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November
22, 2002 9:30 a.m. By Dan Lewis |
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uring the Falcons' Week 8 game, wide receiver Shawn Jefferson couldn't
find white shoes. So, he put tape on his black ones and wore them in the
game. No one, obviously, was hurt. Jefferson didn't receive an on-field
penalty, further showing the lack of severity of his infraction. Yet the
NFL decided to fine him $5,000 for this uniform infraction.
During the Eagles' Week 8 game, safety Brian Dawkins shellacked Giant wide receiver Ike Hilliard with a vicious helmet-to-chest hit. Hilliard suffered a dislocated shoulder and is out for the year. This "clear and dangerous" rules violation — in the words of NFL director of football operations Gene Washington — earned Dawkins a 15-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty, one of the largest penalties available to referees. The NFL figured that ending a "defenseless receiver's" season (again, Washington's words) is worth a $50,000 fine.
Even the New Jersey state supreme court would notice that something isn't quite right here.
After a rash of leading-with-the-helmet tackles, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue decided that perhaps desperate measures were needed. Going after the players themselves seems to be the, well, obvious path. But punishing the rule breakers comes with a problem — the players don't like it. No one wants to get fined or suspended, especially not for making what could be a game-saving tackle. And the rule, which prohibits "using any part of a player's helmet (including the top/crown and forehead/hairline parts) or facemask to butt, spear, or ram an opponent violently or unnecessarily" is a bit vague. Still, what is disallowed is teachable, and the NFL now needs a punishment that would effectively deter future attacks.
Fining players up to six figures, while a hefty amount, hasn't seemed to do the trick. A one-game suspension doesn't seem to be enough either. And the players' dissatisfaction with increased penalties — their union is investigating the issue — means Tagliabue needs to either play hardball or find a cop-out solution. His path? CBS Sportsline reported that Tagliabue wants to fine and/or suspend coaches if the hits don't subside.
If that doesn't work, he'll have to suspend himself. Helmet control, like gun control, is best practiced by enforcing the laws on the books, not by adding other ones that are about as effective as suing Sturm Ruger. The right path for the NFL is to simply match the punishment with the crime.
Dawkins' hit on Hilliard is emblematic of why the rule isn't working. By injuring Hilliard, Dawkins took away one of the Giants best weapons in what was then a 9-3 game. Further, the Giants are now without perhaps their best receiver for the rest of the season, which includes a Week 17 rematch with the Eagles. And, as the Giants and Eagles play in the same division, it's obviously better for Philly if New York isn't playing at full strength. In fact, one can reasonably assume that each of the 65,000-plus Eagles fans at the game in question would have gladly ponied up an extra buck to be guaranteed that the Giants have to go without Hilliard from here on out. That's enough to cover the fine and then some.
But what if the Eagles also lost Dawkins for the year? An eye for an eye. It's not all that absurd. Dawkins took a vicious and unnecessary shot at the wide receiver (Hilliard didn't even catch the ball!). The infraction, like reckless driving or assault with a deadly weapon, deserves a steeper punishment, as the victim is increasingly injured. Why not apply the same logic to the gridiron?
It certainly makes more sense than suspending the coach.
And it's not totally unheard of. You just need to go to college football to find an example. Recently, Washington State linebacker Ira Davis slugged teammate Jason David. David was forced out for four to six weeks with a broken cheekbone. Cougar coach Mike Price stepped up to the task, suspending Davis indefinitely. That's right — Davis should expect to be benched until David can physically take the field again.
The NFL needs to take proportional action against players who commit infractions that truly blemish the game. Blaming the coach or levying a fine isn't enough when the victims are getting injured. Leave those methods to the minutiae of the game. Like uniform infractions.
— Dan Lewis is a freelance sportswriter. He runs a sports weblog at www.dlewis.net.