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'It will never happen again' Saints fine Ditka $20,000 for obscene gesture toward fans
Posted: Monday October 18, 1999 09:50 PM
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A weary looking Mike Ditka coughed up $20,000 and an apology for a pair of obscene gestures he made to taunting fans after the New Orleans Saints lost for the fourth straight time. "Sometimes getting old is not getting smart," Ditka said on Monday, his 60th birthday. "What I did was probably as stupid as anything I've ever done. I make no excuse for it, no alibi. I apologize to everybody -- the fans, the city, the organization, my players and the league. There's no place for anything like that regardless of the amount of frustration or disappointment or anger." The Saints fined Ditka $20,000. The money will be contributed to area charities. "Our fans have been loyal to us for three decades," general manager Bill Kuharich said. "The entire Saints organization agrees that our fans do not deserve that type of behavior." Ditka made an obscene gesture and shouted an obscenity at fans as he left the field at halftime Sunday. The fans were booing after the Saints mismanaged the clock and failed to score after having a first down on the Tennessee Titans' 1-yard line with 12 seconds remaining in the half. The Saints (1-4) were leading 10-0 at the time but lost 24-21. It was the fourth straight game the Saints have lost in the fourth quarter. After the game a small crowd chanted, "Ditka sucks" as the coach and team left the field. As the coach walked past, Ditka stopped, turned toward them and grabbed his crotch and mouthed another obscenity before walking onto the locker room. "The fine was justified," Ditka said. "I make the promise that, of course, it will never happen again." This is the first time he had been fined as a coach, Ditka said. The NFL will not take further action against Ditka, Kuharich said and Greg Aiello of the league confirmed. Ditka's frustration is mounting along with a string of losses that have all come during fourth-quarter collapses. After back-to-back 6-10 seasons, Ditka traded eight draft picks to get running back Ricky Williams this spring, pronouncing him the 'final piece to the puzzle,' and the Saints' ticket to the playoffs. Instead, Williams -- the most prolific runner in college football history -- has been hampered by injuries. He has gained just 292 yards and has not scored in five games. "Mike is frustrated, we're all frustrated," said center Jerry Fontenot, who also played for Ditka in Chicago. "Nobody want's to win more than Mike. It's not a good time, but I think he's handling it as well as anyone." The Saints have lost 14 of their last 18 games. The offense has not been more effective than last year when they were 28th overall and dead last in rushing. New Orleans had not scored in the fourth quarter until Sunday. Against the Titans, Ditka admitted he called the wrong play at the end of the first half when he sent Williams running up the middle for no gain and time expired without the Saints scoring. Ditka has questioned his own game plans, saying Williams is not being run enough, but then said he's calling more than half the plays. He's said that the wrong personnel has been on the field at times and plays have been run wrong. "I don't know," Ditka said after the latest loss. "If I had the answer I would be glad to tell you. I do not know right now. I have no idea what we can do. We can keep working on it and try to get better."
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