10k fine for Moss

[budlitebrad]

Seems a little much to me, but I guess they want to make a statement. How much was Plummer's fine for the bird? 5k?

 

Maybe it was 5k for the moon and 5k for the hairdo...

[CaptainHook]

I believe it was higher because he was a repeat offender. He'd been fined for squirting an official with a water bottle a few years ago.

 

It was a childish, yet funny incident and it deserved a slap on the wrist fine. Somehow I don't think Randy will miss that $10,000.

[Perchoutofwater]

Seems a little much to me, but I guess they want to make a statement. How much was Plummer's fine for the bird? 5k?

 

Maybe it was 5k for the moon and 5k for the hairdo...

 

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Plummer was 5k, but that was the first time Plummer made an ass of himself. Moss is a repeat offender, thus the bigger fine. And really, what is $10,000 to Moss, what he makes on one or two plays? It's not even a game check, so I don't think it was all that harsh.

[Down Goes Frazia]

Barton get's $7500 for the swat to the head on Brees..... & Moss get's 10K.

 

I'm not sure I understand that logic.

[Perchoutofwater]

All of the fines in the NFL are a joke. If they are going to fine them, they need to hit'm hard, and make them notice it, otherwise there is no reason to fine them. Unless of course they are just swatting at them to pacify the public, which is exactly what they are doing.

[budlitebrad]

Yea, the (over)reaction was more of a reason than the act itself.

Edited January 13, 2005 by budlitebrad

[WaterMan]

Joe Buck doesn't get out of the house much.

[Big John]

Remember that fines for wearing socks an inch too low is $5K.

[Gunther]

Remember that fines for wearing socks an inch too low is $5K.

 

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As it is for wearing socks of the wrong color. Isn't there also a $5K fine for not tucking in your jersey for the game? I can't remember.

[CaptainHook]

You can also be fined if your towel is too long. No joke.

[Gunther]

You can also be fined if your towel is too long.  No joke.

 

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Wow. I did a bit of searching and came back wondering how much a NFL uniform inspector gets paid.

 

Also found one where Favre was having trouble keeping his jersey tucked in so they put snaps on his jersey to keep it "tucked".

 

Here is a copy-paste of the first article:

Posted on Thu, Dec. 16, 2004 

 

True fashion cents

Policing NFL dress is his long suit

By MARK KRAM

kramm@phillynews.com

 

The life of an NFL uniform inspector is not as easy as it would appear. On any given Sunday, you have 90 players to keep your eye on, none of whom can seem to keep his socks up. Or his jersey tucked in. Or his aunt just passed away, and he wants to acknowledge the old dear with a few loving words on the side of a shoe.

 

Such attitudes of attire are outlawed in the NFL, which is why uniform inspector Quentin Walker found himself some years ago eye-to-eye with Baltimore Ravens running Bam Morris. At issue: Morris was wearing not one, but two towels.

 

Just back from a drug suspension, Morris had approached Walker during pregame warmups and asked, "Quentin, am I OK?" Walker spotted the extra towel and replied, "You have to remove one of those towels." Morris still had the extra towel on at the end of pregame, at which point Walker approached a Baltimore representative to explain what had to be done. Morris saw them talking and joined the discussion, which immediately became a debate worthy of "Crossfire."

 

"This is for my brother," said Morris, holding up the extra towel. "Why would you care if I wore two towels?"

 

"Because a rule is a rule," Walker replied calmly.

 

"But this is for my brother, just to let him know I am back out here."

 

"I understand," Walker said. "But you have to call him on the telephone or do whatever you have to do, because you cannot wear that extra towel."

 

Exasperated, Morris scoffed as he walked off: "Fine. Do whatever you have to do then."

 

Walker jotted down the violation on his report, which he always files with the league headquarters on Mondays. The league then assesses it, reviews the film and sends out letters to the offending players on Wednesdays - if not informing them of a fine, then giving them a stern warning not to do it again. Chances are that Morris would have been fined, but Walker saw him again before kickoff and noticed that he had removed the second towel. Walker checked him off on his form as being in compliance.

 

"Players are usually nice when it comes to correcting violations," says Walker, 43, standing on a sideline at Lincoln Financial Field before the Eagles-Green Bay game 11 days ago. "In the case of Morris, he was just trying to have his say. I understood that, but a rule is a rule."

 

Walker chuckles and adds, "That was the only time I can remember when a player got really mad at me."

 

Inspection

 

Less than a hour before the 4:15 p.m. kickoff that Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, Walker is walking up and down the sidelines, his eyes scanning clusters of Eagles and Packers engaged in pregame warmups. A former Virginia running back who played three NFL games in 1984 for the then-St. Louis Cardinals, Walker has been an NFL uniform inspector for 8 years, 2 with the Carolina Panthers and 6 with the Eagles. In his hand is a document called "Uniform/On-Field Inspection," on which he keeps a running account of the violations he spots. A common one on this day is what he calls "low whites."

 

"Our rules state that the sock is supposed to come halfway up on the calf," says Walker, who gestures across the field to Al Harris, the Green Bay cornerback. "Look at No. 31 [Harris], how his socks are down at his ankles."

 

He jots it down on the form, looks up and then spots two Eagles. One of them is wide receiver Greg Lewis, who is wearing only his black socks with no white showing. The other is cornerback Lito Sheppard, who is wearing only tape on his ankles with no socks. "Both are in violation," Walker says. "So they have to correct it, or they could be fined."

 

He then spots others as they come on to the field. "No. 89 for Green Bay [Robert Ferguson] has his jersey out, and not enough white on his legs. And No. 36 with the Eagles [brian Westbrook] has socks down, which he usually does during warmup. And No. 80 on the Packers [Donald Driver] is wearing his pants above his knees."

 

The NFL is very particular when it comes to how one wears his uniform. While baseball players generally look as if they have fallen out of a clothes hamper, with caps askew and pants that extend down around the ankles, NFL players are compelled to conform to a strict sartorial standard that precludes even a suggestion of self-expression. When Denver quarterback Jake Plummer affixed a sticker to his helmet in honor of fallen NFL player Pat Tillman, who died in combat last April in Afghanistan, the league warned him of possible fines if he continued to wear it; Plummer eventually backed off. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger also found himself at odds with the league uniform code by doctoring his shoes: He wrote No. 40 on the sides in honor of Tillman and the initials "PFJ" on the toe. The initials stand for "Play For Jesus." Roethlisberger has played with the initials on his person since he was a high school sophomore, and said in early December that he would continue to wear them but hide it. Anger at how the league handled both cases swelled in Internet chat rooms, where one fan typed on behalf of Roethlisberger: "Good for Ben! I would be interested in knowing just who is complaining. Islamofacists? Or weak-kneed NFL bureaucrats?"

 

What it comes down to for the NFL is where one draws the line. By letting one player adjust his uniform to express himself, the league opens the door for individuals to advance whatever personal agenda appeals to them. Says NFL uniform enforcement chief Merton Hanks, the former defensive back for the 49ers and Seahawks: "Once you start allowing exceptions, you have no basis to stand on." Hanks says that the league uniform code has gotten stricter since its inception in the early 1990s, but that it is designed both to protect the safety of "our precious, precious employees" and to assure the integrity of the endorsement contracts it has arranged. The latter obliges the player to Pro Line-authorized equipment, which is to say Reebok uniforms and undergarments; Reebok, crappy shoes from spammers or Pro Moves shoes; Wilson towels; Riddell helmets, and so on. No other logos but ones that have been approved by the league are allowed to show. Nor may players wear bandanas under their helmets (skullcaps only), headbands or any visible jewelry.

 

"Obviously, we are cognizant of our image, and it is our job to assure that," Hanks says. "We want our employees to present a professional look."

 

Hanks concedes with a laugh that he did not always do that as a player. "I was fined twice," he says. "If I played today, I would probably be fined every week. Whenever I see a player I played with, the running joke is: 'Merton, how in the heck could they give you this job?' And I always say: 'It takes a sinner to catch a sinner.' "

 

And the fines?

 

They can get steep.

 

Five thousand dollars if you do it once.

 

Ten if you do it again.

 

Twenty, then 40 and so on.

 

(They can be appealed, and frequently are.)

 

To ensure that the code is adhered to, the league places uniform inspectors in each of the NFL cities. Always, they are former players, which Hanks says allows them to form an "instant bond" with the players. Says Hanks, "They know what a player goes through on game day." While Walker says that he is friendly with the players, and they occasionally come up to him and say, "Hey, Q, how do I look?" he generally communicates with them through a team designee. In the case of the Eagles, the team designee is equipment manager John Hatfield, who passes on the violations Walker has spotted in pregame warmups to the players in the locker room before kickoff. On this Sunday, he is not certain who the team designee for the Packers is, so he strolls up to an assistant coach and asks; the coach points to a fellow chatting with some players at midfield. "Usually the job falls to someone low on the totem pole," says Walker, who had been told that the Green Bay team designee is administrative assistant Matt Klein. Walker then walks behind the end zone to get a better view of the Packers' offensive players.

 

"A lot of the violators in the league tend to be skill-position players," he says. "Quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs. Some defensive backs. All of them tend to be cockier. We very seldom have problems with linemen."

 

So who have been the worst offenders?

 

Walker says, "Hmm, I would have to say Deion Sanders. He always had something extra going on. Jim McMahon ... Of course, the Raiders have always been over the line one way or the other."

 

How is T.O.?

 

"Good," he says. "Earlier in the year, he wanted to wear a headband, but overall he has been fine."

 

And the Eagles?

 

"Good," he says. "John Hatfield does a fine job. Last week, we had an issue with some of the players wearing those Lance Armstrong wrist bands. Owens, [Donovan] McNabb and a couple of others had them on. None of them are wearing them today. I doubt if they were fined, but I know Merton would have sent a letter."

 

Strolling back toward the Eagles' tunnel as game time approaches, Walker spots Klein and hands him a copy of the violations he has discovered. Klein looks at it and says: "Easy stuff. We will take care of it. Thank you." Walker then stands by the tunnel as the Eagles jog by, joined by coach Andy Reid and his assistants. Once the team has passed by, Walker follows it inside and stands outside of the locker room. When Hatfield pops out, Walker hands him a sheet with the Eagles' violations on it. Hatfield glances at it and with a chuckle says: "Woooo!" He then withdraws behind the locker-room door.

 

"John will go around and say to the players, 'Get your socks up. Tuck your jersey in.' And so on," says Walker, who works in human resources during the week. "But a lot of players will get to their lockers and start correcting things themselves. They know what is expected of them."

 

Case clothed

 

As Walker heads back to the sidelines, Greg Lewis sits at his locker and slips on a pair of outer white socks. Later he would say he wanted no part of a $5,000 fine, which Walker says he would have recommended had Lewis not corrected the violation. Lewis shrugs and says, "Being a player in the NFL, you have to obey the rules, but I am still not sure what the reason for it. Not everybody is the same, or feels comfortable dressed the same way."

 

Teammate Dhani Jones calls the NFL dress code "ridiculous."

 

"Five thousands dollars for not pulling up your socks?" says the fifth-year linebacker, who says he has never been fined for a uniform violation. "Out in the business world, do they fire you if your tie happens to be loose?"

 

Fellow linebacker Jeremiah Trotter says the NFL policy is "strict but necessary."

 

"You have to have it, or it would be a zoo out there," says Trotter. "I try to get my fines out on the field."

 

Walker roved the sidelines during the game, which the Eagles won, 47-17. Walker found no logo violations, and the players he spotted with violations during pregame had by and large corrected them. Only two Packers and three Eagles were in violation during the game. For the Packers, one wore his pants above his knees and another had low whites. For the Eagles, three also had low whites. Walker says that he is "pretty sure" they were fined, but did not disclose the identity of any of the players.

 

"What usually what happens is that the player files a grievance," he says. "They will say, 'You are not being consistent' calling players out for this violations or that. Sometimes the league will say, 'OK, if you never do it again, we'll cut the fine in half.' But by this point in the season, they should know better."

 

Walker pauses and adds, "Because a rule is a rule."

Edited January 14, 2005 by Gunther

[NSab]

Next time he is going to shake his D ick, I saw him live on the news.

[cclevine1025]

I think that some of the fines that the NFL hands out are complete jokes and the one with Moss' moon is now on that list. I think that certain people in this country (Joe Buck) need to get a life and learn how to laugh at a few things. People in this country are getting way, way too sensitive to the littlest things. Who really gives a crap about a fake moon? Obviously some people have nothing better to do than tell me what is offensive. Last I checked, I had that right to make that decision for myself and guess what...........I don't think what Moss did was offensive at all! I got a chuckle out of it. I wouldn't have cared if he would have taken a dump on the 50 yard line of Lambeau Field! If by some chance, Peyton Manning would have done this (I know he wouldn't), Joe Buck would have said something about Manning just having fun with the fans and enjoying the touchdown. But no!!!! Joe Buck is a biased, hypocritical announcer, and I would be willing to wager any amount of money that sometime in Joe Buck's hippie youth that he REALLY mooned someone after a party one night just because he thought it was funny. WAKE UP JOE BUCK!!!!! It's not your job to tell me what is offensive!!! It's your job (hopefully ending soon) to do play by play for the Fox network. I really hope it is his last season as an NFL announcer!!!!

 

Do I sound bitter? Not really, I just think it's about time America wakes up and realizes it's not the 1940's or 1950's anymore. It's the 21st century for crying out loud! Let people enjoy themselves and quit telling people what's offensive to them. Keep your personal beliefs to yourself Joe Buck!!

[CaptainHook]

I understand what you are saying. I have always loved the But you have to realize that the NFL just cannot allow players to FAKE MOON the audience and rub his ASS on the goal post. Yes. It was funny. Yes. It deserved a fine. You have to draw a line somewhere.

[budlitebrad]

In his usual flippant manner, Moss showed no remorse for his latest misdeed.

 

 

“ Ain't nothing but 10 grand. What's 10 grand, to me? ”

  — Randy Moss

 

 

 

Minnesota's controversial wide receiver was fined $10,000 Thursday by the NFL for pretending to pull down his pants and moon the Green Bay crowd during a playoff win last weekend.

 

 

 

"Ain't nothing but 10 grand. What's 10 grand, to me?" said Moss, whose salary this season is $5.75 million. He then jokingly suggested he might perform a more vulgar celebration next time.

 

 

KARE-TV of Minneapolis recorded the exchange between Moss and reporters outside the Vikings' practice facility.

 

Reporter: "Write the check yet, Randy?"

 

 

Moss: "When you're rich you don't write checks."

 

 

Reporter: "If you don't write checks, how do you pay these guys?"

 

 

Moss: "Straight cash, homey."

 

 

Reporter: "Randy, are you upset about the fine?"

 

 

Moss: "No, cause it ain't [expletive]. Ain't nothing but 10 grand. What's 10 grand to me? Ain't [expletive] … Next time I might shake my [expletive]."

 

credit: ESPN.com

 

Edited January 14, 2005 by budlitebrad

[WaterMan]

I wonder if as many people, I think there are many people at least, would have had a problem if Buck hadn't said anything?

[nhoops]

 

653919[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

 

Randy Moss - Classless Jerk and not a good role model. I'm more mad about his comments than the actuall act.

 

but another Marshell grad makes up for him.....Troy "I'll play every position and never take plays off" Brown

[Apathy]

Do I sound bitter?  Not really, I just think it's about time America wakes up and realizes it's not the 1940's or 1950's anymore.  It's the 21st century for crying out loud!  Let people enjoy themselves and quit telling people what's offensive to them.  Keep your personal beliefs to yourself Joe Buck!!

 

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A lot of people obviously did think what Moss did was offensive, so if nobody condemns what he did, are they in fact condoning it? How far do we let it go? Do we allow Moss to up the ante next time as he is threatening to do, just to see how far he'll go? Where's the line between what Moss or some of these other guys do and say? Janet Jackson at a half-time show? She looked like she was enjoying herself plenty.

 

I'm not sure I want my child watching what she did or what Randy Moss did. May be televised football should only be watched by adults now, but I remember being a kid, thinking it was the coolest thing to stay up with my dad and watch MNF.

 

I'm not a big Joe Buck fan, but I also don't like tip-toeing around an issue. When an idiot like Moss does something wrong, he ought to be called on it. That being said, if $10,000 is not enough, then may be he ought to pay more. The extra money could be donated to the Latrell Sprewell Home for Indigent Youths or some other charity for athletes too stupid to keep their mouths shut.

[cclevine1025]

I'm not sure I want my child watching what she did or what Randy Moss did.

 

That is a very good point right there. I totally understand that you may not want your child watching that and that is your right as a parent to protect your child from acts like that. My point about the whole Joe Buck thing is that what he said about the fake moon was that it was disgusting and it's too bad it had to be seen on the air. Too bad for children? Probably so, I agree with you on that. It just really bothers me when someone tells me something is disgusting when I don't see it that way at all. Too many people in high positions in this country take this whole censorship thing way, way too far. My personal belief is that if you don't want to watch something on TV, then either turn the channel or turn it off and leave everyone else alone to form their own decisions about it. Same thing with music too.

 

That is only my opinion on this issue and I know it is far from what a lot of people may think. However, I still agree with you on not wanting your child to see something like that. I have children of my own, and until they get older I'm sure I will monitor to a point what they watch.

Edited January 14, 2005 by cclevine1025