Golden rule: Mom gets ball
NASHVILLE Vanderbilt running back Wesley Tate heard it from both sides around campus Tuesday.
His brother is Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate, who was at the center of the latest controversy surrounding the NFL’s replacement officials.
“I’m a little neutral on this one,” Wesley Tate said. “Players play, coaches coach and referees call the game. So for (Golden), he was just playing the game.
“I was kind of mixed about (what the call would be),” he added. “I was hoping (he’d get the catch), because he was fighting for it. I was telling my roommates if he had a chance to make the game-winning play, that’s just kind of his style — the quarterback throwing the ball up and him going to get it. So I had a feeling about it.”
Golden and Wesley spoke after the game Monday night.
“We talked about the game and other stuff, family stuff. . . . It was also my mom’s birthday,” Wesley Tate said. “She definitely liked that. He got the ball for her, so she’ll be getting that soon. It was either (the winning touchdown) or the touchdown before (a 41-yard reception in the second quarter) — I know it was one of those.”
MAYS SUSPENDED
Denver Broncos linebacker Joe Mays received a one-game suspension and a $50,000 fine from the NFL for the hit that dislodged Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub’s helmet and took off a piece of his ear.
Mays will appeal the fine and suspension. Coach John Fox said Mays was not trying to hurt Schaub.
“That’s not Joe Mays, that’s not what we teach,” Fox said.
SHANAHAN FINED
Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan was fined $25,000 by the NFL for berating a referee, according to someone with knowledge of the fine who requested anonymity because the league had not announced it.
Shanahan walked onto the field screaming at officials during a chaotic finish to the team’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. He continued yelling profanities at the officials after the game.
MOORMAN’S RUN ENDS
The Buffalo Bills released punter Brian Moorman and signed free agent Shawn Powell to replace him. Moorman signed with the Bills in 2001 and played in 179 consecutive games.