I have to say that I am ready for the end of Mr. Roger Goodell as the NFL's Commissioner. Over his tenure, the NFL has become a league of asinine rules and gnats-ass technicalities! While nobody doubts Mr. Goodell has admirable intentions in the area of player safety, he has allowed the league to become a place devoid of common sense when it comes time to dole out consequences. Players are simply unable to avoid being fined for some of the most ludicrous and accidental reasons. This is what will always happen when you over-govern any sport. In the case of the NFL, there are so many ticky-tacky regulations popping up each year that I doubt very seriously that players are able to remember them all!
In week 5, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Sidney Rice was flagged and penalized 15 yards for using his thumb to mimic a "throat slashing gesture" after a 52 yard touchdown pass from Tavaris Jackson. I thought to myself as I listened to the ref's explanation that I have used that gesture about ten thousand times in my life, especially in a competitive sports environment. Moreover, none of those instances incited another person to promptly run out and slash another person's throat! The point of the gesture is to let the other team know that they are finished... toast... dead men walking.
It is not at all reasonable for a person who pays money to go see a contact sport to then be offended by such a gesture. Using that logic, we would have to flag Shannon Sharpe for his famed fake call to the president on the sidelines in New England where he yelled "Mr. President, send the national guard and as many men as you can, cause we are killing the Patriots!" Obviously, when a person says the Ravens are going to "kill" the Buccaneers, they are not envisioning a literal reenactment of the St. Valentine's day massacre. They are using figurative language to predict a one-sided contest.
What is the NFL really guarding against here? Did Sidney Rice make fans in Seattle fear for their lives? Did the Falcon's defender that dropped coverage on the play think that he was going to be murdered? I'm going to guess no.
Even more frivolous is last Friday's $10,000.00 fine of Steelers linebacker Troy Polamalu. During Pittsburgh's Game versus the Jaguars, Troy streaked to the sideline and made a very important tackle that stopped running back, Maurice Jones-Drew in his tracks. Polamalu, a standout player with a history of brain injuries sustained a concussion on the play and was removed from the game. Knowing he would now be off camera and having no way to let his wife know he was okay, he borrowed a cell phone belonging to the medical staff and called his wife to reassure her that he was fine. In doing so, Polamalu went from fine to fined!
Apparently, it's against NFL rules to have cell phones or electronic equipment near bench areas from 90 minutes before kickoff through the end of the game.
Seriously?..
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin summed up the absurdity saying, Why can't common sense prevail, though? He wasn't checking his bank account."
These days, it is getting exponentially harder to figure out what the NFL stands for. When I was a kid, it was the "No Fear League". Now, players are calling it the "No Fun League." When a man can't call his wife to relieve her fears for his health, I would think you could call it the "No Feelings League."
If Mr.Goodell hopes to continue enjoying the growth and popularity of this sport, he needs to back up and let the guys play! Let them make honest mistakes without fear of imbalanced consequences.
If not, the NFL might just stand for "Not For Long."
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