The NFL has opened the proverbial can of worms by fining players for "illegal" hits and it has the potential for changing the game. Unless the NFL can prove that James Harrison intended to hurt the other player, the decision to impose a fine is without merit.
Sports such as football and hockey create contact between players in a split second and there are rules, better known as penalties, for these occasions.
With the current controversy, it comes to pass that some far-off suit views a TV clip without proof of intent and levies a fine. That will change the game forever. We don't need an invisible 12th man on the field.
How will any player conduct himself based on the NFL's whiplash reaction to hits⢠I submit there is no way a player can do anything but stop the other guy. That is his job and hits can be violent.
No one would want to see any player in any sport needlessly harmed, but unless some almost impossible rules could be established, perhaps something like a "three times and you're fined or suspended" rule can be considered -- not "one mistake and you're out."
Don Opacic
Franklin Park
