Let's Hear It For The NFL!

Anyone who saw any football last weekend, or any sports highlights, has seen the "tackle" made in the Green Bay / Jacksonville game.

This was a dead set swinging arm bar to the head of an opponent - something that was outlawed from the game decades ago. The result of this was to shred the chin strap on the helmet and send it flying and sent the player to the hospital for 2 days. Initially the player was paralysed but the use of his limbs gradually returned.

The result of this? Besides being sent off immediately in the game, the NFL has come down with a $75,000 fine - not even one game check - and no suspension. That's about as close as the NFL can come to giving him a wink and a pat on the ass. On Monday I listened to Mike Ditka talking about how "no one knows his intent". Intent? Who gives a flying fuck? Intent is not in the rules and should not be a mitigating factor. I'm quite sure that a pure of heart intent can be found for anything.

Yeah - that pisses me off. Darius Donovan of the Jacksonville Jaguars walked off clean. Shame that Robert Ferguson couldn't walk off at all.