The NFL yesterday "banned a trendy and increasingly
popular taunt" and said that "using a finger or arm to
simulate throat-slashing" sends the "wrong message,"
according to Elizabeth Clarke of the PALM BEACH POST, who
reports that a gesture in a future game "could mean" a 15-
yard penalty and a fine, with fines "possible even for
players making the gesture on the bench." NFL VP/Football
Operations George Young: "We know of no interpretation of
this act by which it would not be considered threatening or
insulting" (PALM BEACH POST, 11/24). Jets WR Keyshawn
Johnson, who used a gesture in a recent Jets-Patriots "MNF"
game: "I like to come up with something new every week. I
just try to be original" (AP, 11/24). More Young: "We're
not creating a new rule. It was already in place" (NEWSDAY,
11/24). The NFL's action has received heavy media play,
including an above-the-fold story in USA TODAY's Sports
section (THE DAILY). In Miami, Dan Le Batard writes that
the NFL's ruling is "absurdly hypocritical. In the name of
image, the NFL is stomping out something as irrelevant as a
celebration while continuing to allow players to go straight
from rehab or jail to the end zone" (MIAMI HERALD, 11/24).
