Proving they aren’t only after Chad Ochocinco’s money, the NFL Monday fined Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil $40,000 for his obscene gesture at game officials in Sundays loss to the Denver Broncos. Television cameras caught Cecil flipping off referees after a penalty was called against the Titans in the 2nd quarter. The penalty gave Denver a first-and-goal, and Kyle Orton threw a 2-yard touchdown pass on the next play to give the Broncos a 7-0 lead in a game they eventually won 26-20. The league said Cecil violated a rule that prohibits use of abusive, threatening or insulting language or gestures to game officials.
During his Monday press conference, Titans head coach Jeff Fisher called the league punishment ‘swift and appropriate’, adding “Clearly, I’m speaking on behalf of the organization that kind of conduct on the sideline, any place for that matter, is inappropriate. The league has already dealt with the issue.”
Cecil made his own statement Monday night saying, “I want to apologize to the NFL, organization, fans and my family for my gesture yesterday. It was inappropriate, and there is no excuse for that type of behavior under any circumstance.”
Feel free to catch Cecil’s gesture below:
Good thing there are no cameras on me when I watch games- I flip off the refs all the time!