CLEVELAND — Gerard Warren's $35,000 fine for a hit on Jacksonville quarterback Mark Brunell seems less important to the Cleveland Browns rookie defensive tackle after visiting NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue in New York.

        “My situation is very small compared to what is going on up there and in this country,” he said.

        For starters, Warren didn't want to fly to New York to discuss the fine with Tagliabue.

        “If I had to fly up there by myself, I probably wouldn't have gone,” he said. Browns assistant coach Pete Garcia made the trip with Warren.

        But their arrival at LaGuardia Airport didn't ease Warren's mind any.

        “There weren't a lot of people in the airport, and there were armed guards in there,” he said. “You're right I was scared.”

        He found more unsettling sights on the streets of New York.

        “You could still see a little dust and a lot of police officers and national guardsmen patrolling the streets,” he said. “They say things are back to normal up there, but they're definitely not back to normal.”

        Warren was fined for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Brunell during the Browns' 23-14 win Sept.30.

        Warren will appeal the fine. If the fine stands, he might ask part of the money go to a disaster relief fund.

        Fines are normally split between four charities, two of the NFL's choosing and two of the NFL Players Association's choosing, but NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Warren could ask the Players Association about donating some of the money to disaster relief.

        Warren has said since the game that he didn't know it was Brunell he hit and that the hit wasn't a cheap shot. Brunell was intercepted, and Warren hit him as Brunell was trying to get back into the play.

        Warren also said that he's not going to change his style and that Browns coach Butch Davis has told him not to.

        “You can call me mean, you can call me nasty, but not dirty.”

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