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16 Nov 2009

Bud Adams Flips Buffalo The Bird

Doug passes on the video of Titans owner Bud Adams flipping the Buffalo Bills a pair of middle fingers from his box.

Posted by: Bill Barnwell on 16 Nov 2009

31 comments, Last at 18 Nov 2009, 12:52am by Antique Furniture

Comments

1
by Mr Shush :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 7:19am

Um . . . Ok-aay . . . Was there some rationale behind this, or . . . ?

No, really, what the hell? Is there some Bills-Adams grudge I don't know about? Is he just approaching Al Davis levels of senility? What? I mean, it's funny, obviously, but again, what the hell?

3
by Ralph (not verified) :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 10:46am

Looks to me like he's just trying to get the crowd fired up

It's like waving your hands or slapping the court

Right?

Right?

2
by Kramer (not verified) :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 9:20am

How much espn outrage would there be if this was a black wide receiver instead of an old white owner?

4
by Dean :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 10:53am

It ought to be an interesting test. Goodell has said that his standards apply to everyone in the league, not just players, and I believe he has also indicated that the standard is higher for management than for players (I want to say that was part of the fallout from spygate somehow?). And there is no CBA provision which caps what he can fine an owner. Oh yeah, and Goodell was actually at the game.

So by all appearances, Adams should be making a pretty hefty contribution to NFL Charities. Much more then the usual 10 grand or whatever it is.

If that turns out not to be the case, then it's reasonable to start asking why.

21
by Tundrapaddy (not verified) :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 7:15pm

Agreed - for an owner, it should probably be about double what they'd fine a player.

Which still shouldn't be a problem for Bud Adams.

25
by Anonymous (not verified) (not verified) :: Tue, 11/17/2009 - 1:45am

Or...12.5x what Cutler got for cussing at a ref (or Ochocinco got for the dollar bill trick). Or 33.3x what Harris got for the punch ;)

5
by Temo :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 10:58am

A fair question.

6
by Fan in Exile :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 11:25am

Of course the next fair question would be can he even fine an owner, for conduct. I would be skeptical that there's any kind of basis for doing so, it's not like they've signed the same type of contract the players or the coaches have.

But of course it's just easier to cry racism.

7
by Sophandros :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 12:03pm

You can already see the lack of outrage against Adams in the media.

I know that people were seriously outraged when Michael Vick flipped fans off, and he was called all sorts of names for it by casual fans...

To deny the racial element of something like this is, at best, putting one's head in the sand.
-------------
Sports talk radio and sports message boards are the killing fields of intellectual discourse.

8
by Fan in Exile :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 12:42pm

You're conflating a lot of things in your reply.

The post I was referring to was specifically about the league's response to Bud Adams as opposed to a black wide receivers.

Next to say that the only difference between Vick and Adams is that one is black and the other is white is so superficial as to be entirely wrong. Vick had a lot of personal issues and was flipping off his own fans (iirc) for booing him. While Adams has a large amount of good will and was flipping off fans of the opposing team.

At the same time it is much safer for media to blast a QB than an owner that's just reality. A black owner would have IMO a much similar response. Would there be some racial difference yes, but it wouldn't be anywhere near as big as some posters here would make it.

9
by Dean :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 12:56pm

Lets see what reaction, if any, the league has before we get our panties in a bunch.

11
by tuluse :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 1:21pm

I don't know. I think if Ryan Leaf or Cade McNown had flipped off fans that there would have been a huge outrage, likewise if Reggie Wayne does it I think everyone is more confused than outraged. There were already reasons to not like Vick before flipped anyone off. Thus the outrage. Now one of the reasons might have been racism, but there were plenty of legitimate reasons too.

16
by The Guy You Don't Want to Hear (not verified) :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 4:01pm

Jake Plummer did.

15
by Brendan Scolari :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 3:44pm

Oh please. The race card is so tired. The difference in your example has everything to do with the history and position of the people in question and little (if anything) to do with their race.

Had Tom Brady flipped off the Colts fans after the game last night, I can assure you he would be called all sorts of names and be all over ESPN.

10
by Dean :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 1:09pm

Oh, and to answer your question, the NFL fines owners all the time. Jerry Jones alone has been fined more then once. $25,000 for criticizing referees. $100,000 for violating the gag order about the CBA talks earlier this year.

Bob Kraft was fined a quarter million in Spygate.

Ed DeBartolo was fined a million dollars back in '99 and eventually was forced to sell the team.

So the precedent is there.

12
by Fan in Exile :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 2:33pm

I should have been more clear the question really is can they be fined for their personal conduct the way players are. None of those cases really answer that question.

13
by Still Alive (not verified) :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 3:03pm

I think the difference is that he is clearly doing it for fun, Cutler Vick etc. are clearly doing it because they are pissed off.

It is an important difference (of course that Ochocinco is generally just having fun out there doesn't seem to stop the league from fining him).

Personally I love an owner who flips off opposing fans. Seems like someone i would want running my team. Now if he was insulting to them in person that is different.

14
by C (not verified) :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 3:44pm

If Hines Ward flipped off the fans do you think he'd get the same ourage that TO would get?

How about Ryan Leaf vs Marvin Harrison?

I don't buy the argument.

17
by Sophandros :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 5:06pm

There was outrage when Randy Moss PRETENDED to moon Green Bay. There was outrage when Joe Horn pulled out a flip phone. There was outrage when TO stood on the star in Dallas.

All of these were done in the name of "fun" and none of them involved flipping the bird.

The lack of outrage from the talking heads and sports fans in general (the consensus that I've seen online so far today has been that it's funny, that's it) is quite telling.

I'm not saying that it's because of race or age, but I AM saying that to deny that race and age are factors is dishonest.

-------------
Sports talk radio and sports message boards are the killing fields of intellectual discourse.

18
by Brendan Scolari :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 6:28pm

So you think that if Tom Brady or Wes Welker had mooned the Indy crowd last night or twice gone and celebrated on the center logo (only to get taken out by a Colt defender) people would be less "outraged"? Really, I'm having a hard time believing that. I think the situation and the context make the difference here, not the race of the people involved, and I don't think that's dishonest either.

23
by C (not verified) :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 8:38pm

Exactly,

Randy Moss was a Vikings fake mooning the GB fans which goes back to bus tradition etc. I thought the Moss fake mooning was hilarious, and bound to happen sometime.
Joe Buck's response I wouldn't defend at least partially because I can't stand Buck.

The Joe Horn thing got people fed up not because it angered them, but because it was a lame premeditated celebration that took the fun OUT of it. It wasn't some guy celebrating the passion after a score or heated game. It was a guy trying to make sports center.

TO stepping on the star was blatant disrespect and George Teague leveled him. It was a guy who thought he was larger than the game and trying to instigate.

26
by tuluse :: Tue, 11/17/2009 - 3:21am

Well Joe Buck was outraged by Randy Moss, I don't know if anyone else really cared.

19
by jackgibbs :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 6:35pm

nfl network says he just got popped with a quarter million dollar fine

20
by Still Alive (not verified) :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 7:04pm

That is quite the fine :)

22
by The Guy You Don't Want to Hear (not verified) :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 7:49pm

I admit I'm pleasantly surprised by it. He also did give a decent apology.

24
by IlluminatusUIUC (not verified) :: Mon, 11/16/2009 - 11:06pm

As a Bills fan, I would like to agree with Bud Adams' sentiment.

29
by Floyd (not verified) :: Tue, 11/17/2009 - 12:47pm

That would really be funny if it was Ralph Wilson flipping off his own team.

27
by Mr Shush :: Tue, 11/17/2009 - 9:01am

Honestly, if he hadn't received a whopping fine, the only way I could have rationalised it would be some kind of SEP effect. It can't possibly have happened, so it didn't.

28
by Bnonymous (not verified) :: Tue, 11/17/2009 - 9:40am

I guess all the race-baiters had to get their comments in early so that they could grind their axe.

They look pretty silly crying racism now - not that it's ever stopped anyone before.

30
by Dean :: Tue, 11/17/2009 - 3:30pm

I guess everybody got their panties in a bunch over nothing.

31
by Antique Furniture (not verified) :: Wed, 11/18/2009 - 12:52am

So, with the recent announcements, can we now confirm that he was flipping off Jauron?

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