In it’s never-ending quest for player safety, the NFL is handing out fines like Halloween candy this season. Dashon Goldson was treated to a $30,000 fine on Friday for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Jets’ tight end Jeff Cumberland last Sunday.
Goldson joins a long list of players who have already received fines this year. Lions’ defensive end Ndamukong Suh got hid the hardest with a $100,000 fine earlier this week . Packers linebacker Clay Matthews called himself “awesome” after delivering a clothesline hit to 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He was treated with a $15,000 fine.
That’s just a few of the fines the NFL has handed out over the last week.
Goldson can add his name to the list now. Like Matthews, Goldson has never been considered a dirty player. He has always been considered a hard hitter though. Making hard and clean hits is something Goldson takes pride in . The NFL apparently disagrees.
Dashon Goldson’s fine was for, “unnecessarily striking a defenseless player in the head and neck area.” Goldson was called for a personal foul penalty after the strike.
The fine might be a hit on Goldson’s ego, but it won’t affect his bank account. In the offseason the Buccaneers signed him to a five-year, $41.25 million contract.
Here is a look at Goldson’s hit. Do you think he should have been fined?
Everyone will have a different opinion. It appears from the video Goldson leads with his shoulder on the hit. He did aim too high though. A strike like that should have hit Cumberland in the chest.
Still, the NFL is going too far with the amount of fines it’s handing out so far this season. Player safety is a serious issue and players do need to learn how to hit better, but the players should still be allowed to play.
Defenders don’t know where to hit offensive players anymore and it shows. It’s leading to missed tackles and higher scores as young defenders don’t want to get fined. Big contract players like Goldson can afford the fine. Players like Lavonte David cannot .
Dashon Goldson’s fine may have been justified, but the NFL needs to step off the gas a little before it truly becomes the “No Fun League.”
[image via Wikimedia Commons ]