Can't Get Enough of Those Fines E-mail
Written by MC3 Sports Media   
Saturday, 14 November 2009 09:23

goodellRoger Goodell has proven he is one tough commissioner. If you screw up in any way, you will suffer the consequences whether you were on the field or off the field. There have been plenty of players who have had to face the wrath of Roger Goodell. But this week featured some punishments to a number of players and one coach - all of which were in the form of a fine.

Some of these fines fit the crime. Some of them don't.

Well just one of them doesn't.

CHAD OCHOCINCO

Chad Ochocinco was fined $20,000 for his playful actions during Sunday's game against Baltimore (20K!!!!). Carson Palmer had a completed a 15-yard pass to Ochocinco and the Ravens challenged the call. In a playful attempt to get the referee to confirm that it was indeed a catch, Ochocinco playfully pulled out one dollar and jokingly tried to bribe the referee.

If Goodell didn't chuckle at least a little bit then I think there is something wrong with him.

This was the funniest act Ochocinco has ever done. He clearly was not going to actually give the referee the dollar. Everyone knew it was a joke, including the Ravens and the referee.

Yes, the Cincinnati wide receiver used the word "bribe" after the game. The sports world was crushed from the Tim Donaghy scandal in the NBA. It is a very serious issue and there is no doubt that Goodell, along with other professional sports officials, should take it seriously.

But how can anyone take what Ochocinco did in a serious manner? It was funny. It was harmless. He didn't mean anything by it. And he even apologized afterwards. A fine was incredibly unnecessary and Goodell should have just let this one go.

The only punishment that could have possibly made sense was if Goodell fined Ochocinco for EXACTLY one dollar. Now that punishment would have certainly fit the crime.

FALCONS - REDSKINS FIGHT

On the other hand, the Falcons-Redskins scuffle was something Goodell got right. After Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan scrambled for the first down and was hit late out of bounds by Washington safety LaRon Landry.

If you watch the video closely, you cannot see cornerback DeAngelo Hall initiate anything. Once the camera moves on of Landry, Hall is suddenly surrounded by Atlanta players and coaches on the sideline (one of the men in a white shirt has his hands on Hall before it escalates). That man in the white shirt turned out to be Atlanta's director of athletic performance Jeff Fish. Fish was fined $2,500 for his actions.

So from the video footage, it seems like Hall did not deserve a fine.

However, LaRon Landry certainly deserved a fine for his late hit. Landry was fined $7,500 for the late hit and a total of $24,000 for other actions including a horse collar tackle. Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth was fined to the sum of $5,000 for getting involved in the fight and trying to get Hall out of there.

The other significant person to get disciplined was Atlanta head coach Mike Smith, who was fined $15,000 for not handling the situation appropriately. He put himself right in the middle of the fight, cursed and put his hands on Hall (all of which was very noticeable in the video).

So from the looks of the video, Goodell was right in his punishments. Some might argue that Hall should be fined. But if you watch the video closely, there is actually no evidence that proves he initiated anything. - Michael Klopman

Michael, a Penn State Graduate writes for XtraPointFootball.com, is a contributor to the Bleacher Report and works on the sports page at the Huffington Post.

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