Rose Bowl One of Eight Fined for Using Pros in Promotions

The Rose Bowl is one of eight college football bowl games fined by the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. for using a professional athlete or promoting the National Football League, a Houston television station reported Tuesday night.

The Rose Bowl, which featured Michigan State in a game against USC, was ordered to pay $11,892, the highest fine levied, reported station KRIV-TV.

According to an April 24 memo obtained by the station, the bowls were fined for either using professional athletes in advertising or promoting the NFL.

Also fined were the Cotton Bowl for $10,118; the Fiesta Bowl for $5,751; the Sugar Bowl for $5,610; the Orange Bowl for $5,471; the Hall of Fame Bowl for $3,010; the Sun Bowl for $1,614, and the All-American Bowl for $1,000.

William B. Flinn, assistant executive director of the Rose Bowl, told The Times Tuesday night that the fine was a result of an ABC commercial shown during the game’s telecast.

The commercial, which featured Raider/Kansas City Royal Bo Jackson playing basketball in an advertisement for a shoe company, also was shown during the Sugar and Citrus bowls, Flinn said. Flinn said he thought the Citrus Bowl also was fined though it was not among the schools KRIV listed.

“It was an oversight on ABC’s part,” Flinn said. “It certainly was not done intentionally. ABC knew about the rule but thought because he was playing basketball they wouldn’t be penalized.”

Flinn said Rose Bowl officials were informed of the infraction by the NCAA’s special events committee about two months ago.

Frank Swofford, North Carolina athletic director who is chairman of the NCAA committee, told the Associated Press: “Fines are tied to a percentage of the gross revenues of the bowls.”

Mark Boehm of the Sun Bowl told The Times that the fines are a common practice, though rarely publicized.

Flinn, however, said he believes it is the Rose Bowl’s first such infraction.

Boehm said this year’s fine was the result of CBS camera operators crossing into a restricted zone, not a promotion. He said a 1988 promotion of the NFL resulted in a similar fine.

“These fines happen every year, it’s a very common practice,” Boehm said from El Paso. “The committee sits around for two months and reviews the tapes of every game looking for things. They really nit-pick certain things.”

Boehm said Sun Bowl officials will bill CBS Sports for the price of the fine.