Haynesworth's punishment

[MoseyWalker]

He is a football player for the Tennessee Titans. Sunday, against the Cowboys, he became an unhappy man. He watched the Cowboys score a touchdown, so decided that he would stomp on the head of a man that was down on the ground, and kick his helmet off. Then, he kicked him again and dragged his cleats across his face almost taking his eye out. He caused the player to get 30 stitches.

He received a 5 game suspension without pay, which means, that for 5 weeks he won't earn a total of 475 thousand dollars. He usually earns 95 thousand dollars every Sunday.

My question.

If you stomped on someone's head, not once, but twice, with a weapon on your foot that caused 30 stitches in someone's face, would you still be free and walking around saying how sorry you are that you did that or would you be in jail headed for prison for a hell of a lot of years?

Yet another example of justice in america.

It has nothing to do with color this time, but everything to do with money.

I'm disgusted - again.

[Beelzebud]

1. If any of us did that at work, we'd be fired, and jailed.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. first i heard of this. unbelievable.

but, you put this together with 8 schools, either with shootings or in lockdowns, and you get an idea that these family value shyteheads have done more damage to our country than we ever imagined.

[KG]

3. the Memphis police said they'd arrest him

if the cowboy player decides to press charges.

but really, this is a violent game. i'm surprised this kinda stuff doesn't happen more often.

[MoseyWalker]

7. the Cowboy player is not likely to press charges, but think about this

if, while you did your job, and were the primary player to help create a touchdown, would you deserve to have your eye almost taken out?

Sure, it's a violent game, but laws are laws.

Are laws suspended because severe violence happens on a football field? Are those 100 yards and the players in the game not susceptible to the laws that the rest of us are? Because it's a violent game?

[KG]

10. physical assaults take place every play in football.

so it would seems that, yes, laws against assault are suspended on a football field. i mean that should be obvious.

[MoseyWalker]

11. I see your point, but will still argue

that no one, even someone on a football field has the right to kick off a player's helmet while he's on the ground and then stomp on his face with cleats. This was a natural turf field they were playing on, so it was steel cleats, not rubber cleats as are used on fake turfs.

[Bluzmann57]

4. I'm not sure about this

Haynesworth should be suspended for the rest of the season in my opinion, but jail time? Not sure about that. And who's to say that the police still won't press charges against him? Or maybe the guy who got stepped on will sue him.

[Lithos]

5. One point

He could still be arrested if the Cowboy center pressed charges. However, he has elected NOT to do so. I would fully support his right to do so, but it's in his court.

L-

[MoseyWalker]

8. My point is this

these days, usually, anyone is arrested who is obviously causing physical injury to another. It doesn't even matter in minor domestic violence cases anymore who started anything or caused this or that: most times someone is arrested. One "victim" can say not to arrest, but someone will be arrested.

What makes a football player on a football field different? Is a football field not a part of america and not a place that succumbs to its laws?

[Lithos]

17. There are a couple of problems with that

Much Domestic abuse happens because the victim does not press charges - the person goes away. The same applies. As for why no arrest occured at the time, the game of football is pure punishment between generally willing people, where do they draw the line?

L-

[MoseyWalker]

18. I see your point too, but........

there are rules in the game, and societal rules, and I think in this case both should be compatible.

You're right, where is the line to be drawn? I don't know.

[Kagemusha]

6. I'm sorry but, the NFL does not have the right to put a man behind bars

Only a jury of one's peers has the power to do that. The NFL cannot take away this man's physical freedom by diktat.

[MoseyWalker]

9. I think you may have missed the point

In any other situation in this country, other than on a football field, apparently, someone would have been arrested and charged with a criminal offense - not by the NFL, but by the DA's office.

[Kagemusha]

13. Oh really, you mean even if the victim didn't wanna press charges?

A rival football player isn't the man's wife so, I'm not sure what leeway a DA has to do that.

[MoseyWalker]

15. Are you actually arguing that

a human being has the right, in any specific situation, to stomp on someone's face with a weapon and try to put their eyes out? That they have the right, because they are momentarily pissed, to cause, intentionally, severe injury to another human being causing 30 stitched, because they are playing an adult "game?"

[Kagemusha]

19. Of course not. But he has other rights, like due process.

The NFL disciplinary committee is not such due process. A DA's office, is not due process. A jury is due process. In cases of domestic violence, a DA is able to press charges even against the will of the battered spouse. This is an unrelated adult American citizen who has chosen not to press charges. That unrelated adult American citizen has ensured that Haynesworth remains a free man under the American system of government. I said, I don't know what a DA can do in this situation. Obviously you have visual evidence on TV. But how do you assess damage?

The DA can't just casually demand the victim's medical records. The victim has rights, too, as inconvenient as that may be to the rest of us and our sense of justice.

[MoseyWalker]

21. Okay

I just think there is something wrong here with that. That's why I posted. I see the sides, but have difficulty with it, even being someone who wants to see the "justice" side of the thing.

thanks for your input.

[Kagemusha]

22. Sure. And if someone surprises us and improves the situation, great.

My best friend tells me he saw the play live and the NFL should have ended his season, suspension precedents be damned. I take his word for it.

[MoseyWalker]

23. thanks again

for your input.

I really do appreciate it!

[stillcool]

12. a jury of one's peers

that sounds so...archaic...don't you mean a tribunal? And, yes indeed to the OP...legal responsibility for ones actions...is meted on a sliding scale...according to net worth. Brave new world...violence from the cradle to the grave, with a healthy profit.

[MoseyWalker]

14. I like your response

thanks for your input.

[stillcool]

20. and thank you for the topic...

I don't understand why the symptoms of our diseased society are so pronounced and yet any connection to the source is cavalierly brushed aside. With no small degree of pride. It's ominous.

[AlCzervik]

16. i agree but a 5 game suspension? They should have sent him home

for the rest of season.