Haynesworth Suspension Not Enough

There are certain things a man knows he must never do. The biggies like murder, cheating, coveting and stealing are obvious. Some are not so well publicized but common sense dictates that these actions are wrong too.

One of them is stomping on an unprotected person's skull. In society we know for sure, at least I hope we do, that kicking a man in the head is wrong - even if it happens in the rough and hard world of professional football.

Apparently, Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth failed to pick up his ethics or morals at birth.

In Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys, Haynesworth crossed the line of acceptable behavior when he stomped on the head, not once but twice, of Dallas Cowboys lineman Andre Gurode.

The first stomp knocked off his helmet and the second put a gash along Gurode's head that required 30 stitches to close. Amazingly, Haynesworth was furious with the referees who penalized the Titans and tossed him from the game. In his mind he did nothing wrong. That isn't sad folks, it's frightening.

A 6-6, 320-pound man who bring his cleats down on an unprotected and unsuspecting player's head has the intent to inflict serious bodily damage. He could have killed Gurode with a hard enough blow. Thank God he didn't.

The NFL suspended Haynesworth for five games without pay, the most for an on-field incident in the history of the league. It wasn't enough.

What he did, if not attempted murder, is at least assault with a deadly weapon and believe me, a 300-plus pound man kicking you with cleats on is a deadly weapon. Gurode is debating whether or not to file charges against Haynesworth. The Nashville Police Department and the district attorney's office have given the Cowboys lineman their full cooperation if he chooses to prosecute.

Haynesworth should be suspended for the entire year without pay and made to seek counseling. There is no excuse for his actions and his apologies to the media, his teammates and Gurode has a hollow ring to it. Kicking a man once could be construed as a heat of the moment reaction, but to stomp on his head again after his helmet came off is intent to deliberately injure someone.

These kind of actions are not new for Haynesworth. The former Tennessee University star fell to the Titans in the middle of the first round of the 2002 draft because of maturity questions and anger management issues.

Haynesworth's previous problems had been hidden from attention because they took place in practice. As a sophomore at Tennessee, he fought with a teammate and left practice, returning with a long pole looking for tackle Will Ofenheusle before coach Phillip Fulmer stopped him. He was suspended for half a game.

During 2003 Titans training camp, Haynesworth kicked center Justin Hartwig, now with Carolina. Charges for a road rage incident earlier this year were dismissed.

Five games and five paychecks is a substantial punishment for any player, but hitting the pocketbook alone doesn't cut it. No matter how much money the NFL takes from Haynesworth, it doesn't wash away the stain he put on the game with his actions on Sunday.

Protection of the players is an absolute priority and having a dangerous, angry and violent man on the field is not protecting anyone.

Dallas nose tackle Jason Ferguson agreed a suspension was needed and that nothing should push a player that far.

"With the head uncovered, you don't go for that. You're not trying to kill anybody out there," Ferguson said.

Unfortunately, Albert Haynesworth doesn't feel the same way as everybody else.

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The Philadelphia Eagles improved to 3-1 and set atop the NFC East standings with a 31-9 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Monday night.

The Eagles overcame a slow start and rolled 24-0 over the Packers in the second half. Donovan McNabb threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for two more as Philadelphia played without Brian Westbrook in the backfield.

The Eagles lost Donte Stallworth and Reggie Brown in the game to injuries. Brett Favre passed for 205 yards but tossed two interceptions that led to Philly scores.


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