Chad Ochocinco¿s has landed him in hot water with the NFL again, with the Cincinnati Bengals wideout fined $20,000 for his latest antics.
Bengals wideout in trouble with NFL again for sideline antics
Chad Ochocinco's has landed him in hot water with the NFL again, with the Cincinnati Bengals wideout fined $20,000 for his latest antics.
Ochocinco jokingly offered an official a $1 bill as a bribe during Cincinnati's 17-7 win over the Baltimore Ravens last week, but his joke did not go down well at NFL headquarters.
The incident occurred as officials reviewed a sideline catch by Ochocinco after the Ravens challenged the ruling on the field - with the player then producing a dollar bill and offering it to the official as a 'bribe'.
The Ravens won the challenge and now Ochocinco has broken the NFL rule that prohibits the use of abusive, threatening, insulting language or gestures toward game officials and being in possession of an extraneous object.
"I was just being me," Ochocinco told the
NFL Network after the game. "I wasn't going to do it for real."
Big fine
The NFL were definitely not laughing though, as the imposed a hefty fine on the receiver for his latest antic.
"The very appearance of impropriety is not acceptable," said NFL spokesman Ray Anderson in a statement. "Your conduct was unprofessional and unbecoming an NFL Player."
The NFL added that Ochocinco using the word "bribe" in his post-game interview did not help his case.
"You don't mess around with the integrity of the game," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said Friday. "It's not a matter for jokes. Chad crossed a line there, and I told him he has to understand that. I think he does now."
Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith was also fined for his part in a touchline melee against the Washington redskins, most notably former Falcon DeAngelo Hall.
Melee
Hall waded into his former team-mates and coaches after Skins safety LaRon Landry's late hit on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan - Landry was fined $7,500 for the tackle.
Hall was not fined, but Smith was for his part in the melee, as he stormed right into the heart of the battle and squared up to Hall and others.
"I received a letter from the NFL office this morning," Smith said. "I want to reiterate that I'm always going to have my players' backs and I'm going to take care of them."
Jay Cutler has also been fined $20,000 for abusing a game official during Chicago' blow out defeat against Arizona, while defensive tackle Tommie Harris was fined $7,500 for throwing a punch at Cards man Deuce Lutui.
