NEW YORK (AFP) - The National Football League has hired experts to probe whether its players are flashing gang signals as part of their post-play celebrations.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the league will have the experts study game films to confirm or deny suspicions that players are using gestures connected to some of America's most notorious criminal gangs.

"There have been some suspected things we've seen," Milt Ahlerich, the league's vice president of security, told the Times. "When we see it, we quietly jump on it immediately, directly with the team and the player or employee involved to cease and desist. Period."

The report said that the NFL has warned players about the influence of gangs and other forms of organized crime, but their concerns have become more prevalent since former Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was killed last year in an incident involving known gang members.

The NFL's actions come two months after Boston Celtics swingman Paul Pierce was fined 25,000 dollars for what the league deemed "menacing gestures" toward the Atlanta Hawks' bench in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

Pierce, for his part, said that it was not a gang sign but a gesture of solidarity with his teammates - something that the reigning NBA champions had been doing all season. The NFL wasn't as sure.

"We were always suspicious that (gang-related hand signals) might be happening," said Mike Pereira, the NFL's vice president of officiating.

"But the Paul Pierce thing is what brought it to light. When he was fined ... that's when we said we need to take a look at it and see if we need to be aware of it."

As a result, the Times said the NFL has made gang signs a point of emphasis this season, but the league will not force its referees to determine what is gang-related.

That will be left up to local and national authorities, who not only will examine game tape but will be tapped as resources for education on the topic.

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