Now, let me ask you, remember 2010 and the fines Dunta Robinson got for spearing WRs, all illegal hits? Remember your coach saying "that is how we coach them" when asked about Robinson's hits? What do you think about that? Is your coach coaching his team to intentionally hurt players? After all, they are coaching players to lay illegal hits...

Dunta Robinson never speared any WR.

Regardless of the league's sloppy investigation, questionable evidence, legal battles and the tremendous hits on Goodell's credibility in recent months, the NFL commissioner could not back down now.
Not after a CBA appeals panel, which forced him to reconsider the previous discipline, upheld his authority to rule based on "conduct detrimental to the game."
WHAT'S NEXT? This is going back to court


Remember when the league announced its findings in March? It said 22 to 27 players were involved. Just four were punished. One day, Vitt's name showed up on the typed transcript of a ledger as one pledging $5,000 for a bounty on Brett Favre. The next day, the league said it was a mistake. That's some typo.

Sloppy. Like the charge by NFL investigators that Hargrove was seen on a video uttering "pay me my money" when Favre was briefly knocked out of the 2009 NFC title game. Turns out, that probably wasn't Hargrove's voice — or least there's no proof.
Then there's the whistle-blower, Mike Cerullo.
The former, low-ranking coaching assistant is viewed with suspicion by the defense because he was fired by the Saints. But he was so crucial to the league's investigation.


The holes in this case did no good for Goodell's reputation. In a recent Gallup poll conducted for USA TODAY Sports, Goodell was the least-liked commissioner among those running the four major pro sports leagues.
But he still has his power to rule in what he deems to be the best interests of the game. While the players grumble about this, shifting some of that authority would have been a deal killer in the last round of labor talks.
Fat chance that power is up for renegotiation now.

Here's a video of Dunta Robinson spearing two wide receivers.

Dunta Robinson Illegal Helmet To Helmet Hit On Jeremy Maclin Falcons Vs Eagles - YouTube

Sure looks like he's using this helmet as a weapon to lay out those receivers.

League must've thought so too. They fined him $25,000 for the first one and $40,000 for the second one.

And coach Mike Smith's response to reporters about the hits was "That's the way we teach it"

And in neither case, the word spearing didn't come up. In the Jackson hit, it was for hitting a "defenseless" receiver, and in the Maclin case, it was for a helmet to helmet hit and for hitting a defenseless receiver. Against Jackson, it wasn't even a helmet to helmet hit, nor did he makes initial contact with his helmet, so again, it isn't spearing.

And of course, Smith's quote is in reference to hitting "defenseless" receivers, not making helmet to helmet hits, which again only happened on one of those plays.

No, helmet to helmet is not a spear. I suggest you read the rules.

No, helmet to helmet is not a spear. I suggest you read the rules.

Now who's playing with semantics here.
Let me rephrase then:
Dunta Robinson was flagged right after each play for illegal hits on defenseless players, then was heavily fined for his illegal hits on defenseless players, and then your coach went to say "that is how we teach them".

Now, what is the reason hitting a defenseless is illegal? Because of the extreme chance to injure the player. So why would you intentionally hit a defenseless player knowing it is illegal? Obviously to injure him.

So, it logically follows that Coach Mike Smith teaches his players to take illegal hits to defenseless players to intentionally hurt them.

Now who's playing with semantics here.
Let me rephrase then:
Dunta Robinson was flagged right after each play for illegal hits on defenseless players, then was heavily fined for his illegal hits on defenseless players, and then your coach went to say "that is how we teach them".

Now, what is the reason hitting a defenseless is illegal? Because of the extreme chance to injure the player. So why would you intentionally hit a defenseless player knowing it is illegal? Obviously to injure him.

So, it logically follows that Coach Mike Smith teaches his players to take illegal hits to defenseless players to intentionally hurt them.