Q: What does the NFL do with fines levied against the coaches and players? Are they donated to charity or to any special causes?
—Leon E. Collins, Stone Mountain
A: "All on-field fine money collected by the NFL is used for charitable purposes. These funds have been used to support retired player programs, including the NFL Player Care Foundation and NFLPA Players Assistance Trust; disaster relief initiatives; and health-related charities," the NFL Communications website (nflcommunications.com) says. "Every letter notifying the player of a fine indicates where the fine money goes," David Krichavsky, the NFL's director of community affairs, told The Associated Press. The NFL gave $500,000 to the American Red Cross after the Haiti earthquake in 2010.
Q: I’ve read that the guy who produced the offensive Muslim movie is of Egyptian descent, but his citizenship is never mentioned. Is he an American citizen or an Egyptian citizen?
—R.E. Elam, Marietta
A: Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, was born in Egypt but moved to the U.S., and is now a U.S. citizen, according to media reports. He is being held without bail in Los Angeles until authorities can determine if Nakoula violated terms of his release after a 2010 bank fraud conviction, the AP reported last week. Nakoula legally changed his name to Mark Basseley Youssef in 2002 and used the name Sam Bacile to make a movie called the "Innocence of Muslims," which portrays Muhammad as a "religious fraud, womanizer and pedophile," according to the AP. The movie sparked protests and riots across the Middle East. Authorities now refer to Nakoula as Youssef.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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