Bucs WR Keyshawn Johnson, Bucs S John Lynch and Titans
RB Eddie George are "being investigated" by the Screen
Actors Guild (SAG) "for shooting commercials while the
actors' union is on strike," according to Dave Goldberg of
the AP. Goldberg reported that the NFLPA told its members
"to refrain from commercial shoots during" the SAG strike,
but "it appeared that warning was not issued until after the
filming was finished." Johnson and George shot spots for
adidas on May 9 (see THE DAILY, 5/22), but the NFLPA memo
"urging its members to support the strike wasn't sent" to
executive board members and player reps until May 10. NFLPA
Exec Dir Gene Upshaw said the union "fully supports" the SAG
strike, adding, "I told our guys one thing -- don't do it
[shoot ads]." Johnson, the "highest-profile" player
involved, "seems to be SAG's main target." While "what the
sanctions against [Johnson] might be aren't clear," fines
are the "most usual." SAG acknowledged that Johnson's reps
told SAG investigators that Johnson "wasn't aware of the
strike" when he made the ad (AP, 5/23). DAILY VARIETY's
Dave McNary writes that the "crux of the inquiry is whether
the shoots took place before the players were aware" that
the NFLPA "had informed members not to participate in
nonunion commercial work" (DAILY VARIETY, 5/24).
