This is me calling for the NFL to issue another fine to Mr. James Harrison of the AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers for the comments he made during Super Bowl media day. It's not that I didn't find Harrison's comments entertaining, because I did. It's also not because I think that he is wrong. In a way, he is right about what he said. With that said, the NFL cannot have players sarcastically mocking and disrespecting the commissioner of the league. If one player gets away with it, another will eventually speak up and will have to be given a free pass because the first one did. With each incident, more and more respect is lost for the commissioner. This is something that needs to be nipped in the butt before it gets a chance to take off, especially with the collective bargaining agreement set to expire.
Before I go any further, I want to point out that I personally think Roger Goodell (NFL commissioner) is a hypocrite. I think that it is great that he wants to crack down on shots to the head, as well as defenders leading with their heads. The system itself is a flawed one however. I do not think it is fair that under his new "quest," he is the judge, jury, and executioner of this whole process. There are players, both good and bad, that are going to get the benefit of the doubt on any questionable hits. Any questionable hit on Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, or any of the other NFL "golden boys" is going to generate an obvious fine. The same can be said for a repeat offender, such as James Harrison, because as a repeat offender he is labeled as a "dirty player." That's really not fair. First and foremost, the league needs to establish a panel that decides will decide which hits to fine players for. They also need to make sure they look at just the hits themselves, and not the players involved. This will obviously eliminate a lot of bias that currently takes place. As I said, it's a great thought, but the system needs some tweaks.
The one thing I think is hilarious though is that Goodell constantly wants to talk about the safety of the players on one hand, and then turn around and push an 18 game schedule (the league currently uses a 16 game schedule) on the other. You cannot have it both ways. Two extra games per season is just two more opportunities for every player in the NFL to get seriously injured. The only reason that the commissioner and the owners are pushing for an 18 game schedule is that they want to pad their bottom line. So which is it Goodell? Do you want to protect your players or do you want to pad your bottom line? You cannot have it both ways.
Let's get back to James Harrison. I understand that he's upset with Roger Goodell, I would be too if I were fined $100,000 this season for "illegal" hits this season alone. You can't go taking it out on the head of the league though, especially since he is the judge, jury, and executioner for these infractions. That really isn't going to win you any points.
Earlier in the season, then Vikings head coach Brad Childress was fined $35,000 for criticizing officials. During Super Bowl media day in 2007, Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher was fined $100,000 for wearing a Vitaminwater hat. This was deemed illegal by the league because Gatorade paid to be the official drink of the NFL.
There is one interesting thing that I found in the article about Brian Urlacher's fine. "[League spokesman Brian] McCarthy said this is the first time such a fine has been levied. He added that $100,000 is the standard fine for such a violation at the Super Bowl. A violation during the regular season is $10,000. It is $50,000 at the Pro Bowl." That means the bigger the game, the bigger the fine. So if Brad Childress is fined $35,000 for criticizing officials during a regular season game, how much is it worth if James Harrison criticizes the commissioner during the Super Bowl?
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