Kinta's fine rescinded

The Cincinnati Enquirer ^ | 2/4/2004 | Mark Curnutte

[smith288]

Wednesday, February 4, 2004

Kitna's fine rescinded

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By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Bengals QB Jon Kitna wears a hat with a cross on it.
(AP/file photo)

The NFL has rescinded Jon Kitna's $5,000 fine, the Bengals quarterback told the Enquirer on Tuesday.

Kitna had been fined for wearing unlicensed gear at his news conference after the 49ers game Dec. 14. Kitna donned a cap emblazoned with a cross.

"It's interesting how the cross of Christ works," Kitna said.

He had received about $100 from supporters around the country, and Kitna said he would return the money with letters of thanks.

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[smith288]

Good for him...wonder if he will continue wearing it or will follow the licensing rule? Probably follow the rule but plop a big taped cross on the approved hat.

[smith288]

Pic of the type of hat in question...

[smith288]

bump

[TravisBickle]

It looks like God dropped the Rams in order to become a Bengals fan.

How else to explain Kitna's rise and Warner's fall?

[smith288]

Kitna takes his job more as a blessing than what Warner has shown. Him and his wife appears to whine alot more than Kitna. Kitna fully expect to take over 2nd string and a pay cut when Palmer is promoted. God likes that kind of stuff.

[NYCVirago]

The NFL micromanages things down to only allowing "approved" attire in post-game press conferences, yet they still claim to have known nothing about the Super Bowl halftime show!

[humboldtconservative]

Notice....did the NFl PREVENT him from wearing it before he wore it? Did they know about it beforehand, then let him do it so they could fine him?

Yes, they micromanage, but they are not mind readers. They fine players AFTER they commit an act, but they cannot punish someone who hasn't done anything YET!

[NYCVirago]

You can't compare Kitna and Owens and Horn to this situation. As others have pointed out ad infinitum, Nipplegate was only the tip of the iceberg of offensiveness during the halftime show. The whole thing was trash. The halftime show was repeatedly rehearsed (and pre-recorded) and Viacom claims that the NFL was at all the rehearsals.

I find it hard to believe that the NFL knew nothing about what was going to be performed -- even if the artists just stood there and lip-synched, virtually every song had offensive lyrics. The NFL was involved enough in the halftime to turn down Bono and J-Lo; I find it very hard to believe that they didn't approve the artists who did perform, and know something about their reputations. If they really didn't know anything about this, then heads need to roll at the NFL, and they haven't.

[humboldtconservative]

I find it very hard to believe that they didn't approve the artists who did perform, and know something about their reputations.

Reputations?? When has either Janet Jackson or Justin Timberlake shown this to be their modus operandi? (aside, of course, from this incident)

Was it rehearsed in full costume?

[NYCVirago]

According to what I've read, it was rehearsed at least once in full costume. P Diddy, Nelly and Kid Rock aren't exactly known as clean artists. I can't even reprint their lyrics here and comply with the "no profanity in posts" rule!

Justin Timberlake, I'll concede, had a pretty clean reputation before this. But his song lyrics about "getting you naked before the end of this song" should have been a clue that something untoward could happen.

And what about these Janet Jackson song lyrics that she lip-synched at the Super Bowl: "All my girls at the party/Look at his body/Shakin' that thing/Like I never did see/Got a nice package alright/Guess I'm gonna have to ride it tonight." Not exactly the second coming of Up With People!

Anyhow, I will concede to you that the NFL is the only entity involved here who is sincerely sorry. Super Bowl XXXVIII will be remembered for somebody's 38s instead of for being one of the greatest Super Bowls ever. I think Paul Tagliabue is genuinely concerned about the fans' reaction. That being said, I don't believe for a minute that the NFL didn't know how racy the halftime show was going to be, even without the Tempest in a C Cup.