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NFL fines Moss $10,000 for moon act  January 14, 2005 Randy Moss trudged out to his truck in the subzero Minnesota cold, with a huge, black hooded sweatshirt covering almost his entire face. All that was showing was a carefree smile. In his usual flippant manner, Moss showed no remorse for his latest misdeed. 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 on Sunday. ''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. Peter Hadhazy, the league's director of game operations, penalized Moss for unsportsmanlike conduct in a letter released by the NFL. ''Your actions were based on poor judgment, did not reflect well on you or the Vikings and were insulting to many,'' Hadhazy wrote. ''They have resulted in widespread criticism and needlessly detracted from Minnesota's dramatic playoff victory.'' Moss also briefly bumped the goalpost with his backside before hugging teammates in the end zone after a fourth-quarter touchdown catch that clinched the Vikings' 31-17 victory. League rules mandate discipline for ''obscene gestures or other actions construed as being in poor taste.'' A fine for the first offense under those guidelines is $5,000. The NFL said Moss was fined more than the minimum because this isn't the first time he has been disciplined for unsportsmanlike conduct. Moss' agent, Dante DiTrapano, said he plans to appeal. ''If you can't have freedom of expression on the football field, come on,'' DiTrapano said. DiTrapano argued that the pantomimed pants-pulling was a response to Green Bay fans' tradition of mooning the visiting team's bus in the parking lot. The rump bump against the goalpost, DiTrapano said, was a tribute to Donnie Jones, an old friend of Moss' who was at Lambeau Field. Jones, who played at Dupont High School in West Virginia a few years before Moss did, used to celebrate like that after touchdowns. ''Like everything else, I think it's blown out of proportion,'' DiTrapano said. On the injury front, Moss didn't practice for the second consecutive day because of a sprained right ankle, but he remains probable for the Vikings' divisional playoff game Sunday in Philadelphia. |