The National Football League announced last month that it had struck a deal with the Rolling Stones to perform in the halftime show of Super Bowl XL. In addition, it appears that the NFL has agreed to the Rolling Stones' demand that NFL security for the Super Bowl will be handled by the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, LLC.

The Hells Angels security force gained permanent infamy with the beating death of an African-American concert goer at Altamont, a free concert featuring the Stones in 1969.

Both announcements are drawing fire from varied and diverse groups.

The announcement of the Rolling Stone's involvement with the NFL was a big concern to many football fans who think that American football should be endorsed and promoted by an American band, such as Grand Funk Railroad.

Protection

Some even thought the announcement was a mistake and that the Stones' deal was really with Major League Soccer. Once the agreement had been confirmed, most internet message boards died down to a low grumble.

But the security decision is being ridiculed by everyone from the ACLU and NAACP to the Dept of Homeland Security and NTSB workers.

"It's a very intriguing move," stated former Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge in a telephone interview. "It may be effective in that it should pre-empt the temptation to use racial profiling. Since no one darker than a deep tan will dare show up at the Super Bowl that should cover middle eastern born terrorists."

"I'm not sure why the NFL would do this to its African-American fans," worries civil rights leader turned wealthy corporate blackmailer Rev. Jesse Jackson. "For years the NFL has used ticket pricing structure to keep low-income fans from attending games or at least in the cheap seats and off-camera. But now they've stooped to a lower level, and I'm not talking about the club level with the luxury boxes. I'm talking about implied threats of fans being boxed and clubbed."

"Other than security being a little more drunk and a little quicker to haul you under the stadium and beat you with pool cues, I don't think fans will notice," said one current NTSB airport security screener. But the screener says that lack of standardized training similar to what is used by the NTSB will be a problem for the NFL.

"It's not likely that the Angels are going to know on their own to check the shoes of grandmothers as thoroughly as they should," said the screener. "And there's no way they are going to have the training to stop all the infants who are on government no-fly lists from entering the stadiums. It could be a real mess if one of those babies goes off in the middle of the second quarter."

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue has declined to comment until his jaw is unwired.