• March 29, 2024

The NFL Made A Mistake By Not Suspending Johnson and Finnegan

Let me serve notice to the NFL that they have opened a can of worms by refusing to suspend Houston wide receiver Andre Johnson and Tennessee cornerback Courtland Finnegan for at least a game for fighting.  They are going to be forced revisit this ruling and they’re going to have egg on their faces.

I know from experience that you play the game of football at an emotional level that’s very close to fighting.  Many times the competition which takes place on the football field is nothing but a controlled fight.

Many times when I was playing, I would have pulled an opponent’s helmet off and punched them in the face the way Johnson did, if I didn’t know I would have been suspended for a game or two.  I’ve played against guys who have made me so mad that I would have loved to punch them in the face and got thrown out of the game.

You get frustrated and angry on the football field all the time.  You play your best football when you’re in a controlled rage.  You have to discipline yourself not to get overcome with rage and start fighting.

There are always plenty of fights in training camp when you know that you’re not going to be suspended for fighting.  Think about it, you’re willing to fight your teammates in training camp.  You have more motivation to fight the other team during a regular season game than fighting your own teammates in training camp.

I have seen some vicious fights in training camp and I don’t think the NFL knows what they’re getting into.  What will they do when one players tears another player’s helmet off, then starts beating that player in the head with his helmet?

Sometimes things happen accidentally that make you think an opponent is trying to injure you and it makes you angry.  If you could punch them in the face and only be fined $25,000 dollars when you’re making millions, you would grab the guy’s helmet off and start punching.

I don’t think it will take long for players to test the ruling by getting into a few fights.  We’ll see how the league reacts when there are five or six fights each week.

GCOBB

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paulman
paulman
November 30, 2010 3:57 pm

I heard thru a couple of shaky Dallas Sources, that Jerry Jones was going to have both players
(A Johnson and C FInnegan) square off at Jerry Jones Stadium in a Pay-Per-View fight and have a $1 Million purse winner take all battle the Saturday evening before the Super Bowl..
But on a serious note, both these players should have been fined $50K and suspended 1 game..
and then they go out and fine A Samuel and J Harrison for clean,hard hits.. It’s getting beyond
ridiculous anymore.. Throw a punch and you should be tossed and fined $25K
rip a guy’s helmet off and then throw punches should be a 1 game suspension and at least $50K fine

Erock
Erock
November 30, 2010 4:27 pm

Seems like the same b.s. excuse for this non suspension is A.J. has a clean record and was provoked.So my records clean…someone calls my lady a name in the restaraunt and i pummel him and im arrested. Doubt i get any real charges cause i was provoked and have a clean record.Nice.if your provoked be a man anddo the right thing. His records not clean anymore. And that stuff sends a bad message too the little guys. Who already emmulate everything these dudes do.

Grow up you babies….grown men who act and sound like babies. Listen too some of thee pressys when there moaning about refs,there role,other players,fans,and managment. F’n spoiled suckers palying a game for a living. Go sit in a hole in the Middle East for a day and have a bottle of water.

scorpiodsu
scorpiodsu
November 30, 2010 4:57 pm

Yeah they messed up here. Guys get fined 50k for hitting a receiver too hard in a spot they didn’t intend to on the field of play but have a brawl on the field and only get 25k. Just pathetic.

Gotta Luv It
Gotta Luv It
November 30, 2010 4:59 pm

IF BIG AL GOT 5 GAMES FOR THE GURODE INCIDENT THEN AJ SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN 5 GAMES…

anderson silva
anderson silva
November 30, 2010 6:02 pm

AJ made a mistake. He kept trying to punch Finnegan in the face, where he could have landed more powerful shots to the side of his head. Plus when Finnegan turtled up, he did not appear to know how to take his back and go for a rear naked choke. All in all, a poor showing, he should work on that in the offseason.

drummerwinslow
drummerwinslow
November 30, 2010 6:18 pm

There’s actually a conflict of interest. Because the game is on the NFL Channel, they don’t want to suspend a marquee player.

BigE
BigE
November 30, 2010 6:34 pm

The NFL is looking more foolish and clueless every day with their inconsistencies. They are approaching MLB statis.

jimmy mac
jimmy mac
November 30, 2010 7:21 pm

The NFL is talking out of both sides of it’s mouth with these fines..Hypocritical judgements and just alot of bad decisions being made..It’s like the rules change from week to week..The player’s have got to be frutrated..Speaking of frustrated, how are you guy’s in the GCobb fantasy league feeling with me being 11-1? I’m starting to feel sorry for my opponents..Paul, looks like it’s going to be you and I locking horns in the post-season..You should start praying now.

paulman
paulman
November 30, 2010 7:46 pm

Jimmymac
I’ve had a good season so far at 8-4 and have lost some close ones where I made some poor choices,
I’ll be ready for you come playoff time…

jimmy mac
jimmy mac
November 30, 2010 8:06 pm

Actually my ole buddy, Peyton’s performance’s having been getting drastically worse from week to week…Decimated by injuries the Colt’s O is..Im actually contemplating trading for a QB for the playoff push..It’s nuts.

jimmy mac
jimmy mac
November 30, 2010 8:10 pm

Ooops..nevermind..I have Peyton in the other GCobb league, the one being run by FantasySpin…

wilcher
wilcher
December 1, 2010 6:56 am

lmao @ andersonsilva…yeah i thought with you background in muy thai you would have suggested when he ducked his head A.J apply the clinch and deliver knee strikes…but seriously..no suspension?…for real?..lmao…think about this now…lets just say a nobody player starts a fight with the oher teams top player just to purposely get them booth ejected?…i know,your going to say..it will never happen…flashback to opening game of 2005 eagles in Atlanta who Trotter got the boot? If it only cost 25k for those guys, whats stopping them?

bsmvideos
December 1, 2010 7:50 am

Mr. Cobb nice post. Having played Inside Linebacker in Phila HS league at only 130lbs, and semi pro in germany at only 152lb I would not have lasted without playing with rage all the time.

I noticed that Ernie Sims was lights out in training camp, knocking his own teammates into kahoza land. Now that he knows he won’t get fined, do you think he will hit somebody on the other team. Heck not a fight, just hit somebody. Blow up one play. Get a pick six. Heck just one int. A blind side sack. How can one guy be out of place all the time?

Shady McCoy made a better effort tackling the guy who picked off Vick, than the Eagle linebackers did the whole game. He ran him down. Forte looked like Gayle Sayers and Walter Payton combined.
Reid should have called them out, not Desean.

paulydak
paulydak
December 1, 2010 10:32 am

I agree 100 percent with G. A.J. not only punched Finnegan as an apparent gut reaction to Finnegan tearing his helmet off but Johnson actually wound up on him and busted him in the side of the head when Finnegan was on his knees with HIS BACK TURNED. Then Johnson tried to uppercut him! What exactly do you have to do to get suspended in the NFL? David Stern would’ve slaped those guys with at least a few games vacation. I’m of the thinking that Goodell’s decision had something to do with Thursday’s game on NFL Network. What a damn joke.

phillywill
phillywill
December 1, 2010 12:01 pm

well its ridiculous but i kinda like it
from a fan’s standpoint maybe we will get 2 see more of that
that was great t.v.
i wanna see 2 lineman now (heavyweights)

scorpiodsu
scorpiodsu
December 1, 2010 12:10 pm

PW, LOL. After all the criticism for that one I think the next (if any) are almost guaranteed suspensions. I just don’t see it not happening. If that’s the case, if I were mad I’d rip their helmet off and start whoopin on them. I mean 25K for getting to whoop someone in front of thousands of fans and millions of viewers, I’m sure some players wish they would have done that a long time ago lol.

phillywill
phillywill
December 1, 2010 12:27 pm

yea like a linebacker vs like peyton hillis
hillis a beassssst
much better than boxing boxing is dead

scorpiodsu
scorpiodsu
December 1, 2010 12:56 pm

Yeah I know some Ravens want to rip Hines Ward’s helmet off and go to work on him.

anderson silva
anderson silva
December 1, 2010 2:10 pm

I think watching linemen fight might turn out to be worse than expected. Two big guys gassing quickly and throwing arms punches won’t work. The little guys have better stamina and keep the pace up. AJ could have used knees to the ribs as well when Finnegan was down, much like GSP against Serra. Thise body shots are devastating.

paulydak
paulydak
December 1, 2010 7:28 pm

If a team wants to have an opposing team’s DB get their head beat in, they should sign Michael Westbrook to a one week contract, promise to pay his fine and let him get to work. No DB in the NFL would want any of that.