WGBA -NFL fines Ochocinco $30K for poncho, sombrero
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Chad Ochocinco is donating dinero to the NFL yet again.
The Cincinnati Bengals receiver is being fined $30,000 for his latest stunt - donning a poncho and sombrero after scoring a touchdown this weekend - a person in the NFL told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the league has not made any announcement about the fine. The punishment was first reported by ESPN.com.
Ochocinco wore a gray poncho and black sombrero after catching a TD pass in Cincinnati's 23-13 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
The receiver legally changed his name last year from Chad Johnson to a loose translation in Spanish of his uniform number, 85. "Ochocinco" literally means "eight five."
On his Twitter account, Ochocinco posted Tuesday: "Dear NFL League Office ... being great means having fun n celebrating. I've written a letter of apology to yall."
This fine comes about a month after Ochocinco was docked $20,000 and reprimanded by the NFL for pretending to bribe an official a dollar.
While one of his catches was being reviewed during Cincinnati's 17-7 victory over Baltimore on Nov. 8, Ochocinco held a dollar bill in his right hand at his side but didn't give it to the official, who motioned for him to stay away.
When that fine was handed down, the league sent Ochocinco a letter citing rules that prohibit abusive, threatening or insulting language or gestures toward officials. That letter also noted that players are prohibited from taking items onto the field that are not a part of their uniform.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
