The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that the league had hired experts to look at game tapes and identify players or team officials who might be using suspected gang signals. Violators would be warned and disciplined if the episodes recurred.
League officials said Tuesday that avoiding gang-related activities has long been stressed.
They said the scrutiny was intensified after the shooting death of Denver cornerback Darrent Williams in 2007 after Williams was involved in a dispute with known gang members. Anti-gang information is included in orientation literature and stressed in the annual mandatory league meeting for rookies.
The NFL took further notice after Paul Pierce of the NBA’s Boston Celtics was fined $25,000 in April for what the league said was a “menacing gesture” toward the Atlanta Hawks’ bench. “I 100 percent do not in any way promote gang violence or anything close to it.” Pierce said in a statement. “I am sorry if it was misinterpreted that way at Saturday’s game.”
The Times said that was the precipitating incident for the NFL.
“We were always suspicious that might be happening,” it quoted Mike Pereira, the NFL’s vice president of officiating, as saying of gang-related signals. “But the Paul Pierce thing is what brought it to light. When he was fined … that’s when we said we need to take a look at it and see if we need to be aware of it.”
WTF are NFL and NBA players doing throwing gang signs?!!? This is really weird to me- it makes no sense what so ever... most professional athletes lead a rags to riches story, why on earth would they want to be involved in something as immature & violent as gangs. This story only confirms my own opinions that athletes are overpaid for playing a sport. Granted, I am not into professional sports- I like college football and that's about it. But, I think if athletes are found to be gang affiliated then they shouldn't just be fined, they should be kicked out of the league and replaced. There are plenty of people who want to escape the life of poverty and would be willing to leave gangs behind (whether they are in a gang or not). Athletes are so influential to kids as role models, it's hard enough to get kids to think gangs aren't cool without famous athletes encouraging them. I am not sure if gang activity is even a problem here in Urbana-Champaign, but in Austin it sure is.
Seriously man....WTF?
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