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NFL meeting notebook

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 27, 2001

NFL seeks crackdown on taunting

PALM DESERT, Calif. -- Football's elders will speak symbolically this week to every kid playing football -- professional, college and high school.

Taunt no more, they will say. Don't wag your finger in an opponent's face, don't stomp on him or spike a ball near him. That's 15 yards and, probably, a fine.

"High school coaches are saying, "You represent the highest level of the game and whatever you let take place on Sunday, our guys are doing it on Monday,' " Minnesota coach Dennis Green said Monday as the league's rules-making competition committee officially announced it will crack down on the taunting that has become prevalent in NFL games.

That and a rule banning the wearing of bandanas under helmets were among the items approved by the committee and to be voted on this week at the annual spring owners' meeting, which this year is more like the meeting of coaches, general managers and other team officials.

That's because 11 of the 31 owners aren't present.

One theory is they stayed away for fear of being subpoenaed to testify at the $1-billion suit filed by the Raiders against the NFL, taking place in Los Angeles.

On taunting (and scuffling), NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue said it most often happens early in the game.

"The teams are fired up and when they hit there's a lot of emotion that can lead to scuffling," he said. "This year, the officials will throw flags early in the first preseason game, throw them in the regular season and throw them until it stops."

The ban on bandanas could be more sensitive because a large majority of the players who wear them are black. A few years ago, banning them was brought up by Gene Washington, the league disciplinarian, but was shot down by Tagliabue, the Associated Press reported.

But Green, who like Washington is black, said he had banned bandanas on his team with little protest.

ATTENDANCE MARK: For the third straight year, the NFL set an attendance record, showing an increase for the fourth consecutive season.

Total attendance for 2000 (preseason, regular season and post-season) was 20,953,652, an increase of 190,922 over 1999. It was the second successive year the NFL drew more than 20-million fans.

Washington was the home attendance leader, breaking a 20-year-old record set by Detroit. The Redskins attracted 656,599 fans despite not making the playoffs.

PRIME TIME?: Late-season Saturday and wild-card playoff games might start later in the day.

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said the Saturday games, traditionally played in December after college football's regular season concludes, even could carry into prime time.

Realignment

The following is how the NFL could look:

AFC EAST: Buffalo, Miami, New England, N.Y. Jets.

AFC CENTRAL: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Houston, Pittsburgh.

AFC WEST: Denver, Kansas City, Oakland, San Diego.

AFC SOUTH: Baltimore, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Tennessee.

NFC EAST: Dallas, N.Y. Giants, Philadelphia, Washington.

NFC CENTRAL: Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Minnesota.

NFC WEST: Arizona, St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle.

NFC SOUTH: TAMPA BAY, Atlanta, Carolina, New Orleans.

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