A slap on the wrist for a punch in the face
Air Jesse — Junior guard Jesse Sanders stands at just 6’3”. Don’t tell him that. Thursday night against Presbyterian, Sanders flew over defenders en route to a 70-61 win. Photo Credit: Scott Hill
If the 2010-11 NFL season had to be summed up in one word it would almost certainly be “controversy.” Before the season was even under way, there were scandals brewing, and almost every week there was something to talk about that habitually had very little to do with the actual game of football.
The latest of these scandals came during the Nov. 28 game between the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans. With just under eight minutes to go in the game, the Texans held a 17-0 lead over the Titans and had the ball.
On a running play to the right, Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan struck Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson directly in the facemask with both hands as the play went to the opposite side of the field.
Johnson appeared to have had enough of Finnegan’s antics and ripped his helmet off as the two began to wrestle. Finnegan removed Johnson’s helmet before being dragged to the ground. Johnson used his size advantage over the scrappy cornerback and delivered two quick blows to the face.
The fight, which lasted just a few seconds, resulted in both players being ejected from the game, in which the Texans won, 20-0.
In all honesty, Finnegan got everything that he deserved out of this fight.
According to a poll of NFL players done early in the season by The Sporting News, Finnegan was voted the player with the dirtiest reputation. This is not the first time he got underneath someone’s skin and certainly will not be the last.
This is not even the first run in he has had with Johnson. Last season, Johnson was fined $7,500 for taking Finnegan to the ground.
This incident is extremely uncharacteristic for Johnson, who is often described by teammates as soft-spoken, but that does not excuse his behavior.
For as strict as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been since taking over, it comes as a complete shock that neither player was suspended. Each player received a $25,000 fine for their actions during the game but will not be suspended for any games.
Fighting has never really been a part of the NFL, but over the past season or so there appears to be an increase in the number of scuffles that occur after the play is over. It looks as though these conflicts are becoming more regular. This incident could have been a great opportunity to take care of that for good.
Goodell and the NFL condemned helmet-to-helmet hits and also what they described as “devastating” hits earlier this season. So if a guy makes a tackle and it appears to be a big hit he might get fined or suspended, but if he rips off someone’s helmet and throws a few punches it’s only a small fine.
That makes hardly any sense at all. Why on earth should the guy who delivers a big hit, who has a harder time of controlling his body on the play, be fined and punished more severely than a guy who should have just walked back to the huddle and prepared for the next play?
What’s most alarming about this incident is how quickly it escalated. If Goodell does not address these types of plays there could be an even bigger fight.
In 2006, an all-out brawl broke out during a game between Miami University and Florida International University.
That play started much the same way but resulted in players being body slammed to the ground and stomped on. Players were also seen swinging helmets at opponents’ heads as things spiraled out of control.
It just does not make sense that the NFL takes such a strong stance on off-the-field issues and helmet-to-helmet hits, and then lets a fight on the field get swept under the rug.