Packers Linebacker Apologizes for Obscene Gesture Seen on Live TV

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP)  -- Green Bay Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk apologized for making an obscene hand gesture during Sunday's victory over the St. Louis Rams.

Hawk made the gesture toward the Packers sideline after sacking Rams quarterback Sam Bradford in the second quarter. Hawk called it a "running joke" with some of his teammates and said it "wasn't meant to get out there, for people to see." The gesture apparently made it on television, and screen shots were almost immediately circulated on social media websites such as Twitter.

"It was a joke, and I kind of got caught up in the emotion of the game," Hawk said. "I definitely apologize if any kids or anyone else saw it. I have a daughter myself, so I wouldn't want her doing that. I got excited and I got caught up in the game. It was just, I guess, a bad joke. I definitely won't do it again."

Hawk said he hoped to avoid a fine from the NFL, and promised not to do it again.

"I think this day and age you're not going to get away with it," Packers cornerback Charles Woodson said. "So, if he did it, he understands that there's probably a thousand cameras in the stadium. Even if it's a cell phone, somebody got it. So, you've got to be careful about that."