NEW YORK -- Any player thinking about copying Terrell Owens' autograph session should beware: The NFL has sent a memo to all 32 teams warning that carrying foreign objects will bring a 15-yard penalty and possible ejection from the game.

Owens created a stir Monday night when, following his second touchdown catch in San Francisco's victory over Seattle, he pulled a pen from his sock, signed the ball and handed it to his financial adviser in the front row. Owens was warned and the only punishment he received was a $5,000 fine for having his jersey untucked.

"We sent a memo to the clubs clarifying that a player possessing a foreign object -- an object not part of the uniform -- is subject to a 15-yard penalty,'' NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Friday. "If the referee deems the object to be a safety hazard, the player will be ejected from the game. An object such as a pen will be considered a safety hazard.''

The autograph-signing episode has been a topic of conversation all week. Many fans and people inside the game saw the stunt as amusing, but others were furious. Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren called it "a dishonor to anyone who ever played this game.''

Owens told a San Francisco newspaper that race might have been a motivating factor in the criticism he received, but he backed off those statements Friday.

"People have the misconception about me that I am angry all the time or that I am a bad guy,'' he said in a statement. "When you see me celebrate, I don't dance with a scowl or frown. I am happy.''