Injuries are a part of the game of football. So are late hits. I can even accept the occasional “dirty hit”, with appropriate sanctions applied.

But a premeditated action calculated to injure an opposing player, engaged in well after the whistle has blown? That goes far beyond what anyone will recognize as a legitimate part of the game.

Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth was ejected early in the third quarter Sunday after he kicked Dallas center Andre Gurode in the face. Now the tackle expects to be punished and knows he deserves it.

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Julius Jones had just scored on a 5-yard run, putting Dallas up 20-6 in what wound up as a 45-14 victory. Gurode's helmet came off, and Haynesworth, standing over him, used his right foot to kick Gurode in the head.

Gurode said they hadn't been talking or having any exchanges that led to Haynesworth kicking him twice. He received stitches above his forehead and beneath his eye.

"In all my years of football, this has never happened to me. I've never been kicked in the face like this, and I've never seen anybody kick nobody else in the face," Gurode said.

A flag was thrown, and Haynesworth followed an official toward the Titans' sideline, protesting.
Haynesworth pulled off his helmet and slammed it to the ground, prompting another flag. Referee Jerome Boger disqualified Haynesworth, and the player walked off the field after talking briefly with Titans coach Jeff Fisher.

This was not accidental. The play had stopped and Haynesworth looked around before assaulting Gurode. Gurode eventually required 30 stitches to his face, and was unable to return to the game due to blurred vison.

Unfortunately, TitanÂ’s coach Jeff Fisher doesnÂ’t appear to understand the gravity of the situation.

The coach called Haynesworth's actions unacceptable and promised he would be punished by the Titans even if the NFL disciplines him.
"It's ridiculous to get to that point. Two back-to-back penalties like that, there's no place for it," Fisher said.

Excuse me? No place for back-to-back penalties? How about “there is no place for actions that would get you charged with a felony if they took place off the field”? Or maybe “there is no place for actions calculated to gravely injure a player, especially after the play is over”?

Haynesworth needs a long suspension – perhaps encompassing the rest of the season – for his misconduct. I would encourage the local prosecutor to consider filing criminal charges in this case. Michael David Smith over at AOL Sports Blog thinks that Gurode should sue Haynesworth. What this thug did cannot, in any way, shape, or form, be classified as “just a part of the game.” And I say this fully acknowledging that Haynesworth has acknowledged that his actions are indefensible.

By the way, I expect that Haynesworth will get a very cool reception the next time he comes to play here in Houston. Andre Gurode is a local boy – a graduate of the school where I teach. I’m sure the fans will give Haynesworth hell.

UPDATE: Looks like the suspension will be for five games, which is unprecedented in NFL history. But I'm still not sure that it is adequate.

The NFL handed down an unprecedented five-game suspension on Monday to Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth for kicking Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode in the head.

That length of suspension represents the biggest on-field disciplinary action in league history. Charles Martin held the previous high for a suspension, sitting two games for his bodyslam of Bears quarterback Jim McMahon on Nov. 23, 1986.

"There is absolutely no place in the game, or anywhere else, for the inexcusable action that occurred in yesterday's Titans-Cowboys game," commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.

"This is an unprecedented suspension," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "I feel like his actions on the field were also unprecented."

The coach indicated that Haynesworth would not appeal the decision.

"I felt there needed to be some serious action taken from a discipline standpoint, and I think what the league has done now is adequate," he said.

The suspension will cost Haynesworth $190,070 -- $38,014 per game -- which adds up to five-seventeenths of his 2006 base salary of $646,251.

"I think five games, five paychecks is substantial," Fisher said.

The suspension takes effect immediately. Haynesworth can return on Nov. 19 for the Titans' game at Philadelphia.

That means that Haynesworth will be with the team when they come to Houston, Gurode's hometown, on December 10. I want to encourage every fan of the Houston Texans to make sure that Hanesworth is the recipient of the sort of contempt he deserves from every lover of the game. Indeed, I encourage fans in every city to boo haynesworth and make sure he knows that we don't need his sort in the NFL.

And fortunately, there is still the possibility of prosecution.

The action could potentially cost Haynesworth more than a suspension from the football field. The Nashville, Tenn., police department issued a statement saying it "stands ready to assist [Andre] Gurode in criminally prosecuting [Albert] Haynesworth if Gurode so chooses."

Gurode's cooperation appears key to any charges being filed against Haynesworth.

"In assault situations, an affirmative desire for prosecution and an acknowledgement of cooperation from the victim, in this case Gurode, are preferable before officers and prosecuting attorneys move forward with the development of a case," the statement continued.

Posted by: Greg at 08:40 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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