A $35,000 Horse Collar...

Football is a violent sport. And we encourage that. Fans love to see the hard hits. There is a limit though. Thanks to Roy Williams a rule was put in against the horse collar tackle. That is when you grab a player behind the neck by their shoulder pads and pull them down. It is frightening to see a player pulled down like this. Roy Williams is the one player who seems to do it more than anyone else. In fact he was warned by the league that based on his previous infractions if he did it again he would face a possible suspension. So where is the surprise that when he did it again this past weekend he was suspended by the league for one game. A one game suspension means one lost paycheck. For Williams that comes to $35,000. Maybe that will finally get through to him. Plus the fact that now he has let his teammates down by not being available for a crucial game as the Cowboys fight for home field advantage in the playoffs. What bothered me the most was comments by some of his defensive teammates who thought the fine and suspension were excessive. I agree that some of the penalties called trying to protect players--in particular the quarterbacks--are silly, in this case I don't agree. All Williams and his defensive teammates have to do is ask fellow offensive teammate Terrell Owens what he thinks about a horse collar tackle. Williams did one on him while he was with the Eagles that broke a bone in his leg and tore ligaments in his ankle. No one thinks it is ok to tackle a player by his face mask. So why do some think it is ok to do a horse collar tackle? Hopefully the fine and suspension will make players think twice before they do it again...