The NFL and Roger Goodell have to get their act together when it comes to doling out fines. Mr. Goodell is starting to look like Bud Selig trying to figure out how to make the All-Star game relevant. Watching these two bumble their way through highly important decisions is very sad for those people who love their sports. They are equally destructive to their products, similar to Keanu Reeves trying to figure out if he should make the “just woke up with antlers for hands face” or the “really have to go to the bathroom but stuck in traffic face”. With all the attention focused on the NFL and their problems somewhere an NBA game is being poorly officiated and David Stern looks the other way in glee.
Here are some actions that are on the $30,000 or less rack if you are an NFL player:
- In-game Twitter access
- Throwing your helmet into the stands at a fan
- One phone call after scoring a touchdown
- Wearing a Sombrero and poncho on the sidelines
- A legal “knockout” hit during the game that doesn’t draw a flag but causes a concussion
- The right to punch someone in the throat
- The right to rip someone’s helmet off and punch them in the head
Now if some things on this list appear a little bit worse than others the NFL has shown that it views all of these things as being on the same level. Now, most NFL insiders say that Cortland Finnegan is a dirty player and he had it coming. So I have no problem with Andre Johnson saying ‘enough is enough’ and taking care of business. Especially given that the fine is actually a small price to pay in relation to his salary. (Check out ESPN’s “fine calculator”)
More than any other league the NFL tries to make examples of players and send a message through fines. So the message here is: why tackle someone when you could just tear off their helmet and punch them in the face instead? Same fine and no suspension.
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