I’m OK with a five-game suspension for Albert Haynesworth, but that’s about the minimum I’d have been happy with. It is an NFL record suspension for on-field behavior, so I suppose that’s substantial enough. I’d have been happier with 10 games, and I thought the right call was to sit him for the rest of the year. What he did, obviously, was pretty sick and twisted, and he’s got to pay for that.
If you missed any of his heartfelt apologies, here’s a sample:
“What I did out there was disgusting,” Haynesworth said Sunday. “It doesn’t matter what the league does to me. The way I feel right now, you just can’t describe it.”
Well, that’s good. Your contrition is noted and appreciated, but for the purposes of your punishment, it’s also pretty useless. But I think you already know that.
And one thing I also want to note is that while his act was brutal and vicious and unacceptable… things like this do happen. They’re not usually that blatant, they’re not usually that visible to the camera… but you don’t think NFL players do things to intentionally hurt other NFL players from time to time? Under a pile for a loose ball, all kinds of wild shit goes on. Balls are grabbed. People are bitten. People are punched, kicked, etc. I remember an incident in a college game where one player blatantly choked another player after a play. What happened was nuts, but not unprecedented, in my opinion.
And taking it another step further, just to throw it out there for discussion… is it better or worse for Albert Haynesworth to stomp his spikes into someone’s grill, as opposed to a Broncos offensive lineman diving with his helmet or shoulder pad into the side of a defensive lineman’s knee? Is it better or worse than Warren Sapp hospitalizing Chad Clifton, 30 yards away from the ball, with absolutely zero chance to make any impact on a play?
And I know that it’s apples and oranges, and that those two things are technically legal. If if I have my knee caved in by a lineman on a pussy cut block, or if I have my hip shattered by an idiot defensive lineman… what it actually says in the NFL rule book is of little consequence to me. Legal or not, those players did things that were 1) completely unnecessary, and 2) likely to result in serious injury to fellow players (far more serious than 30 stitches to the forehead, by the way), and they damn well knew it.
Otis Says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 2:45 am
Long time reader, first time poster. Anyhow. The choked player you were referring to was Jim Sorgii of Wisconsin. He got choked by Robert Reynolds of Ohio State. He just had to make a hostile environment more hostile. OSU lost that game, and rightly so.
CB Says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 2:57 am
small correction… warren sapp’s hit on chad clifton was legal at the time but if you do it now it’ll get you a 15 yard personal foul. a couple weeks ago someone got it on MNF and kornheiser referred to it as the “chad clifton rule.”
DookieStyle Says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 9:23 am
on the sunday night wrap up show, by the way, Peter King said he didn’t think Haynesworth would be suspended.
Just in hopes of getting your King column back.
WallyWojo Says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 12:19 pm
What is shocking is that 5 games is the largest punishment to date. And you are absolutely right about the Broncos linemen and many other things that happen but are not as blatant to the casual viewer. If the league had real concern for the health of its players it would hand down a hefty suspension. In this case they were forced to do something due to politics. Doesn’t anyone in a high position have principles or is everything perception?
Bouj Says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 12:42 pm
Haynesworth’s actions were akin to McSorley whacking what’s-his-name in the head with the stick. The only thing football/hockey-related about their respective actions was that it happened on the field. Neither of the events had anything to do with the game, nor did it happen in the run of play.
Maybe Jeff Fisher should sit Haynesworth for a couple of extra games on top of this too.
Matt Moore Says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 2:53 pm
I always hear about how evil the Bronco’s cut-blocks are, but I haven’t seen a rash of knee injuries in their opponents D-line. Is there any evidence that cut blocking actually causes injuries? Most knee injuries I see are totally accidental, a player rolling onto another’s leg while he’s falling over, that sort of thing.
Also, King evidently thought better of that “no suspension” statement afterwards. His column Monday figured they’d (either the NFL or the Titans) suspend him at least a game.
James Says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 3:51 pm
Dan Leotard or whatever his name is also said it would be ridiculous to suspend him more than a gmae or two. But then hes an idiot. the punishment is light for one fact. This wasnt a football related play. You can say whatever you want about blocks away from the ball and cuts etc. but they all happen in the flow and play of the game.
This was simple assault. It happened after the play and had nothign to do with the game. It does happen on the bottom of piles and unseen but when it is seen like this it needs to be punished severely. I love the contact of football but there is no place in the game for this.
It should have been for the season. I should also say that Jeff Fisher should be commended for the way he handled the whole thing.
Ron Says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 4:31 pm
The book should’ve been thrown at this guy. In “American History X,” doing this same act got Edward Norton jail time. This is worse than anything Tie Domi, Marty McSorley, or any of the other hockey goons who’ve practically killed someone could’ve dreamed of, because at least their opponents were wearing helmets.
Warren Says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 4:34 pm
what i REALLY wanna kno is what the other guy did to bring out this kinda act? like finding out what that other guy said to zidane to get him to headbutt him. no one in their right mind would repeatedly stomp on some guys head in the middle of a game until his head starts gushing for no reason.
maybe this Gurode guy deserved it
Warren Says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 4:35 pm
not condoning it at all, jus curious
Rich Uncle Skeleton Says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 6:07 pm
That’s a bullshit cheap-shot at the Broncos O-line. Cut-blocking is legal and every team in the league does it.
JP Says:
October 4th, 2006 at 5:48 pm
In a nice bit of symmetry, Rob Reynolds (the previously mentioned OSU choke artist) also plays for the Titans.
Andy Says:
October 4th, 2006 at 6:51 pm
And Jim Sorgi plays for the Colts, who play the Titans next week, and since the Titans suck royally, Sorgi might get some PT, leading to Chokegate 2: Electric Boogaloo.
…Strange for a Colts QB to be choked for once instead of doing the actual choking.
kerinth Says:
October 4th, 2006 at 10:36 pm
Ron - do you mean the “bite the curb” scene? Because it seems a bit hyperbolic to compare even 30 stitches to that.
Tim Frazier Says:
October 5th, 2006 at 3:52 pm
Robert Reynolds put a hostile quarterback out of the game with a little massaging technique on the larnyx. The Buckeyes went on to win that game,not lose, on their way to the National Championship.Sometimes the violence on the field is the way to the top, ask Bill Romanowski.
Otis Says:
October 6th, 2006 at 7:49 am
I know this sounds goofy how I remember it, but it had to be 03. It was my second year at OSU and I remember who my roomate in the dorms was. I remember who I watched the game with also.
Alex Says:
October 6th, 2006 at 7:11 pm
“The Buckeyes went on to win that game,not lose, on their way to the National Championship.”
I don’t know where you got your information from, Tim, but I looked it up, and the choking incident happened in 2003, in a game OSU lost to Wisconsin 17-10. OSU won the National Championship in 2002, a year before that. So no, OSU did not go on to win that game.