The NFL does not take kindly to players making gestures toward the opposing fans, so while one Arizona quarterback fist-pumping and gyrating on the sideline is just boys being boys one week…
…if another does something far less egregious but turns his body toward the stands…
https://vine.co/v/iBPaWEJzhjw/embed
…well that warrants a five-figure fine. From ArizonaSports.com:
To punish Palmer, it appears the league can cite Rule 12 in the rulebook, which concerns player conduct. Palmer’s actions could be considered taunting.
(c) The use of baiting or taunting acts or words that engender ill will between teams.
The Cardinals quarterback told ESPN that the gesture was meant for a group of friends who were in the stands. But the NFL rulebook doesn’t help Palmer’s cause, even if he wasn’t interacting with Seahawks fans.
The rule goes on to state that a throat slash, machine-gun salute, sexually-suggestive gestures or prolonged gyrations would be deemed taunting by the letter of the NFL’s rulebook.
The fine is ridiculous, really, but it doesn’t make the gimmick by Arizona Sports 98.7—the radio partner of the Arizona Cardinals—any dumber than it is. Members of the station recently launched a fundraising page to pay Palmer’s fine called the Carson Palmer Thrust Fund.
At the time of this post, the page has raised only $2,216 from 226 people. It’s not exactly what the Philadelphia Eagles partner station did to raise money for a women’s shelter in Dallas, is it?
Moreover, as ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio mentioned, players cannot let others pay their fines, so the fundraising page is nothing more than a way for the station to get some cheap heat. (Congrats and you’re welcome, by the way.)
The page suggests that Cardinals fans “come together to show you have Carson’s back by donating to his Thrust Fund.” Reading through some of the comments on the donations shows they aren’t wrong. Bevan Anderson said it’s the “best $5 I ever spent.” Brandi McAtee suggests “I’ll make it rain to see that thrust any day haha!” as part of her $5 donation.
Three fans donated $50! One who donated $25 said, “If this fails then it feeds those Seattle radio trolls for Week 17. Rise up red sea!” I’m pretty certain it’s going to fuel the trolls even if it succeeds, donator going by ‘Seahawks Suck.’
The best donation came from Kimball Stevenson, who wrote, “GO CARDINALS!!!!! If any other cards player gets fined I’ll be happy to keep helping pay fines.”
Palmer’s fine was the fourth for the Cardinals this season, if we don’t count Bobby Massie’s nearly $200,000 fine for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, and Jonathan Dwyer’s undisclosed fine for violating the league’s personal conduct policy before being released this past off-season. Get donating, Kimball.
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