By DERON SNYDER
The (Fort Myers, Fla.) News-Press

It isn't often that the NFL, the undisputed heavyweight champ of big-time sports, gets punched in the mouth and knocked to the ground. If anyone or anything is to be slapped around, usually the NFL is dishing it out.

But starting with halftime of Sunday's Super Bowl, the league engaged in four major skirmishes on the pop culture front line and went a measly 2-2.

Frankly, that's the sort of parity that Commissioner Paul Tagliabue would rather do without.

The NFL got slammed in court Thursday after being slammed in the court of public opinion all week. A federal judge in New York ruled suspended Ohio State star Maurice Clarett eligible for the NFL draft, rejecting the league's 13-year-old draft-entry rule that bans players until they're three years removed from high school.

The only positive news at league headquarters was an all-time great Super Bowl and the cancellation of ESPN's "Playmakers."

Even the latter newsflash carries a tinge of negativity. Reports of the series' demise forced us to recollect the seamy story lines and debate their accuracy. And talk about the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers' scintillating game has been drowned out by commentary on Justin Timberlake's idea of single coverage.

The Clarett decision shouldn't shock anyone. League officials can put on a brave front and express confidence in their case, but they're delusional and in denial. You didn't need a law degree to realize the NFL was restricting Clarett and others from practicing their trade.

Yes, the NFL is special, but it isn't that much different from the NBA, the NHL and Major League Baseball, none of which is bold, brazen or foolish enough to bar young athletes from the work force.

"We believe today's ruling is inconsistent in numerous respects with well-established labor and antitrust law, and we will seek review of the ruling in the Court of Appeals," the NFL said in a statement. "We fully expect our eligibility rule to be upheld when this case is concluded."

Let's hope this doesn't drag on like the Janet Jackson fiasco, "Breastgate," a fleeting flash of skin that exposed more than a mammary gland. It also exposed the NFL as hypocrites who proclaim outrage over Jackson's tearaway jersey but conveniently wink and nod at the half-naked cheerleaders and buxom beer twins who help package, promote and sell the game.

When you hire MTV to produce your halftime show, you know you're going to see a little titillation. What, you mean the NFL signed off on Nelly's groping, the dancers' gyrating and Jackson and Timberlake's innuendo, but was dismayed by a split-second sight gag, a "wardrobe malfunction?" Spare me.

But despite the recent flogging and public relations hits, the NFL still packs sports' biggest punch. The thought of upsetting its most prominent broadcast partner led to ESPN's cancellation of "Playmakers," the network's most-watched programming behind the NFL and Saturday primetime college football. ESPN executive vice president Mark Shapiro said "there was no point in rubbing (the NFL's) noses in it."

Well, he can't. He's paying $600 million in broadcast rights. But the rest of us aren't restricted in that manner. So we can take pleasure in seeing sports' big dog take a well-deserved beating for a change.

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