That move, along with the suspension of Ndamukong Suh, sends a strong and clear message to the players of the NFL – clean up your act or we will take away playing time.
For Harrison, this was a long time coming.
The league had been on the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker to tone down his aggressive hits on players in the league. the NFL had used fines to try to get the message across to Harrison.
And for a while, it seemed to work. Harrison has been virtually as quiet as a church mouse during this season. That was until the Steelers took on the rival Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland quarterback Colt McCoy got out of the pocket on a scramble, and as soon as he threw the ball, he was leveled by Harrison with a vicious hit.
Harrison was penalized for roughing the passer on the play, and the league informed him of his suspension earlier this week.
If suspension seems a little rough, remember that Harrison is a repeat offender.
He’s lucky it wasn’t more.
How McCoy was allowed back in that game after suffering a concussion on the play is for another column. But the Browns should be fined for allowing that.
The Pittsburgh Steelers used to say that the league is after them for all the fines they get.
But they don’t seem to get it.
The NFL is cracking down on players launching themselves into defenseless receivers as well as taking shots at quarterbacks.
To some, it might seem like the NFL is softening. to others, it might seem hypocritical coming from a league that used to sell the NFL’s hardest hits in stores.
But again, this is a kindler, gentler NFL, and the league is trying to protect its investment. That investment is the players.
We might not like the way the league is taking a hard stance on hits, but no matter how many columns are written or how many times a team complains, the answer is going to be the same.
Thus, the players have to be more aware of going out of their way to get that “kill shot.”
If not, they will find themselves like Harrison, on the sidelines.
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