PFT: Nfl Looking For Evidence Of Gang Signs

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NFL LOOKING FOR EVIDENCE OF GANG SIGNS

Posted by Mike Florio on July 16, 2008, 10:50 a.m. EDT
The National Football League has long been concerned about the potential involvement and influence of gangs. Since gangs can potentially be involved in organized crime and since organized crime often entails gambling and since gamblers often are inclined to cozy up to athletes for inside information or to try to get said athletes to influence the outcome of games, it’s important for the NFL to ensure that no active gang members are in the sport.
There’s also a concern regarding the potential for significant violence, which arose with tragic consequences in connection with the murder of Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams, who presumably was killed after a confrontation with gang members.
It would be naive to assume that no gang members currently are, or have been, in the NFL. In the past, however, not much was done to prevent gang signs from being flashed during games.
But that’s changing, according to Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times. A point of emphasis for the 2008 season will be searching for evidence of gang signs being displayed by players who score touchdowns or otherwise celebrate (such as, for example, running the football for positive yardage in a game that his team is trailing by 34 points).
Officials won’t be expected to spot the gang signs, but they’ll pass along anything they notice to the league office. Instead, the league will review tapes of games to determine, in conjunction with experts in the field, whether gang signs are being displayed.
“There have been some suspected things we’ve seen,” Milt Ahlerich, NFL vice president of security, told Farmer. “When we see it, we quietly jump on it immediately, directly with the team and the player or employee involved to cease and desist. Period.”
The problem is that gang signs often have non-gang meanings. “Guys come from all over the country, and who knows what they’re really doing?” Jaguars receiver Dennis Northcutt told Farmer. ”People have got signs for their kids, signs for their fraternities. How do you differentiate who’s really throwing up gang signs?”
Northcutt also pointed out that the universal hand signal for the term “OK” is both a gang sign, and a signal for a personnel grouping.
The primary concern seems to be not that the use of gang signs is evidence of active gang involvement (although the league doesn’t want it), but that it could spark retaliation from players who might be aligned with opposing gangs.
“We were always suspicious that [gang-related hand signals] might be happening,” Mike Pereira, the NFL’s vice president of officiating, told Farmer, pointing to an incident in the NBA involving Paul Pierce of the Celtics, who made “menacing gestures” during a game. “When he was fined . . . that’s when we said we need to take a look at it and see if we need to be aware of it.”
If it happens, there will be consequences. “t will be dealt with harshly,” Pereira said. “The commissioner is not going to stand for gang signals on the field.”
 

Big D

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If they actually find the evidence, will they destroy it as they did the spygate evidence? :laugh2:
 

stealth

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Pick6TerenceNewman;2146539 said:
The NFL doesn't want shoutouts to the Gang members! Pretty plain and simple.

And you think this is common enough that they need people on the payroll?

And lets be honest, I wouldn't know a gang sign from a street sign, how many other people would? The gang bangers? So now the NFL is waging war with gang bangers egos? This whole thing is dumb.

Waste of resources.
 

Tovya

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The refs can refer to a cheat card to know for sure like the one below... :D


2443804904_80cf2c10f1.jpg
 

gazmc_06

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They wont be able to do anything about this. If a guy throws up the West side gesture (which 95% of the time means he is from there) all he has to say is he's respresenting his home. You can't fine a guy from throwing up a sign of the place he is from.

The A sign that means Hoover crip could just be said as the A-town sign...there is no possible way to define these.
 

gambit187

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What a bunch of BS, next thing you know they will be telling Larry Johnson he cannt put up the DIAMOND FOR THE ROC, because he would be giving Jay Z a shout out......


:bang2:
 

gazmc_06

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gambit187;2146559 said:
What a bunch of BS, next thing you know they will be telling Larry Johnson he cannt put up the DIAMOND FOR THE ROC, because he would be giving Jay Z a shout out......


:bang2:

Exactly, this is a waste of time. They should really do something that is useful.
 

Tovya

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Boyzmamacita;2146560 said:
You mean victory is a gang sign?:eek::

Yes, and apparently the hand sign for OK is too, so the coaches better watch themselves too.:eek::
 

gambit187

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Ummm some of those gang signs are official SIGN LANGUAGE Alphabet signs.

:bang2:
 

Tovya

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gambit187;2146646 said:
Ummm some of those gang signs are official SIGN LANGUAGE Alphabet signs.

:bang2:

So what happens if a deaf player enters the league? Can he not sign? And let's just say for arguments sake, that his teammates learn to sign so they can communicate with him.. does the team get a pass on the 'Tupac Shakur' rule? And let's just say, to argue further, that one of the signing team mates is actually a gang member...

I know, kind of a stretch, but it just shows that this rule can get real crazy real fast in the right circumstances.

Maybe the league should ban jersey numbers that represent gangs... and maybe let's just get rid of Blue and Red jerseys, because we know how provocative those can be in the 'hood... or tilting your gameday cap to the left or right, because it might send the wrong message. :eek::
 

FCBarca

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Reminds me of the Paul Pierce thing in the playoffs which basically resulted in no action of consequence by the league

http://i100.***BLOCKED***/albums/m14/hootiehoo888/PaulPierce.jpg
 

gambit187

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FCBarca;2146668 said:
Reminds me of the Paul Pierce thing in the playoffs which basically resulted in no action of consequence by the league

http://i100.***BLOCKED***/albums/m14/hootiehoo888/PaulPierce.jpg

I dont know but I think i read or heard somewhere that he was doing that for Detroit to indicate they were next.
 
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