TAMPA, Fla. -- Keyshawn Johnson expressed regret Friday for
making an obscene gesture to a TV cameraman Thursday at a Tampa Bay
Buccaneers' practice.
CNN/Sports Illustrated aired the footage Thursday night, showing
Johnson making a gesture similar to one the NFL fined Cleveland's
Chris Gardocki $5,000 for extending toward Pittsburgh's bench
during a game last week.
The Bucs' receiver said he used poor judgment, but was not
trying to be disrespectful of the cameraman.
"You've got to understand who I am. Any time I do anything at
all, it's going to make national news," Johnson said after
practice Friday.
"For my part, it was a mistake. I never should have flipped the
cameraman off. In my mind I should have thought: 'What if this guy
takes it back and tries to make a bigger story out of it than it
was worth.' Realistically, it was very harmless."
Johnson said he was running around, hiding behind teammates,
joking "like I normally do" with reporters, and "all of a sudden
I just turned around and flipped the bird to him."
Coach Tony Dungy discussed the incident with Johnson before
practice, but would not say if the team had taken disciplinary
action.
"That's something we haven't had here and we certainly don't
want to have it," Dungy said. "It's been discussed and I don't
think it'll happen again."
It was unclear if the receiver is subject to a league fine.
"We're aware of it," NFC information manager Chris McCloskey
said. "We're looking into it."
The Bucs obtained Johnson from the New York Jets in an offseason
trade. He will face his former team for the first time Sunday, and
his feelings about the trade and his former teammates have
dominated headlines all week.
"The whole problem is I didn't give enough people enough
problems during the week. Everything I said was old news, so they
kept using it making it look current. This was something fresh for
them to take it and make it out to be something more than it was
worth," he said.
"It's totally my fault. ... I've joked with cameramen before
and nothing ever happened like that."
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  Tony Dungy is not ready to censor Keyshawn Johnson. wav: 238 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 |
