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February 02, 2004
Superbowl Notebook
CBS apologizes after halftime extravaganza gets overexposed
JOURNAL STAFF AND WIRE REPORT
• CBS apologized for an unexpectedly R-rated end to its Super Bowl halftime show, when singer Justin Timberlake tore off part of Janet Jackson's top, exposing her breast.
"CBS deeply regrets the incident," spokeswoman LeslieAnne Wade said after the network received several calls about the show.
The two singers were performing a flirtatious duet to end the halftime show, and at the song's finish, Timberlake reached across Jackson's leather gladiator outfit and pulled off the covering to her right breast.
The network quickly cut away from the shot and did not mention the incident on the air.
It was unclear whether Timberlake intended to expose Jackson's breast.
Wade said that CBS officials attended rehearsals of the halftime show all week, "and there was no indication any such thing would happen. The moment did not conform to CBS' broadcast standards, and we would like to apologize to anyone who was offended."
The Super Bowl halftime show, which also featured P.Diddy and Kid Rock, was produced by MTV, CBS' corporate cousin in Viacom.
"We were extremely disappointed by elements of the MTV-produced halftime show," Joe Browne, NFL executive vice president, said. "They were totally inconsistent with assurances our office was given about the content of the show.
"It's unlikely that MTV will produce another Super Bowl halftime."
• Quarterback Tom Brady of the Patriots made the big plays when he had to and won the Super Bowl MVP Award for the second time in three seasons.
Brady never flinched after a costly interception, by Reggie Howard in the end zone, helped the Panthers climb back into it.
"They made some really big plays in that game," said Brady, who was 32 of 48 passing for 354 yards and three touchdowns. "Jake Delhomme threw the crap out of it against our defense, which you don't see much. But we made enough plays at the end to win it."
Brady said that the interception, which Howard caught in front of tight end Christian Fauria, was a bad mistake. "I just didn't make the best throw," he said. "The guy made a nice play."
• The Panthers' defense spent a lot of time on the field, especially in the first half, but safety Deon Grant said that fatigue was not a problem.
"I definitely got a little drained, but I don't think that's what happened to us," Grant said. "I just think New England came up with some big plays, and they exposed us, and we didn't capitalize off it."
Grant said the Panthers were in no mood for moral victories.
"We just weren't comfortable just being in the game and playing it close, we wanted to win this thing," Grant said. "It kind of hurt real bad, but as a professional, it's something we have to get over it.
"And the guys that are here next year, we'll try and come back and make it here again."
Howard, who made the big interception, also said that fatigue was not an issue.
"Our guys don't get tired," he said. "We could have gone to overtime, and we still would have been the same defense going out there and playing hard."
• Stephen Davis, the Panthers' leading rusher this season, needed some extra time in the locker room before answering reporters' questions. He was disappointed that things didn't turn out better.
Davis only touched the ball 13 times and rushed for 49 yards as the Patriots swarmed him at every opportunity.
"They didn't do anything unexpected early on," he said. "We were just not doing our job. When we did start doing our jobs, we made plays."
• Offensive lineman Todd Steussie of the Panthers said that both teams got their offenses going late because both defenses wore down.
"I think the defenses were getting tired," he said. "You started to see guys rotate in.
"We made some changes and adjustments, and you could see that."
• Sam Mills, the Panthers' linebackers coach, and linebacker Mark Fields were honorary captains and were at midfield for the coin toss.
Both are fighting cancer. Mills, who has intestinal cancer, had chemotherapy Wednesday before flying to Houston. Fields, who had Hodgkin's disease, has completed treatments and is on schedule to play next season.
• Despite security efforts, a streaker still made it onto the field disguised as a referee for the second-half kickoff. The man, believed to be the notorious streaker who has crashed soccer matches in Europe and has been featured in shoe commercials, disrobed in front of the kicking tee and did a jig - au naturel, save what appeared to be a jock strap - before being leveled by special-teamer Matt Chatham of the Patriots.
• NFL officials planned all week to keep the retractable roof of Reliant Stadium open for the game unless there was a reason to close it. Early Sunday afternoon, the league announced that it would close the roof because of a forecast for rain.
It was sunny and warm early in the afternoon, but clouds had begun to roll in when the roof was closed at 3:45 p.m., about one hour and 45 minutes before kickoff. The league had hoped to open the roof for a pregame ceremony but didn't. With it closed, smoke from fireworks during Aerosmith's pre-game concert lingered in the air, a common problem with domed stadiums.
• Maybe having players who graduated from college is the secret to getting to the Super Bowl.
According to Gene Upshaw, the executive director of the NFL Players Association, the Panthers lead the NFL with 42 players who have college degrees. Indianapolis is second with 37, and the Patriots third with 35. Upshaw said that 880 of the NFL's 1,965 players this season had degrees and that more than 300 others are taking classes and working toward completing their degrees.
• Much has been made this season about extravagant celebrations in the end zone (Terrell Owens and his Sharpie pen, and Joe Horn's cell phone, to name two incidents).
Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said he has heard plenty from owners and coaches around the league.
"Take that stuff out of the game," he said. "Take the unsportsmanlike stuff out of the game and take the taunting out of the game."
Tagliabue said that the NFL's rule against taunting has cut down on fighting among players in recent years.
"The last two years, we have not had to fine a single player for fighting," he said. "Five or six years ago, we were fining dozens if not hundreds of players for either fighting or going into the area of a fight."
• Carl Eller, a Winston-Salem native and former football star at Atkins High School, had a strange pair of shoes on when he met the media Saturday.
Eller, who played 15 years for the Minnesota Vikings and one year with the Seattle Seahawks, was called away from a golf outing that morning and rushed to the Americas Hilton after learning he had been chosen for the NFL's Hall of Fame. He was so rushed, he forget to change out of his golf shoes and had them on for about two hours of interviews.
At one point he looked down and said: "I need to sit down. I've been standing in these golf shoes long enough."
• One of the many less-intriguing questions asked of quarterback Jake Delhomme of the Panthers was "What's your favorite television show?"
"The only one I watch is The Bachelor or The Bachelorette," he said. "It seems like on Wednesday nights when I'm home with my wife, I'll watch it. I like it because of the comedy."
• Quarterback Rodney Peete of the Panthers, a 15-year veteran and one of the most popular players on the team, hopes to be back next season.
"They're going to have to force me out, kick me out and tell me I can't do it anymore," said Peete, who was injured in the Panthers' opening game of the season. Delhomme took over from there.
• Mayor Bill White of Houston, who received four extra tickets to yesterday's game, donated them to the Denver Harbor Football League.
"They had trouble raising money, so he figured these tickets could bring them a few bucks," Corey Ray, the mayor's spokesman, told the Houston Chronicle.
The NFL gave the mayor the tickets and allowed him to raffle them off for more than the face value of $500. White attended the game as a guest of Bob McNair, the owner of the Texans.
• Coach John Fox of the Panthers didn't reveal much during the week leading up to the Super Bowl, but he did have plenty to say about the fans.
Fox said that one of the reasons he decided to go after the job with the Panthers was that he knew how big a following the team had.
"They've been fantastic," Fox said last week. "The people of Charlotte ... and the Carolinas are a wonderful place. It's a great selling point and one of the reasons this job is very attractive.
"This is a great place to raise a family and a wonderful area to live."
• It didn't take players too long to start yelling at each other during pre-game introductions.
Right after the Patriots came onto the field, defensive linemen Brentson Buckner of the Panthers and Richard Seymour of the Patriots got in each other's faces.
Also Rodney Harrison of the Patriots and Mike Minter of the Panthers butted helmets after yelling at each other for a few seconds.
Both teams calmed down just before the National Anthem.
• Shane Burton, a defensive tackle, came up with a big play when he blocked Adam Vinatieri's 36-yard field-goal attempt with six minutes left in the first half. The Panthers were one of the best at blocking field-goal attempts and extra-point attempts this season.
"I actually blocked it with my helmet," Burton said. "He kicked it kind of low, but it was something that helped us at the time. I was able to get some pressure up the middle and got it."
• One of the downsides of the Panthers' playing in the Super Bowl is draft position. When the playoffs started, the Panthers were slated to draft No. 26 in the first round. They will now draft 31st.... The Patriots' 15-game winning streak is the second longest in NFL history, behind the 17-game win streak of the 1972 Dolphins.... Next year's Super Bowl is scheduled for Jacksonville, Fla., and the 2006 Super Bowl will be played in Detroit.