IMHO #1

Title: NFL fines players left and right

On any given Sunday, you will find 22 of the most athletically gifted people in the world attempt to bruise each other on the gridiron.

The picture I'm describing is the National Football League.

I have been a fan on the NFL for years because it is a forum for bone-crushing hits, jaw-dropping runs and unbelievable plays.

But when do you decide that players are at such a high risk for injury that the game needs to be changed?

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been coming down hard on players lately for nasty hits. With an influx in dangerous hits in recent weeks, fines have reached $75,000.

The NFL is under some serious scrutiny for its protection of its players. Just as boxing has lost much of its lore over the years for being too barbaric, the NFL potentially faces that same consequence.

Goodell has fined players on a weekly basis for illegal hits since he's been commissioner. I believe that he is doing the right thing by attacking players' wallets for some malicious hits that truly deserve fines.

But suddenly upping the ante to $75,000 for some hits that weren't even illegal bothers me. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported that Steelers linebacker James Harrison was unfairly fined for a hit that was legal. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10292/1096447-100.stm

I agree with Harrison, and his hit was one of many over the last couple weeks that has been wrongly fined.

Part of what makes football so great is that it is so violent. Unfortunately, players have been restricted over the last few years by rules that intend to make the league less violent.

For example, it is now illegal to hit a quarterback high (helmet area), or low (below the knees). Although these rules have the right intention, "illegal" hits are just as common as ever.

I believe the reason is the game is happening so fast that they are inevitable. I don't think fines or rule changes are acting as a deterrent for players to hit illegally.

I believe Goodell is panicking that the NFL may lose some popularity by its violence, but I don't like that he is overreacting by fining players inordinate amounts because of the pressure he is under.

Plus, some of the players who are being fined aren't hitting illegally, but the result of their hits look so bad that they are getting fined.

Ultimately, if an NFL player walks on the field with the intent to maliciously injure the opposing team, then that player should be fined, suspended, or even imprisoned.

But until we can prove the intent of such players, changing the game with ridiculous rules and raising the amounts of fines isn't going to solve the inevitbale problem that the NFL is violent.

If anything, Goodell's actions will alienate his diehard fan base, including the author of this column.