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Fining Ochocinco Over Bribery Jest Is a JokeBy Nick Canepa I like Chad Ochocinco. He breathes fresh air into the NFL's stuffy room. But the jocular, innovative Bengals receiver once known as Chad Johnson has to understand The League rarely opens a window. Premier Roger Goodell and his comrades have the sense of humor of Soupy Stalin's Politburo. This time, 85's antics have cost him $20,000, which is $19,999 too much. If the NFL could smile, it would have fined him the dollar he flashed at an official during last Sunday's Cincinnati-Baltimore game and shrugged it off as Chad being Chad. But that, of course, would have been laughable in itself. It happened early in what would become a 17-7 Bengals victory. Ochocinco was on the receiving end of a 15-yard pass from Carson Palmer, but Baltimore claimed 85 was out of bounds and challenged the call. Ochocinco went looking for a dollar bill and reportedly was given one by an independent contractor hired by CBS to assist with the broadcast (he was admonished but not canned). So Chad went up to a zebra, the bill by his side, and the official basically paid little attention. Afterward, Ochocinco said it was a "bribe" to get the zebras to stand by the initial ruling, which of course it wasn't. But, to the NFL, the receiver might as well have been handing the official keys to a Rolls. According to ESPN, Ray Anderson, NFL executive vice president of football operations, probably upset after being denied a slot on Comedy Central, wrote a letter to 85, saying: "The very appearance of impropriety is not acceptable. Judging by the fine, this is just as serious to The League as a helmet-to-helmet hit on a quarterback. Really, Roger, loosen your tie and lighten up. The NFL, one of the last remaining successful bastions of socialism, also raised the flag on Mount Hypocritical. It abhors gambling, but there are enough brains at 280 Park Ave. to know its success would be a fraction of what it is if not for wagering — legal or, especially, illegal. Billions of Ochodollars are bet each season on professional football. The League is loaded with bottom-feeders, teams not worth watching. Why would TV ratings be what they are if those basically uninterested in the goings-on didn't have a bob or two on the game? When the NFL changed its weekly "Injury Report" to "Participation Report," did it really expect us to believe it still isn't there for gamblers? People watch because they can bet on it, Roger. And The League also knows how difficult it is to fix a game, because the bookies police the sport. They have great noses. If they smell a rat, they pull the game off their boards. Because of the hypocrisy, even the silliest hint of a "bribe" prods the NFL to put up another brick on its facade. Long live Ochocinco. The bookies should help pay the fine. Nick Canepa writes about sports for The San Diego Union-Tribune. COPYRIGHT 2009 THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
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