Jets' Pouha: Stevie Johnson Celebration Insensitive To 9/11
NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) — Much has been made about Stevie Johnson's touchdown celebration on Sunday, during which the Bills receiver mocked Plaxico Burress by pretending to shoot himself in the thigh.
Well, the fallout continues. Jets defensive tackle Sione Pouha asserted on Monday that Johnson was also insensitive to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
After mimicking Plax, Johnson put his arms out and acted like a plane — something Santonio Holmes does after scoring — but then crashing into the turf in the Jets' 28-24 win Sunday.
Pouha said the antics hit too close to home because of the attacks that occurred 10 years ago in Manhattan, a few miles from MetLife Stadium.
"Us being from New York, we like to hold ourselves to integrity, and that airplane thing, in my opinion, was kind of a dagger a little bit," said Pouha. "Considering the circumstances that we just celebrated -- not celebrated, but in remembrance of what we just had on Sept 11."
Pouha said it was an "unprofessional" gesture by Johnson, whom he says didn't take into account that 9/11 is a "sacred moment."
"We all stand for pride around here," he said. "All of us are from this region, so we know that's a sacred moment for a lot of people, and it's a very sobering moment."
Johnson, who says he's not one for regret, expressed it Monday for his over-the-top celebration.
Even boisterous Jets coach Rex Ryan called it "ridiculous."
"I was really expecting Plax to come back at me, making this like a rivalry thing, you know Bills-Jets," said Johnson. "They talk, we come back at them, he come back at me. I was expecting him to do something funny in the end zone. ... but he didn't.
"So I was seeing it was probably more serious than what I took it. So I regret doing that, yeah."
It cost Johnson and the Bills 15 yards on the ensuing kickoff, which turned out to be a failed squib kick -- a moment that turned the game in the Jets' favor.
"If anything, you scored on me, so come at me if anything," said cornerback Darrelle Revis. "But that's just wrong. To me, it wasn't smart on his part."
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