13
Dec
2011
James Harrison suspended one game for hit on Colt McCoy
(Photo: ESPN.com)
In an unprecedented disciplinary move, the NFL has suspended Steelers’ LB James Harrison for one game following his helmet-to-helmet hit on Browns QB Colt Mcoy last Thursday (VIDEO HERE). It was Harrison’s fifth illegal hit against a QB in the past three seasons, which qualifies Harrison as a “repeat offender” and therefore made him subject to suspension.
From the league’s official statement:
Harrison was penalized for roughing the passer in last Thursday night’s Steelers-Browns game for an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit against a defenseless quarterback, Cleveland’s COLT MC COY. In addition to four fines for illegal hits against quarterbacks in 2009 and 2010, Harrison also was fined twice for unnecessary roughness during that period. Harrison totaled six fines in that two-year period.
The 2011 League Policies for Players manual states: “Players who were fined for violations in 2009 or 2010, and whose fines were either partially or fully upheld, will be considered second and/or repeat offenders under this policy.”
Prior to now, the league had only levied fined against players for such behavior, but Harrison has been the poster child for the league’s new policy against helmet-to-helmet hits for years now. Despite the fact that Harrison plans to appeal, there really is no defense for the way he lowered the crown of his helmet directly into McCoy’s facemask the way he did on this play. Roger Goodell had finally seen enough, and decided to drop the hammer.
Whether or not you agree with the legue’s crackdown on vicious hits, this is the NFL today … like it or not. And after years of fines and warnings, it’s clear that Harrison still just doesn’t get it. Maybe missing some actual game time will get through to him.
BONUS GIF OF THE HIT AFTER THE JUMP
14
Dec
2010
Tripgate: Were the Jets players & coaches ordered to form a wall?
Is that how players normally stand during a punt? (CBS Image via Newsday.com)
The fallout from what is now being so creatively called “Tripgate” (ed note: Really people? It’s been 35 years since Nixon. We can’t come up with something more original by now? yeeesh) continued on Tuesday, when former Dolphins LB Zach Thomas suggested that the Jets deliberately formed a human wall on the play where Nolan Carroll was tripped by a member of the New York coaching staff. Chris Mortensen also reported that the league is investigating to determine whether the Jets were instructed to line up in that manner to restrict Carroll’s ability to use the sideline on punt coverage.
The Jets strength & conditioning coach, Sal Alosi, was suspended without pay for the remainder of the season and fined $25k by the club for tripping Carroll. He won’t receive any further punishment from the league, and will not be allowed contact with the team until after the final game of the year. Ironically enough, on game days, Alosi serves as the Jets “get back” coach, responsible for clearing players and personnel away from the action on the field.
Thomas went on Miami sports radio and said that the way the Jets players and coaches were positioned along the sidelines had to have been on purpose:
“They had to be ordered to stand there because they’re foot to foot,” Thomas said Tuesday on Miami radio station WQAM. “There’s four of them, side to side — five of them, I mean — on the edge of the coach’s zone. They’re only out there to restrict the space of the gunner.
It was actually six guys (5 inactive players plus Alosi) lined up in a row, and if you look at the tape, the way they’re positioned certainly does look a bit odd. Not to mention the fact that as Carroll comes in their direction, not one of them even flinches. On a previous Dolphins punt, Reshard Jones went flying into the Jets sideline and was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for not immediately returning to the field of play. So you have to wonder … were the Jets purposely defending their turf over there?
29
Nov
2010
Andre Johnson avoids suspension for beating Finnegan; fans everywhere applaud
Andre Johnson dishes out some street justice to Cortland Finnegan (Photo: Karen Warren/Chronicle)
Let’s face it: Andre Johnson did the league a favor. When the all-pro WR beat Cortland Finnegan like he stole something during yesterdays Texans/Titans game, it somehow felt as though justice had been served.
Finnegan takes pride in being a dirty player. His entire game is getting inside his opponents’ heads until they finally snap and draw a penalty. The guy is a punk, plain and simple, who has openly boasted about wanting to be labeled the dirtiest player in the league. And so far this season, he’s done a fine job of building his reputation along those lines. But yesterday, Finnegan picked a fight with a much bigger dog, and he finally got what was coming to him. And as it happened, football fans around the world cheered.
Which is why it’s nice to hear that Johnson will not be suspended for his part in the brawl for it all, according to a report from Fox26. And the Houston Chronicle reports that both players have been fined $25k, but neither will face suspension for their actions. It actually seems like a particularly light slap on the wrist for both players from Roger Goodell, who up until now recently has handed out fines like Halloween candy. Richard Seymour was just fined the same amount last week for smacking down Ben Roethlisberger … and that was just one open-handed shot, while both were wearing helmets. So it seemed that a heavier punishment was in line for both players after their full-on brawl at the 40-yard line.
Johnson has been extremely contrite in apologizing for his actions yesterday, saying he simply lost his cool and would accept whatever punishment came his way. But Goodell apparently agreed with Mike Ditka, who went on the Mike and Mike radio show this morning and suggested that Johnson should be commended for his actions:
I wouldn’t suspend him. I would applaud him if I was the National Football League. Where does it say that if I snake bites you, you can’t step on the snake? And that’s exactly what happened to this kid.
That seems to be the general consensus.
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO OF THE BRAWL AFTER THE JUMP
21
Oct
2010
NFL Releases Video Illustrating Legal vs Illegal Hits
Brandon Meriweather's hit on Todd Heap was the most flagrant shot of them all (Photo: Michael Dwyer via KansasCity.com)
The big story of the week in the NFL continues to be the brouhaha over violent hits in the game, and the league’s threat to begin suspending players who deliver flagrant blows to the head. The general consensus seems to be that yes, something needs to be done to protect players and prevent head injuries. But most people also tend to agree that in this sport, these types of collisions are an inevitable – and even an exciting & compelling – part of the game. So how do you strike a balance?
Ray Anderson, the NFL’s VP of Operations, followed up his controversial statement from earlier in the week with this video, which was sent to all 32 teams today to illustrate what the league considers to be a legal and illegal hit. The video includes highlights of the Meriweather hit and other examples of dangerous shots to the head, along with several “clean” plays that show how players can make hard, effective tackles without endangering anyone’s safety (well, any more than necessary … this is a contact sport, after all).
WATCH THE NFL PLAYER SAFETY VIDEO BELOW
In the video, Anderson states:
“Illegal hits to the head of an opponent will not be tolerated. A player is accountable for what he hits. Illegal techniques must be removed from our game. We all accept that football is a physical and tough game, but players must play under control. If a player launching into an opponent misses his aiming point, he will nevertheless be held responsible for what he hits.”
“Player safety is our highest priority,” Anderson says to his audience of coaches and players. “We’ve said publicly, and we will repeat to all of you, we will not apologize for or be defensive about aggressive enforcement to protect players from illegal and potentially life-altering blows to the head and neck.”
19
Oct
2010
NFL Fines Three, Threatens To Begin Suspending Players for Flagrant Hits
(Photo: Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)
In the wake of a series of violent collisions during this past weekend’s games, three players have been fined, and the NFL has announced that – effective immediately – players will face suspension for illegal hits, with an emphasis on protecting defenseless players from blows to the head.
Steelers LB James Harrison, Patriots S Brandon Meriweather and Falcons CB Dunta Robinson were fined a total of $175k by the league for flagrant hits on Sunday that had normally bloodthirsty NFL fans collectively cringing and calling for reform. NFL executive vice president of football operations Ray Anderson stressed that no rules will be changed, but stated that there will be elevated accountability for illegal hits to the head:
“What we’re trying to make sure our players understand is that you should know the rules,” Anderson said. “The coaches know the rules, the players should know the rules. And so if you are in violations of the rules — particularly one of those trying to protect against head, neck injuries — we’re going to hold you to a higher standard.”
That’s all well and good, but the immediate question becomes where do you draw the line? These are bang-bang plays we’re talking about here, and defenders are simply doing their jobs by trying to deliver the hardest hit possible. The Meriweather and Harrison hits were definitely flagrant head shots, but Harrison (unbelievably) wasn’t even flagged on the plays, and you could easily argue that Robinson’s hit was clean (in fact, we named it our Hit Of The Week). In this sport, regardless of intention, blows to the head just seem inevitable … and unfortunately, so do the injuries that come along with them. That’s one of the main reasons these guys make so much money: NFL athletes put their bodies on the line every Sunday, and there is a very good chance that they could be hurt and suffer long-term repercussions.
Both Harrison and Robinson plan to appeal their fines, so right away there is some gray area here, and there’s bound to be a lot of backlash from players and coaches. UPDATE: It has already begun, and Bears All-Pro LB Brian Urlacher is among the early critics of the NFL’s new policy:
“It’s freaking football. There are going to be big hits. I don’t understand how they can do this after one weekend of hitting. And I can’t understand how they can suspend us for it. I think it’s a bunch of bull.
“You know what we should do? We should just put flags on everybody. Let’s make it the NFFL – the National Flag Football League. It’s unbelievable.”
UPDATE #2: Now James Harrison is threatening to retire from football rather than adjust the way he plays the game:
“I’m going to sit down and have a serious conversation with my coach tomorrow and see if I can actually play by NFL rules and still be effective,” Harrison said. “If not, I may have to give up playing football.
So basically, if Harrison can’t keep hurting people, there’s just no point for him anymore. What a nutjob. Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin excused Harrison from practice today “to cool off”, but expects him back at practice tomorrow.
WATCH VIDEO OF THE MERIWEATHER AND HARRISON HITS AFTER THE JUMP
3
Sep
2010
Shocker: Roethlisberger suspension reduced to 4 games
Ben Roelisberger will hopefully avoid the local nightlife during his suspension
Well, this isn’t really surprising, but today, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reduced Ben Roethlisberger’s six-game suspension to four games.
As we all know by now, Roethlisberger was suspended earlier this year after being accused of sexual assaulting a college student in Milledgeville, Georgia on March 5th. Although no charges were filed, Goodell elected to suspend Big Ben for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. But the Pittsburgh QB met with Goodell early this morning, when he learned he would be able to return to the team on October 17th, when the Steelers face the Cleveland Browns. During his suspension, Roethlisberger will not be allowed to visit the team facility or have any contact with Steelers coaches or personnel.
But don’t think Roethlisberger is completely off the hook. From NFL.com:
The league said the “reinstatement is contingent on Roethlisberger continuing to adhere to the program established by our advisors and avoiding any further violations of the personal conduct policy.”
“You have told me and the Steelers that you are committed to making better decisions,” Goodell said in a letter to Roethlisberger. “Your actions over the past several months have been consistent with that promise and you must continue to honor that commitment.
So that basically means Ben needs to stay away from bars, and keep it in his pants for the next six weeks. Let’s see if the big guy can make it happen!
14
Jul
2010
Hit ‘em where it hurts
Brief thought: The NFL currently suspends players at the beginning of the NFL season. A suspended player typically is allowed to train with their teams, and participate in training camp and preseason games. With the real games start, the suspension hits and the player misses anywhere from one to four (or more) weeks. In most cases, even with a rocky start, the player and his team have the entire rest of the season to recover. I don’t find this severe enough.
Case in point: If Big Ben wants to head down to Georgia and cause utter chaos during the offseason, he’s still back in the saddle by (probably) Week 5 of the 2010 NFL season (although if he botches up again, it could be later). Realistically, if the Steelers can get out of their first four games at 2-2 — even 1-3 — they’ll be fine.
I’d like to see the league play with the idea of suspending players at the end of the season. Or, perhaps a combination of two games to start the year and two games to end it.
Naturally, if a suspended player is trapped on a terrible football team, there’s less to lose if the team is 1-11 when a four-game suspension would commence.
On the flip side, it would make the game’s stars think twice about their behavior if they’re forced to bail on their teams in the critical final weeks of the season.
I don’t propose hanging a mistake over a player forever. There is something natural about paying your fine and moving on. With that aside, a system of late-season suspensions might have more impact on the game. I guess it all depends if the guilty party is on my team — or yours.
One man's appeal to up the stakes by have suspended stars benched at the END of the season. (Source: static.nfl.com)
