What was supposed to be a joke cost Cincinatti Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco $20,000, when the NFL fined him this week for attempting to "bribe" an official during their game last Sunday (November 8).

During Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens, Ochocinco jokingly attempted to bribe a referee, when he pulled out a $1 bill from somewhere on the sideline and approached an official during a replay review of a catch he made near the sideline.

The play was originally called a catch, and changed to an incomplete pass upon review. That joke didn't sit well with the NFL.

"I was just being me ... to bribe the ref and make sure he was going to give us that call," he said after Sunday's game. "I wasn't going to do it for real."

Ochocinco tweeted about it (@OGOchoCinco) on Friday (November 13), saying he knew the fine was coming.

"I knew four days ago, didn't tweet about it like I was told not to," he explained.

The NFL said he violated NFL rules that "prohibit use of abusive, threatening or insulting language or gestures toward game officials," and possessing "extraneous objects that are not part of the uniform during the game on the field or sideline," said an NFL source.

In a letter to Ochocinco, NFL's executive vice president of football operations Ray Anderson said: "The very appearance of impropriety is not acceptable. Your conduct was unprofessional and unbecoming an NFL Player."