Mark Hensch The Washington Times - October 6, 2010, 10:09AM

The National Football League is ruling Wisconsin incumbent Senator Russ Feingold’s latest campaign ad a fumble rather than a touchdown.

The Wisconsin State Journal’s Dinesh Ramde reported Tuesday that Sen. Feingold’s latest ad features a four-second clip of then-Minnesota Vikings player Randy Moss fake-mooning a Green Bay Packers crowd after a difficult touchdown catch. The ad uses the controversial 2004 incident – dubbed by the NFL as “excessive celebration” – as a metaphor for Republican candidate Ron Johnson’s corporate and special interest involvement. 

“We did not license the footage and have contacted the Senator’s campaign about removing it,” said NFL spokesperson Greg Aiello in an e-mail to the Associated Press.

Moss’ stunt earned him public backlash and $10,000 in fines. As for Feingold’s current usage of the footage, Johnson spokesperson Sara Sendek said she believes he sees a shrinking number of potential Wisconsin voters between himself and Johnson.

“It seems to me that Sen. Feingold is the only one worried about polls,” she said.

The State Journal article can be found at:

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/article_05de5522-d0b1-11df-baf2-001cc4c002e0.html

And for those interested in relieving Moss’ discretion, here’s the clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dmqGg6Ccvw