Trashing the Game

A day after defending fans who threw plastic beer bottles in protesting a call, Cleveland Brown President Carmen Policy apologized Monday, saying he simply wanted to avoid criticizing everyone at the game.

Lewis Merletti, the team’s vice president of stadium and security affairs, said Brown officials were studying videotape in hopes of identifying the culprits. Hundreds of bottles and other debris rained down on the field Sunday after an instant-replay reversal of an on-field call sealed Cleveland’s 15-10 loss to Jacksonville. Game officials and players from both teams were forced to run for cover.

Meanwhile, the NFL said it had no plans to take action against Brown owner Al Lerner or Policy, both of whom all but condoned the actions of the rowdies in postgame comments.

“I don’t think Cleveland will take a black eye from this,” Policy said immediately after the game. “I like the fact that our fans care.”

On Monday, Policy acknowledged that he felt “badly” about his postgame comments.

“Under no circumstances would we approve of that [fan behavior],” he said at the Browns’ headquarters in Berea, Ohio. “I did not set a proper tone. I realized I had to set the record straight. There are no excuses.

“I can imagine the national story suggested in some way we were justifying some of the conduct yesterday as though it was excusable. That’s not how we feel. That’s not what we meant to say.... I feel badly about it.”

He said the team will push for the prosecution of fans who threw objects onto the field.

The league came to two conclusions Monday:

* Officials made the correct decision when they used video to overturn what initially was ruled a catch for a first down by Cleveland’s Quincy Morgan.

* Referee Terry McAulay should not have declared the game over when the bottle shower began. After the officials returned to their locker room, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue called and ordered the final 48 seconds be played--which they were, half an hour after McAulay declared the game over. Most fans had left the stadium.

The NFL said it will review everything about the incident, from beer sales to changes in the replay system, such as giving officials more time between plays to determine whether replay is warranted. In the final two minutes of the second and fourth quarters, a replay official in the booth determines whether to challenge calls.

Problems arose late in the game Sunday when Brown quarterback Tim Couch threw a fourth-down pass to Morgan for an apparent first down at the Jacksonville nine. The Browns had no timeouts, and Couch quickly lined up the offense and spiked the ball, stopping the clock with 48 seconds to play.

NFL rules say the window to challenge a call closes when the next play is run. That didn’t stop officials from reviewing the pass to Morgan, however, because McAulay said the pager on his belt--his connection to the replay booth--buzzed just before the spike.

When the crowd learned officials were reviewing the play, many fans began to throw bottles and other objects. Many of the bottles were filled with beer, making them more dangerous. According to Cleveland police, 14 people were arrested during the game, 11 for disorderly conduct or drunkenness.

“I think everyone controlled themselves considering they spent 60 minutes out in cold weather,” Lerner said immediately after the game. “It wasn’t pleasant.... But it wasn’t World War III.”

The last time a large number of fans threw objects on the field was in Denver after a Monday night game against Oakland in 1999, when the Raiders were pelted with snowballs as they left the field.

Raider tackle Lincoln Kennedy hopped a fence to go after two fans, and defensive back Charles Woodson was charged with misdemeanor assault after throwing a snowball in retaliation.

Bronco officials offered no excuses, and the team wound up pulling the season tickets of two fans.

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What Happened

Key play: Cleveland’s Tim Couch passes to Quincy Morgan on fourth down for apparent first down.

Spiked: Couch spikes ball to stop clock, but replay official reviews previous play and rules Morgan dropped pass, turning ball over to Jacksonville.

Reaction: Brown fans pelt field with plastic bottles and debris, forcing teams, referees to vacate field with 48 seconds to go.

Call waiting: NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue calls Cleveland and orders teams to complete game.

Sunday’s spiel: “I don’t think Cleveland will take a black eye from this. I like the fact that our fans care”--Brown President Carmen Policy.

Morning after: Policy apologizes “to people who didn’t deserve to be lumped together with the hooligans. I did not set a proper tone.”

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.