Titans owner fined $250,000 for gesture
November 17, 2009
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—The NFL has fined Titans owner Bud Adams $250,000 formaking an obscene gesture at Buffalo fans while celebrating Tennessee’s victoryover the Bills.
Commissioner Roger Goodell notified Adams of the fine Monday, and leaguespokesman Greg Aiello said it is for conduct detrimental to the NFL. Adams wasseen making the gesture while in his luxury suite and again on the field afterSunday’s 41-17 victory.
The 86-year-old Adams issued an apology a couple of hours later, saying hegot caught up in the excitement of the moment.
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Goodell was at the game, after having breakfast with Adams. The league saidthat Goodell left Adams’ suite at the end of the third quarter and spent thefourth quarter sitting with fans in the end zone before leaving the stadium.
The Titans declined to comment after the fine was issued. But Adams said inhis earlier statement that he expected league discipline for his actions andwould accept any punishment.
“I do realize that those types of things shouldn’t happen,” Adams said inthat statement. “I need to specifically apologize to the Bills, their fans, ourfans and the NFL. I obviously have a great deal of respect for Ralph Wilson andthe history we have shared.”
The NFL fined former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo $1 million after he pleadedguilty to a felony and suspended him for the 1999 season.
Since then, the biggest fine handed down by the NFL to an individual was$500,000 to New England coach Bill Belichick for the Spygate scandal. The leaguealso fined the New York Jets and former coach Eric Mangini $125,000 in Septemberfor violating its rules on injury reporting with Brett Favre(notes) last season.
Adams and Wilson were original owners in the American Football League, andSunday’s matchup was a legacy game with both teams wearing throwback uniforms.Wilson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year, and the twofranchises have been involved in some emotional playoff games.
The Bills staged the greatest comeback in NFL history on Jan. 3, 1993,against what was then the Houston Oilers in a 41-38 overtime victory, while theTitans pulled off the Music City Miracle in 2000, a game-winning kickoff returnfor a touchdown with 3 seconds remaining.
Titans coach Jeff Fisher said he knew that Adams had been excited for thisgame because of the 50th anniversary of the AFL and because Wilson was coming infor it.
“They’re close. There’s been some tremendous matchups over the yearsbetween the two clubs. The playoff loss there, the Music City Miracle here …There’s a great deal of history here. I know this was a game he’d been lookingforward to,” Fisher said.
This isn’t the first time Goodell has punished someone with the Titans. Hehanded down a five-game suspension to defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth(notes) inOctober 2006 for swiping his foot across the head of Dallas center Andre Gurode(notes).
Players have been fined for the NFL for making this same gesture that Adamsmade. San Francisco kicker Joe Nedney(notes) was fined $7,500 in October 2007, andMichael Vick(notes) was fined $10,000 and donated $10,000 to charity in 2006 whileplaying in Atlanta.
“The league holds us as players to a higher standard, so to have an ownerflip the bird not once but twice the league has to hold him to the same standardif not more,” Bills safety George Wilson(notes) said Monday before news of the fine.“He’s at the top of the hierarchy. If you don’t hold him accountable, thenyou’re questioning the integrity of the system.”
Buffalo defensive tackle Marcus Stroud(notes) saw footage of Adams on TV but didn’tcare.
“He owns that team and Mr. Wilson owns our team. That’s about the gist ofit, as far as it goes with me. It’s not like he can come down and strap up andput on any pads or anything like that. It doesn’t bother me. If that’s what hewants to do, go for it,” Stroud said.
AP Sports Writer John Wawrow in Orchard Park, N.Y., contributed to thisreport.
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