SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Terrell Owens, fined $5,000 by the NFL on Wednesday for an untucked shirttail but not cited for his touchdown/autograph celebration Monday in Seattle, is implying that race is a factor in how his actions are perceived.

"You have a white guy as an announcer and sportscaster," Owens was quoted as saying in the San Francisco Examiner. "Me, I'm black. I do it and I've already done some stuff in the past.

"We're (African-Americans) more expressive than the white guys," Owen said. "You look at the skilled players. We're the ones that get into the end zone. We get in the end zone more than they do."

Owens told the paper that the public misinterprets the actions of African-American athletes. He told the Examiner he's "shocked" at the nationwide reaction and contends that what he did was "harmless."

Owens wasn't punished for pulling a pen from his sock to sign the football after a touchdown catch in the San Francisco 49ers' 28-21 victory over Seattle on Monday night.

Instead, the league sent him a letter containing a much more common, minor fine for equipment violations.

Owens called it "nonsense ... a very nit-picky thing."

"It states on the notice that I specifically wore my shirt out during the game," Owens said. "I constantly tucked it in throughout the course of the game, and people were tugging on me, and it just came out."

After beating cornerback Shawn Springs for the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter, Owens produced a pen, signed the football and presented it to his financial adviser in the front row.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Owens won't be fined or suspended for the move, but similar displays will be punished.

Owens told the Examiner that some fans and media members are overreacting.

"I see my work like Picasso," Owens said. "He signed off on his work. I signed off on my work. I work hard during the week. I'm just trying to have fun.

"You only have one day to display your talents."

Information from the Associated Press is included in this report