New Orleans Saints WR Joe Horn, after catching the second of four touchdowns in the Saints beat down of the New York Giants on Sunday night, lifted the padding around the goal post and pulled out a planted cell phone, which he then pretended to dial and talk on. The stunt, which drew the ire of many, including broadcaster Paul Maguire, was conceived a week ago and discussed on a radio show the night before the game. It was not Horn's first instance with ridiculous end zone celebration this year. Earlier in the season Horn pretended to take out a machine gun and shoot two teammates, who dutifully fell to the ground. Horn, who in a USA Today interview last year about Terrell Owens' Sharpie stunt promised never to do such a thing, was chastised by his coach on the sidelines, but will receive no fine from the team. The league, however, is expected to fine or suspend him.
Even more disturbing then the call was the interview on the 6 pm Sportscenter with Dan Patrick where Horn took turns laughing off the stunt, offering bland and unfelt apologies for it and taking jabs at the league for not being any fun. While Patrick prodded, former Cowboys Wide Receiver and full time athlete fellator Michael Irving laughed it up with Horn and agreeded that no one, including the oppossing Giants, had been offended by the "phone call." The Giants, who have been in the tank so long that they wouldn't have cared if Horn had squeezed out a Cleveland Steamer on Jim Fossel's face, probably weren't offended. But lots of other people were, including myself, Kornheiser, Wilbon, Jaws, Dan Patrick, Sean Salisbury, inumerable sports writers and most importantly the majority of football fans.
Horn's stunt, which he claimed was designed to bring fun into the league, was in reality designed to lift the profile of Joe Horn. It has nothing to do with the Ickey Shuffle, the Dirty Bird or the Skins' Fun Bunch end zone cirlce. Those were all fun and mostly clever end zone celebrations that whole cities were able to get behind. They were also dances of good, Super Bowl-bound teams, something the Saints are certainly not.
In an attempt to find the silver lining, I should note that New York Jets coach Herm Edwards was so outraged by the stunt that he called the commissioner to voice his disgust. Edwards, however, is a dying breed of coaches who simply will not tolerate this kind of reprehensible behavior. New Orleans coach Jim Haslett, on the other hand, has looked the other way after his camera-ready sidline scolding of Horn, saying this about Horn in a Monday press conference: "He'll learn. He's only 32." Great, looks like I'm clear to be a dickhead at work for another 8 years.
Look, this is out of hand. The league should stiffen penalties to include suspension, as millionaire athletes wipe their asses with the $10,000 fine that will most likely be levied against Horn. In a sense, however, the league is helpless and the problem is much bigger than Horn and T.O. In fact, earlier on Sunday, T.J. Duckett, after scoring the lone Falcons touchdown in their 38 to 7 beating at the hands of the Colts, celebrated with a dance in the end zone, at a time when the oh-so-out-of-it Falcons were down by 25 points.
Undisciplined, over-paid, over-indulged athletes will continue to do and say whatever they want (see Lewis, Ray; Bryant, Kobe), as long as there are sycophantic hangers-on. It permeates the culture, and it's not going away. It is, dare I say, the Orndoff Principle as unstoppable force.
As Charleton Heston would say: My God.
Tony
