Fritz File #12

They give us a helmet and tell us to hit our opponent as hard as we can. From the time we first play the game, we are taught to do whatever it takes to win. We are big, strong humans whose primal instincts come out in a game not known for its civility. Though the violence of football may not be blatantly obvious to spectators on each play, the bottom line is, this is a violent sport. The most obvious and potentially harmful acts are punishable on the field in the form of a penalty or game eviction. Off the field, it is not uncommon for a player to be fined. We see examples of this weekly in the CFL, but every now and then a single act will highlight the more vicious aggressions played out on the field.

Over the weekend in an NFL game between Tennessee and Dallas, Titan player Albert Haynesworth stomped on the head (with spiked cleats) of Cowboy offensive lineman Andre Gurode when his helmet came off. This resulted in Gurode receiving 30 stitches above his eye and his injuries are reportedly causing blurred vision. To anyone who happened to see this live, or on replay, it was a very nasty and intentional act and has been punished by a 5 game suspension without pay, a total of about $190,000 U.S. There is also talk that the courts are trying to decide whether or not to press criminal charges.

In no way do I condone what Haynesworth did on the field and I agree that he should have been suspended and fined. But I find that I am unsure of whether or not the police should become involved. The simple fact of the matter is a good portion of the acts that occur on a football field in every game would be considered assault off the field, so where do we draw the line?

I know that the incident with Haynesworth was obviously different from the normal roughing-up that can go on both during a play and after a whistle. But once authorities become involved in actions on the football field, where does it end? It could lead to a slippery slope in which more and more scrutiny will be placed on the violence that we all know to be the norm in the game of football. Maybe the end results would be positive or maybe the results would be negative. But one thing is for sure, if a player is charged with a crime for an act that occurs on the field, the game as we know it will change forever.

Luke Fritz
Offensive Tackle
#61