Is it sad that we can be watching a football game and instantly recognize a play that will result in a fine, regardless of whether a penalty was called or not? I’ll give the NFL some credit in this regard. They’re getting very consistent with what types of hits they’ll fine. My problem is that the fines are doing what they were intended to do; protecting players.
According to ESPN The Magazine on May 30, 2011, the NFL handed down fines for 189 offenses in 2010 that resulted in grand total of $2,726,625. Now, that doesn’t sound like a lot of money, but it’s money that should still belong with the people that earned it.
We’ve been led to believe that fines handed down by the NFL, at least for illegal hits, were intended to be seen as a deterrent for players that are routinely flagged for illegal hits, especially on defenseless receivers. Unfortunately, those types of brutal hits continue, and so do the fines.
We’ve all heard the interviews of players that say they won’t change their style of play. Some have even joked that they just set aside a big chunk of change at the beginning of the year to pay any fines they may receive. That’s all fun and games, and that’s just the way this sport is. Every player that steps on the field, whether in a game or even in practice, knowingly assumes the hazards of their job. Hitting and being hit is simply part of football.
Now, we all know that fines aren’t actually deterring anyone. Frankly, I don’t mind fining players that deserve it for on or off the field behavior. Ndamukong Suh’s suspension was warranted, and he’s not being paid during that suspension. He deserved the punishment that was handed down by the league. No problem here. My problem is when defensive players are fined for hits they couldn’t avoid.
Yet, the fact that the NFL continues to fine players for unavoidable hits doesn’t irk me as much as the NFL’s new rules on defenseless receivers. Now you’re telling defensive backs and linebackers that they can’t lay into a receiver once they’ve touched the ball? What? That’s not football. Fans like big hits. Who doesn’t? Now the NFL is doing everything they can to eliminate them. For example, why should the hit in the video below be a fine?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dZSIXCdBd6o
The simple fact of the matter is that it shouldn’t be a fine. It shouldn’t even be a penalty, but with the new rules it is. For the record, the flag on the play was correctly thrown. It’s a case of a bad rule but the right call.
The idea that fines somehow eliminate injuries is ludicrous. Everyone in their right mind knows better. The NFL can try to police this issue all they want, but we’re talking about hits that take fractions of a second to develop. Defenders have no time to react when a receiver lowers their head. Fines just aren’t working, and they need to stop. I’m tired of turning on ESPN on Tuesday mornings to find out who was fined.
