Chad Ochocinco Fined at 20,000:1 Ratio

Chad Ochocinco busted out more of his trademarked "almost annoying creativity" Sunday when he attempted to "bribe" an official with a dollar bill -- it was an obvious joke that everyone who was watching football that day loved.

Except for Roger Goodell, who, according to Mort's Twitter, reminded Ochocinco today -- vis a vis a $20,000 fine -- that the NFL is SERIOUS BUSINESS and that trifling with the rules and integrity of his league will result in money out of pocket.

Reported to ESPN: OchoCinco fined $20,000 for "bribe" action. Not just $1 prop but post-game comment using word "bribe."

Now, a lot is made of Goodell's penchant for slamming his iron fist down, and understandably so -- fans are the ones paying for the football and the DirecTV and the foam No. 1 fingers and the overpriced beer, so who is he to take the fun out of the league -- and I think this is probably a bit over the top ... but I also think it's kind of a good statement to make.

Tim Donaghy, as you may recall, didn't do wonders to the NBA's reputation; Goodell is probably smart (however it may hurt me to say so) to nip this puppy in the bud -- the last thing the NFL needs is people wandering around with money on the field or people even mentioning the word "bribe" near the game. Lord knows officiating is bad enough by accident anyway.