFL finds some of the things they do not quite as ammusing as the rest of us. So here is a look at athletes and coaches that the NFL has fined for some realy dumb acts.

Chad Johnson
The man famous for over-the-top end zone celebrations delivered one of his best in Cleveland back in 2003. That's where, after hauling in a TD pass, Johnson pulled out a sign he had hidden behind a snowdrift that read: "Dear NFL, please don't fine me anymore." Charming? Sure. Effective? Not at all. The poster board ploy cost Johnson 10 grand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shawn Jefferson
Before a game in 2002, Falcons wide receiver Shawn Jefferson couldn't find his white shoes. So, rather than violate a league rule, he covered his black ones with white tape. But that broke a rule, too, and the NFL fined the poor #### $5,000. The rest of the league laughed and continued to take HGH with no repercussions.

Bill Cowher
The former Steelers head coach was right to be pissed when his team was flagged for having 12 guys on the field: An aerial photo showed there were only 11. But he was probably wrong when he stuffed a copy of said photo into a ref's shirt, earning a $7,500 fine. Hey, if you're going to sport a mustache like that, you've got to walk the walk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terrell Owens
Sure T.O. spit in DeAngelo Hall's face, and started a brawl back in his 49ers days when he celebrated a TD in Dallas by sprinting to midfield and posing on the Cowboys' beloved star, but at least the NFL nabbed him to the tune of five grand for not having his jersey tucked in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denver Broncos
Back in 2003, the Broncos were pumped for a road game against the Chargers. So pumped, in fact, that they didn't realize they weren't supposed to be wearing their white jerseys. That was a no-no, and the team was fined $25,000 and had to let the Chargers pick their jersey color when they visited Denver. To this day it remains the ####est moment in NFL history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jim Mora
Late in the 2005 season during an overtime game, the Falcons head coach didn't know how a tie would affect his team's playoff chances. So he did what any teenage girl would do: whipped out his cell phone! The problem? You guessed it. This violated a league rule (not to mention his "anytime" minutes), and Mora was fined a whopping $25,000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zeke Mowatt
Ah, 1990. It was a simpler time, a time when the Panthers and Jaguars didn't even exist and tight ends were named Zeke. It was also when five Patriots (led by Mowatt) were fined $12,500 for sexually harassing Boston Herald sportswriter Lisa Olson after approaching her in the locker room semi-naked. (I'm an optimist, so I like to think of them as semiclothed.)

Mike Tice
Every year, all NFL coaches are given an allotment of Super Bowl tickets. But, apparently, only one is dumb enough to get caught selling them to a California ticket agency. That honor goes to former Vikings coach Mike Tice, who, after getting busted, admitted, "I probably shouldn't have sold my tickets." And he said that before he was fined 100 grand!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike Ditka
Coach Ditka would probably like to forget his days at the helm of the Saints, but I won't let him. Back in '99, the Saints were on the visitors' one-yard line with 12 seconds left in the half and, amazingly, didn't score. Irate fans let Ditka hear it, and he gave it back with a couple of obscene gestures and shouted obscenities. Much to my surprise, the $20,000 penalty was Ditka's first fine as a coach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tom Brady
The Patriots' golden boy can win all the championships and sleep with all the supermodels he wants, but it doesn't mean Brady knows how to put on his helmet properly. That's right, Tom Terrific was fined an undisclosed amount for not having his chin properly strapped. What? Is Bill Belichick not setting a law-abiding example in Foxboro?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fred Smoot
You didn't think I would forget the Vikings' Love Boat cruise, did you? Smoot was fined one game check ($82,352) for his involvement in the infamous incident that forever linked Lake Minnetonka and K-Y Jelly. Bonus punishment: In court, Smoot pleaded guilty to "being a public nuisance on a watercraft," which is officially my new favorite crime.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed todays show entitled "Athletes and Coaches are sometimes just plain dumb."  Feel free to comment and if you can recall any other dumb things our favorite weekend warriors have done, please do share with me.

17 Comments | Add a comment   categories: Other, NCAAFB, NFL
 
« Continue reading Southern Hospitality
total comments: 17      Page 1 of 1     
Greenspire
Nov 6, 2007
4:53 PM
Hilarious! I hadn't heard about most of these. The Chad Johnson one tops the list for sure. That's just funny. Another stupid one would be T.O. doing a Patriots-Spygate rolling camera film endzone celebration. That was plain funny! The NFL has too many hard-#### high up in the ranks to have any fun anymore.

See ya later, Gambit!

-Mike Greenspire

slshusker
Nov 6, 2007
4:58 PM
I have to give Hall of Fame honors to my Vikings.
Tice was an #### with the ticket fiasco.
The Love Boat was as dumb as it gets.
Wait, there's more. The Vikings fined themselves by not getting their first NFL draft pick to the podium in time. The next year...

gambitxxx
Nov 6, 2007
6:15 PM
Mike, Thx for dropping in. Glad this made you laugh as I found it pretty ammusing myself. T.O.'s spy-gate, yeah that was a good one. And yes the old geezers need to loosen up a bit.

slshusker, thx for the comment and yeah I would have to say Tice and the Vikes at that time were as inept a group as it gets

HalfBaked
Nov 7, 2007
6:42 AM
Hey Gambit, these are awesome. A little postscript to the Lisa Olson one. The funniest part of the incident, at least to me, was the response of the team's owner at the time, Victor Kiam. This happened at the height of the first Gulf War, when Patriot Missiles were blasting Iraqi warheads out of the sky before they could do any damage. Anyway, Kiam said something along the lines of, "Well, I guess she got an up-close look at a few Patriot Missiles, didn't she?"

That was the OWNER!

Great compilation....

mtmarinerfan
Nov 7, 2007
6:59 AM
HEY GAMBIT! Nice blog, I forgot about the helmet fine, This just proves how stupid the NFL can be. Of course most of these fines are deserved but come on a shirt not tucked in-helmet not snapped correctly! Great read as usual.

mtmarinerfan

SouthernCheesehead
Nov 7, 2007
7:11 AM
Nice list, but I'm not sure who is worse...the NFL or the NCAA goonies!

YeeMum_
Nov 7, 2007
2:32 PM
Nice bit.

There are a bunch more 'celebration' fines, but I think you got the best ones in there.

STeople R Pupid

kellyscott
Nov 7, 2007
9:44 PM
great stuff

jon_464
Nov 7, 2007
11:37 PM
Speaking of Ditka with the Saints, he bet his defensive coordinator that the Saints wouldn't stop the Raiders on a goal-line stand to win the game. The Saints stopped the Raiders on a goal-line stand and Ditka whipped out three bills and paid the d-coordinator on the spot! Hilarious!

jon_464
Nov 7, 2007
11:42 PM
Speaking of Smoot, one of my favorites was when he called out Steve Smith (HUGE mistake!) before a game with the Panthers. All Smith did was torch Smoot to the tune of OVER 200 yards receiving and 3 TDs. I think the smoke's just starting to clear out all these years later.

Shadowbird
Nov 8, 2007
7:26 AM
I'd venture that some of these fines are dumber on the NFL's part than the player or coach's part, but that's just me. Which is not to say some of these fines were not deserved. Ditka and Smoot's fines? Well deserved. Rest of them? Eh, not so much.

CrimsonTide
Nov 8, 2007
12:52 PM
I'm with cheesey. I think the fine to kentucky becuae the fans rushed the feild is quite stupid. How are 15 state troopers supposed to hold back 50,000 screaming wilkcats. I would probably assume the fetal position if that many rabid fans were headed my way, and I was shot at multiple times in Iraq. You don't screw with college football fans.
.
by the way I got your promised blog posted for you and the picture is on its way. it will be on the same post hopefully tonight.

Lisa H
Nov 8, 2007
2:47 PM
This was freaking hilarious...love ocho cinco, but the Broncs wearing wrong unis is hilarious. GREAT post.

gambitxxx
Nov 9, 2007
6:30 AM
HalfBaked, Thx for stopping in. I didn't know that the owner said that what a ####.

mtmarinerfan, Thx, yeah the NFL can handout some stupid fines at times but when they are deserved seems they can't get it right... i.e. Spygate.

SCH, hey sweetie, thx and neither do I.

gambitxxx
Nov 9, 2007
6:35 AM
YeeMum, Thx for stopping in. I tried to just get as many as possible. And yes people are.

kellyscott, thx

jon, yeah I was going to put that in here also but didn't.

Shadowbird, Thx for the comment. Yeah the NFL can be stupid sometimes.

gambitxxx
Nov 9, 2007
6:38 AM
CrimsonTide, what's up my fellow SEC crazed fan? Thx for dropping in and commenting. Yeah I would run as fast as I could the opposite direction if I had benn a police officer or security during something like that. I will check the blog now.

Lisa, Thx for the comment. Yeah the pic goes good with the post as well.

osujack
Dec 3, 2007
8:14 AM
Gambitbox, congratulations to you and your Tigers. See you in New Orleans.......... we're coming and I wouldn't miss this one for the world. And you are right on, this is not the same team as last year. LSU's speed vs OSU physical defense. Alright!

Page 1 of 1     
Add a comment  
ABOUT ME


gambitxxx
The perfect breakfast as I see it. You’re sitting at the table and your son is on the cover of Wheaties, your mistress is on the cover of Playboy, and your wife is on the back of the milk carton. Cool Myspace Comments Cool Myspace Comments Cool Myspace Comments
MY FAVORITE BLOGS
KP's Blog
Welcome to Death Valley!
Thank You. I love you all.
Reverend Rhythm's Thoughts and Opinions
Selfish Thoughts and Commentary....
A Homer's Blog
Walking Eagle
Respect the crane kick
Hatchetman's Parade of Sports
The World According to Garp
StreetCred's Blog
Mike Greenspire Knows Best
SouthernCheeseh
ead's Blog
The Hot Pass
A Fan's Point of View
Straight Talk From the Left Coast
InkDemon's Aggie Blog
Confessions of an Overzealous Sports Junkie
Im Happy Are You ?
Copperhead Road
OH NO HE DI'NT !!!!!!!
Time stamping is done in Pacific Time.