Prowler issues apology

A clean apology after talking trash
Fan's taunting seemed to give Bucs momentum
SCOTT DODD
Staff Writer


ROBERT LAHSER

Joe Muscarello is the Carolina Prowler whose 4th-quarter taunt fired up the Tampa Bay Bucs on Sunday.


Joe Muscarello, aka the "Carolina Prowler," came dangerously close to getting blamed for blowing the Panthers game Sunday.

And he knows it.

Handed a microphone at a crucial moment in the fourth quarter, Muscarello taunted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from the Ericsson Stadium scoreboard. Tampa responded with big plays, shifting momentum the Bucs' way.

"If I offended anyone -- and especially the team or coaching staff -- I apologize," Muscarello said Monday, as sports radio hosts and newspapers around the country made comparisons to the infamous Chicago Cubs fan Steve Bartman, blamed for costing his team a shot at the World Series.

The Panthers say they'll rethink their Fan of the Game promotion and will likely make sure no one with a microphone ever provokes the other team again.

"Obviously, we want our fans to be very enthusiastic," coach John Fox said Monday. "But I'm not sure we want to incite the opponent, either. I'm sure that will be addressed."

How it will be addressed remains to be seen. Team officials said they haven't decided. Spokesman Charlie Dayton said fan statements have never been an issue in the past, so the team doesn't have a policy.

Muscarello, for his part, is horrified that his remarks might have made it tougher for his team to pull off a victory. He hadn't planned to call out the Tampa defense. It just came from the heart.

"I wanted to get our fans fired up," said Muscarello, a Bank of America loan specialist whose game day attire includes a Panther cowl and giant, furry paws. "I didn't even think about getting Tampa Bay fired up."

But it looks like that's exactly what he did. For anyone who missed the story -- which was picked up by ESPN and the New York Daily News, among others -- Muscarello was selected Fan of the Game by the Panthers staff on Sunday.

The Panthers were leading 20-14 with the ball inside their own 30, trying to hang on with just over 10 minutes left. In front of nearly 70,000 screaming fans, Muscarello did what the Carolina players had resisted all week: He trash-talked the Buccaneers.

"Let me tell you something, Warren Sapp and Simeon Rice," Muscarello said. "You guaranteed a win. We guarantee we're gonna kick your butt."

His taunt juiced up the Tampa defense, which hadn't had a quarterback sack to that point. Sapp and Rice pointed to the scoreboard. Then Rice flattened quarterback Jake Delhomme twice on the next three plays and pressured him into an interception.

The Buccaneers would go on to take the lead, before Carolina's final touchdown with 1:06 left.

"Wow. That's all I can say about that," Delhomme said about the Prowler after the game. "I don't know who he is, but my God. We have racehorses back home. Maybe I can order a muzzle."

Center Jeff Mitchell was just as pointed. "That guy, we need to seek him out and revoke his season ticket privileges. ... What are you doing? It's third-and-long and you're calling out the defense," he said.

Fans loved Muscarello's remarks when he made them. The stadium roared. But when Tampa responded with big plays, Muscarello started to get uncomfortable.

"People around me were saying, 'I think you got the other team fired up,' " Muscarello said. "I had visions of people coming up in my face screaming."

His 9-year-old son was with him, so Muscarello decided to leave his seat in Section 125, in case they needed to make a quick exit from the stadium.

"I stayed in the back, trying to blend in," he said. Not an easy thing in his black, furry outfit, complete with a miniature Panther perched on each shoulder.

When Carolina pulled off a victory, Muscarello sighed in relief.

"I didn't know if I'd have to stand out there with an 'I'm sorry' sign" at the next game, he said.

Muscarello has dressed as the Carolina Prowler for years. He visits children at hospitals and charities in costume. He's pictured at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, as part of the Visa Hall of Fans.

He won't shed the outfit, but he'll be more careful in the future.

"Next time, I'll have to hold my enthusiasm a little bit," he said. "I apologize for the comments, but not for being a fan." -- STAFF WRITER PAT YASINSKAS CONTRIBUTED.

 

idiot

 

This has been blown way out of proportion for the sake of a story.

 

does anyone think that Stuessie getting punked the last three games in pass protection has any bearing on his getting smoked a few times this game?

 

Up till that point, Todd was having a pretty good game. Watching it on tape, Jake seemed to have a lot of time otherwise.

So yeah, it had an effect.

 

Maybe we should call out our own guys, to rile them up.

Like - 'Moose, I'll guarantee you couldn't catch syphilis in a bangkok whorehouse'

or something.

 

bah. who cares if he called them out. it's not like we weren't all thinking it.

 

I'm sure the fans behind their bench where talking shit to them the whole game.

 

The OL is to blame for the sacks , not a fan. I don`t care who says what, OL do your job and everybody is happy.