Let the Players Play

Ask any fan of the National Football League to name the top three reasons they watch the NFL and I can guarantee that one of the three will be the big hits. Football is a game of hits and always has been. So, why is the NFL trying to get rid of them?

Recently, linebackers in the NFL, such as the Steelers’ James Harrison, have been fined for issuing bone-crushing blows to ball-carriers. Harrison was forced to relinquish $75,000 for two ill-intented hits to Cleveland Browns’ receiver Mohamed Massaquoi in week 6 and Tennesee Titans’ quarterback Vince Young in week 4. On the same day as Harrison’s hit on Massaquoi, Atlanta Falcons’ cornerback Dunta Robinson and New England Patriots’ safety Brandon Meriweather were each fined $50,000 for hits on receivers DeSean Jackson and Todd Heap, respectively. Such hits have even warranted the threat of suspensions to overly aggressive defenders.

All this fuss over a couple of hits is wrong. Defenders need to have the freedom to stop any offensive production without having to worry if tackling too hard will lose them thousands of dollars or garner a suspension. The way the NFL is treating the situation is ruining the game of football and is biased towards offensive players, who are usually the big-name players that generate more revenue. Players get paid millions to go on the field each Sunday. For that price, players need to understand the risks involved in playing in the National Football League and if they don’t want to take the risk of getting injured then they shouldn’t be playing.

Many offensive players have been voicing their opinions against the new tone towards aggressive defensive play. Reggie Bush, who has sustained two season ending injuries and another currently lasting five games in the past three years due to leg injuries, stated that he would rather have hard hits to the upper body. He feels a concussion only risks missing a few games, if any are missed at all, rather than the lower body tackles that lead to season-ending torn ligaments and leg injuries that rarely merit penalties.

The NFL should relax and let the players play. The game wasn’t meant to have limitations on how hard a player can play and how much the defender can try in stopping an offense. When the NFL limits a player’s ability to play, it limits the whole league and the whole game of football.