NFL Week 11 Thread: Hines Ward crack-back block edition

Maybe it's just my Browns fandom but I'm stunned by this. Not even a month ago, a fan walked up to Garrett's car for a pic and punched him. Garrett didn't retaliate and did the normal-size person thing, filing a police report. He grew up in an affluent family so he's not the 'thug from the hood' trope.

On a podcast I listen to, one guy speculated this could drive him away from football. He seems like an introvert and not really one to insert himself into the spotlight. Now he's definitely under more scrutiny for several years among other players/refs/media, probably the rest of his career.

 

Did we talk about the kick/punch to the groin yet?

 

The stupidity is mind-boggling.

 

Yes, there is a difference between pushing someone off of you and kicking.

Rudolph’s hands are not clean in this, but this trend of trying to take some of the blame off of Garrett is completely wrong.

Garrett deserves everything he is getting.
Rudolph deserves a little more. Probably one game.

All of this does not happen without Garrett’s late hit/hug.
Rudolph does not get smashed in the head if he does not keep charging Garrett.

 

This is where I ultimately land on this. It was a basic football fight with both guys participating and you can see how it kept escalating. Garrett even seemed consigned to getting separated after he pulled off the helmet, but Rudolph kept coming at him. We see scrums like this all the time in the NFL. Until Garrett swung the damn helmet.

No way, no how, no matter what can you swing that helmet. It just can't be justified.

 

He’s being pulled by his face mask. Now watch the video instead of pop sting screen shots. He doesn’t kick him. He pushes him trying to get him off of him.

 

Watching the video from the other angle, Rudolph doesn't punch him in the nuts. He swipes his arm in front of Garrett and grabs him up under the shoulder pad.

 

No ones justifying. No one is that stupid. But there’s an attempt at mitigation. And there is no mitigation. And while a shot to the nuts is cringeworthy it has also been part of football since the beginning. But no one has yet to say they have seen anyone using another player’s helmet to hit him in the head.

 

What happens if the fight's the same except for the helmet swing? Fines and suspensions, sure. But Garrett took a conventional war and turned it nuclear. It should also be noted he has made no public attempt to mitigate the circumstances of his action.

 

And for that he deserves some credit. He knows , no matter how correct shouting “He started it” would be, that regardless of who started it, his actions are indefensible. Still, it’s tough not to wonder what made him snap. It had to be something not visible in any of the pictures or replays. If it’s not, the guy may need some serious help, because his wiring is beyond faulty

 

In a sport built on controlled rage, there are going to be occasions where the controls fail. That's why the punishment for controls failing has to be so severe. It is needed to keep the inevitable as rare as possible.

 

MileHigh should be suspended for using a time zone in which only 6.7 percent of the population resides.