And I Thought Pacman Jones Was Horrid

Albert Haynesworth's actions against Dallas Cowboy Andre Gurode horrified me. Haynesworth is 6'6" and 320 pounds! He viciously stomped on the side of another player's unprotected head! With cleats on! What if his stomp had slashed Gurode's eye? What if Haynesworth's cleat had punctured Gurode's temple?!! On top of that - Haynesworth had the gall to argue with the official about it! While Gurode's face was streaming a bucket of blood onto the playing field, Haynesworth was protesting being given a penalty! Haynesworth didn't get thrown out for being a vicious thug on the field. He got thrown out of the game for slamming his helmet down on the field protesting the penalty against him.

Everything about the incident was disgusting. I don't care how contrite he is. I don't care how much money he's going to lose. I think he should be banned from football. Forever. I think he should lose his career. I'd never heard of him doing anything remotely out of line before this (and therefore last night thought he should get a HUGE suspension but not necessarily be banned for life). But NOW the reports surface about his temper. It turns out that he's been protected from the consequences of his behavior before. He's been given chances to get help and change his ways. He's changed nothing. He's gotten worse. Now he has seriously endangered another player and he has damaged his team. He has undercut the whole league's push to have football players be leaders in charity efforts. He has betrayed his fans and his very own family. If I was horrified to have my children witness such brutality - what about his kids??? There is no place for him in football. (Havoc said, "It's like that guy in the World Cup, only worse, isn't it?")

I wouldn't have cared if it were the game make or break play in the last Superbowl ever to be held on earth and Gurode had been verbally taunting Haynesworth for hours calling Haynesworth's mother and sister every name in the book - there is no excuse, cause or reason for that behavior. And for anyone who doesn't want to follow the link - I want to make it clear that there was no provocation whatsoever for this attack: no verbal excahange, no questionable call with points on the line, nothing! The Cowboys played good ball and the Titans sucked slimy rocks. There is no way to make this make sense.

And I HATE that. One of the many reasons I watch football is to get away from things that don't make sense! Like my ex. And like this, and this, and this!

Where is the antidote? I think I'm going to go for a run and play outside with the kids this afternoon. I hope that helps put things back into perspective for me!
Peace.