Per KFAN-AM radio this evening:
Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen fined $10,000 for using the ball as a prop during a celebration during Sunday night’s game against Chicago.
Chicago Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye fined $0 for his unpenalized late hit on Gus Frerotte.
Yes, Frerotte flopped a bit. But that hit was still about eight minutes after Frerotte threw the ball. The big money fines being handed out all season have been under the guise of “protecting defenseless players.” Which of these incidents carried more danger to any of the players in question?
NFL Director of Officiating Mike Pereira, this is a joke. If this information is accurate and this is how you are handing out fines, you and your policies are absolutely defenseless and fraudulent.
Loading ...
Dan Patrick in the morning, KFAN at night… does Sarah even talk to you anymore?
Wow. As obsessive as he may be about listening to sports coverage, he’s right on this one. I’m not sure if Pereira is to blame or Kommissar Goodell, but it is crazy that Allen has been fined $80k for “late hits” that were questionable this year, and Ogunleye wasn’t fined at all for a hit that 100% could (and should) have been avoided. Regardless if Frerrotte flopped, it was an unnecessary hit, and Ogunleye lowered his shoulder and delivered the hit–he did NOT just bump into him.
The whole notion of the fines is absurd, and I think the answer is to eliminate them, not look for more plays that could have been fined.
No question – nowhere in that rant did I say the fine system is going to act as a deterrent. I only say that if that play doesn’t get fined while a stupid celebration does that the system is ridiculously flawed.
If they want to throw the system out all together I think it’d be even better.
I think the idea of fines could work as a deterrent. Just not when it’s a fine of $10,000 or $25,000 from a $40 million contract.
Now, make late hits and stupid celebrations a fine of say, $100k, and people might start paying attention.
That being said, fining some of the things they are fining now is ridiculous–like Chad Greenway’s facemask that wasn’t called earlier this year. Like the Saints should feel better that he was fined when the refs missed the call? The refs should have been fined on that one.
I agree, fines for things that weren’t called on the field goes beyond stupid to me. The refs will make mistakes, that is part of the game. The idea that the league is watching the tapes and handing out fines afterward is just dumb. Maybe they can look for other missed calls!
“The Giants will have 35 yards deducted from their opening drive this week to account for missed pass interference calls last week.”
There there really is a problem with late hits, etc. and the league really does want to stop it, then short-term suspensions will do it faster than anything. Nobody really gives a damn about the fines. But if a player is being dirty and is forced to miss a game or two, that will get his attention as well as the coaches’, teammates, and fans. Which may actually bring enough pressure to make him clean it up.