Dunta’s hit on Jackson: Scary, but was it against the rules?
Dunta Robinson was fined $50,000 by the NFL today, and his hit on DeSean Jackson was indeed terrifying. Both men stayed down for a while; both had to be helped to their respective locker rooms; both have been diagnosed with concussions. But now the question:
When did “terrifying” become the same as “illegal”?
The NFL announced today it will start suspending players for “egregious and elevated hits.” (This from Ray Anderson, the league’s director of football operations who was once a Falcon exec.)
On Monday, Anderson told Chris Mortensen of ESPN: “We can’t and won’t tolerate what we saw Sunday … These devastating hits and head shots with a very necessary higher standard of accountability … What we saw Sunday was disturbing. We’re talking about avoiding life-altering impacts.”
Thing is, Robinson’s hit wasn’t helmet-to-helmet. It was shoulder-pad-to-helmet. (It appeared helmet-to-helmet to everyone in the stadium, but replays indicated otherwise.) Robinson was penalized for hitting a defenseless receiver, which Jackson might not have been. He’d gotten his hands on the ball and taken a step and a half before Robinson slammed into him.
Understand: Nobody wants to see a guy’s life or his livelihood imperiled. But what exactly is the definition of “devastating”? Something that just looks bad? That makes the fans in the stands go “Ooh”? In a sport where the idea is to hit the other guy hard, is it possible to be penalized/suspended for hitting cleanly but too hard?
The NFL’s intent is noble. Its methodology will be unworkable. It is, lest we forget, the N-F-L. It’s not the National Flag Football League.
The Eagles’ reaction was instructive: Nobody was heard to call Robinson a headhunter or a taker of cheap shots. If anything, the Eagles were concerned about their man but also about the man who’d hit him. Two guys were playing hard. Too hard, apparently.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
420 comments Add your comment
stendek
October 19th, 2010
1:37 pm
Know who will benefit? Elite teams! Know who will suffer? Bottom dwellers like Falcons! Watch for it. Double standards never work in life folks! STENDEK
P. Bull Terrier
October 19th, 2010
1:37 pm
If that play was in the endzone, it’s a touchdown for the Eagles. Jackson caught the ball with both hands, maintained clear control for two steps, and was in the process of tucking the ball into his side when he got hit and lost control. Touchdown Eagles!
Since it wasn’t in the endzone, it should have been a catch and fumble. I’m not sure which team, if either, recovered the ball because the TV camera stays focused on the two injured players. It looks like a Falcons player, Lofton(?), is trying to pick-up the ball near a couple of Eagles players as the ball moves out of the picture. If he was successful, the play should have been First Down Falcons!
falconfiend
October 19th, 2010
1:40 pm
On the suspension. It should be a game. The players have been taught to jar the ball loose. The NFL needs to set the precedent for younger football players growing up in today’s sports.
Jesse Stone
October 19th, 2010
1:40 pm
You can NOT wrap up in that situation Dr. Warren. It was a shoulder impact, not helmet impact. You know not of what you speak.
ex-BCS & ex-NFL
October 19th, 2010
1:41 pm
PMC, great point about F1.
Brock
October 19th, 2010
1:41 pm
Let’s say the devil meets with you when you’re 15 and says; “I will give you a career in the NFL, a Super Bowl ring, and a NFL pension; but you will not see your 50 th birthday, and your wife will be a widow, and your children will not have a father.”?
WTF does this have to do with anything!? HAHAHA
Oh, so now your gonna pull out the old….”i’ve lost people to this and that” and “i’ve played the game”….bs. I don’t care. We are talking about football and what is being done to PC it just like everything else. Listen jerk, if you have played it and got hurt…too bad. That was your choice. If you have people who’ve played it and got hurt or been killed. Well that sux. But I didn’t ask them to do it. It was their choice. Everything comes with a risk. What if the devil told you that you would live a long life but be a puss the entire time. Would you take it or have you already? I’ll say the latter.
Joe Tess Fish House
October 19th, 2010
1:42 pm
Hes a dity player and should be band 4 life form the nfl
Nuff said
BIG DAWG HF
October 19th, 2010
1:45 pm
Ronnie Lott is in the Hall of Fame because of hits just like those. His were never viewed as illegal. I bet calls like that make the old time players sick at their stomach. Football is not for the faint of heart.
uga_b
October 19th, 2010
1:46 pm
Almost everyone on here likes big hits but I have yet to see anyone advocate paralyzing people. If Dunta doesn’t keep his head up and eyes on Jackson’s chest, he risks severe injury. So, it is okay if the DB gets paralyzed? As far as wrapping up/traditional waist tackle, which isn’t even the true traditional tackle (Dunta’s was), the player would still be slammed to the ground and get concussed from that impact.
Basically, DRob’s options were run away or tackle the ball carrier. It is his job to tackle the guy and try and break up the pass. He did that the most effective way possible and thank god both guys will be alright.
uga_b
October 19th, 2010
1:47 pm
@ ex-BCS & ex-NFL ,
Which team did you punt or place kick for?
Gary
October 19th, 2010
1:48 pm
Watch running backs lower their heads when they are taking on a tackler. They lead with their heads. Is that going to be outlawed also? I agree with many other preceding comments, that the game is going to be ruined by the League in order to protect the owners’ investments in their players. I can’t buy the notion that this is an altruistic effort to protect the players. Just go ahead and issue flags for the players and be done with it. However, as this trend of pacification of a truly great game continues, I will watch less and less.
ex-BCS & ex-NFL
October 19th, 2010
1:50 pm
Stendek, because the clip has been posted on ajc.com, FoxSports.com and msn.com. Because when a former NFL player or former teammate dies, commits suicide or suffers a stroke at age 40, I take note. You ever watch a NHL game. Ice hockey requires far more skill and endurance than professional or college football; and the collisions can be just as intense, but it is not a “contact” sport. Hockey players can suffer concussions, but more often than not, from their heads striking the ice, or being hit (intentionally, which is illegal, or accidentally) with a stick. The hockey helmet (and visors/cages) protect the players, but they have not become “weapons” for players.
clay
October 19th, 2010
1:51 pm
The hit is not illegal at all. He caught the ball and made a football move. The hit is what caused the ball to come out. It was just a good play. Unfortunate but good. He did not lead with his helmet, nor did he come off his feet. It was just a good hit. Let’s say he didnt hit him and tried to go for the interception or strip the ball. Then you are saying he is soft and we should not be paying robinson that kind of money if he is turning into another chris houston and cant tackle anybody. He is in a lose lose situation. The fact that the refs called the reciever defenseless is what pisses me off. How is a guy defenseless when he catches the ball and makes and football move. ITS NOT. The refs def. got that wrong, and the league should do nothing about it. Again it was just a good football move. I guess Roger and the boys of the nfl should just take the pads off the guys and put flags around there waist. This is getting ridiculous. First you have the Tom Brady rule. Now you receivers and tight ends are going to be pansy’s. If you cant take a hit dont play the freakin game.
eric
October 19th, 2010
1:58 pm
Remember the 70’s when guys would elbow receivers in the face and tackle them around the throat? Remember when receivers legitimately FEARED going across the middle against certain teams (the Steelers and Raiders come to mind)??? That was REAL football. This crap we have nowadays is due to the feminization of the NFL (and every thing else really). Its politically-correct BS and its ruining the sport.
I say if the NFL is not interested in offering both offense and DEFENSE on Sundays that we the fans ought to strike and send them a message: We want our football back!!!!
MWC
October 19th, 2010
1:59 pm
@ex-BCS,
Since when is hockey not a “contact” sport?
MWC ex-minor league hockey player
Stefan
October 19th, 2010
2:00 pm
I think since the NFL is getting so soft it is time to find Vince McMahon again and start back up the XFL where anything and everything goes so we can once again appreciate the sport of football
ex-BCS & ex-NFL
October 19th, 2010
2:02 pm
Brock, Whatever. You have revealed your lack of cajones, amigo. You talk about “football” as if you played. As if you “know” the game. It’s not about being politically correct (you need to go over to the political blogs). It’s about traumatic brain injuries, premature deaths, and suicides, which can be linked to “spearing” and “helmet-to-helmet” hits. Do me a favor. Google Andre Watters. He wasn’t my friend or teammate, in fact, he had a rep a pretty dirty player. I didn’t cry when he blew hi brains out because of depression and post-concussion syndrome. You ever meet Mohammed Ali? I have. He’s not an ex-NFL player and he isn’t my friend, but I’d say there is more to his condition than Parkinson’s Disease. You watch others compete and suggest they’re “weak” or “sissies”? That’s a good one. Answer me this. When you watch a NFL game, do you masturbate throughout the whole game, or only when you see a really good hit?
stendek
October 19th, 2010
2:04 pm
NHL is contact sport. GOOD EXAMPLE: Curt Bennett. BAD EXAMPLE: Mak-U-Illya Kovalchoke. Nuff said. STENDEK
JASon
October 19th, 2010
2:04 pm
I agree with you Mark, I think the NFL is getting way overbearing with this. If he is defenseless, that is one thing, but he wasn’t. Unfortunately, the national media is collectively supporting the cause. I guarantee you if it was an eagle hitting a falcon, there would have been no reaction.
Pretty soon you’re going to be suspended for touching another player. And swearing. Its really puzzling why such a successful sports organization would want to change itself the way the NFL has in recent months. I think you are seeing the beginning of an epic downfall; soon the competitiveness, the parity will be out the window, and its going to be just like baseball with half empty stadiums throughout the season. Everyone is going to be wonder what happened to football.
Dunta’s hit on Jackson: Scary, but was it against the rules? – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | Fantastic Legal Information
October 19th, 2010
2:05 pm
[...] here to see the original: Dunta’s hit on Jackson: Scary, but was it against the rules? – Atlanta Journal Constitut… Related Posts:Georgia justice has two challengers – Atlanta Journal Constitution Georgia [...]
stendek
October 19th, 2010
2:06 pm
Rest In Peace NFL. Died 2010. STENDEK
ex-BCS & ex-NFL
October 19th, 2010
2:08 pm
uga_b, I’m not going to reveal my identity on this blog, but I was a special teams guy and not much more, which means I delivered and received my share of helmet-to-helmet hits. And I am not saying I didn’t enjoy a good hit, but I was a kid. And BIG DAWG HF, I can’t speak for Ronnie Lott, but I don’t know that he has any opinion on the subject. As I said, it was a different game and the NFL and the Players Union didn’t know then what they know now. Do you remember the story about how Lott broke his pinkie in a play-off game and instead of missing the next game to have his finger surgically repaired, he had the top portion amputated? I saw an interview in which he expressed regret for this “choice”.
Dr. Warren
October 19th, 2010
2:12 pm
Hey “A FRIEND”: Why don’t you rename yourself “a sarcastic tool”? I didn’t mean literally run into the other guy with your head lowered to your chest. And full-pads is what I wore in high school playing for the AA State Champions. Did you wear pads only from the waist down? Clearly you must have played without your helmet a few times. And by the way, the Robinson hit–shooting your body like a missile–is NOT the way you’re supposed to hit in the secondary. Low self-esteem rears its head in such ugly ways on anonymous boards like this. Your post is a case-in-point for that.
Dan
October 19th, 2010
2:14 pm
It wasn’t even a shoulder to head hit the shoulder bad grazed the face mask but the full impact was robinsons shoulder in jacksons chest. Robinsons helmet also contacted jacksons shoulder but it wasn’t a direct impact. The reality is that was a text book tackle
ex-BCS & ex-NFL
October 19th, 2010
2:15 pm
eric, My point exactly (the 70’s). The collision between Robinson and Jackson probably never takes place in the 70’s. DBs and LB’s threw elbows or otherwised hindered the downfield progress of receivers. Offensive and Defensive players rarely met traveling at full speed because the rules were different. So, when you add the rule changes and increases in size and speed of players, the intensity and frequency of these types of collisions and injuries is bound to increase. So, why not amend the rules? I know Sendek and yo, and Brock are going to have to get their jollies elsewhere, but it will still be football.
Rduck
October 19th, 2010
2:17 pm
just another reason why I can’t stand to watch NFL football. The league has turned the game into a “please, not so hard” league. The QB’s are treated like old ladies crossing the street and now the WR’s are becoming untouchable. The defensive players have no chance of causing turnovers and keeping WR’s from wanting to cross the middle of the field. Guys like Meryl Hodge and Darryl Johnston have cried to the league and on TV to the point where the game is just watered down. Whatever happened to the LT’s and Ronnie Lott’s in the league. Now the guys have to ask permission to tackle a player. The game just plain sucks!!!
KP
October 19th, 2010
2:20 pm
Whats next??? 2-Hand Touch!! Gimme a break – it was a clean hit!
Rduck
October 19th, 2010
2:22 pm
When was the last time you saw a RB flagged for sticking his hands up the facemask of a defender in an attempt to stiffarm him. Hell, they let them grab the facemask and hold the defender off. NFL= No Fun League!
1998 Dirty Bird
October 19th, 2010
2:22 pm
All I know is, his selfish attempt to get on SportsCenter has cost the team his services for at least 2 games!!!
Ted Striker
October 19th, 2010
2:22 pm
Ex-BCS & Ex-NFL dude —
1) Telling people to enlist in the armed forces & send you a postcard from Afghanistan if they don’t agree with your viewpoint is fairly juvenile.
2) Throwing around phrases like “an obsession with homosexuality and “pornography” — neither of which even have anything slightly remotely to do with this particular topic — is definitely juvenile.
1998 Dirty Bird
October 19th, 2010
2:25 pm
STENDick(head) – Thought you shrivled up and blew away. But it’s not too late to still do so!
Lowcountry Bulldawgs
October 19th, 2010
2:27 pm
If they don’t want receivers jacked up, eliminate the crossing routes. As long as receivers are going across the middle they will get lit up. The NFL is all about WR’s and QB’s. The hit was clean, had ZERO issues with it. Unfortunately that they were injured, but it was legal.
Kevin allen
October 19th, 2010
2:28 pm
The hit was not illegal and Jackson was not defenseless. I can see why the penalty was called due to the severity of the hit, but there was nothing illegal about it. The NFL is under so much scrutiny about head injuries and concussions that they had to do this. Hell, CONGRESS is breathing down the NFLs neck about this. Anyone that watched that game or the hit knows there was no malicious intent. The bottom line is the NFL SHOULD NOT change the rules at all. Hits like these have been happening for 45 years and only now is it becoming a problem. Players are becoming bigger, stronger, and faster, and these hits are a result. The players have made a decision to play a rough, contact sport, and concussions and injuries are a negative side effect of making millions.
Lowcountry Bulldawgs
October 19th, 2010
2:32 pm
Also it was Andre Waters. If you are going to mention him either positvely or negatively at least get the deceased name spelled corrected.
Heath
October 19th, 2010
2:37 pm
Nothing like a nice little hometown call. And the NFL pretending it was a legitimate call to cover FOR the hometown call.
ex-BCS & ex-NFL
October 19th, 2010
2:40 pm
uga_b, I posted a reply, but it disappeared. I am not about to reveal my identity, and I can assure you I was not a household name in college or afterwards. But, it is funny you mention special teams. This was my forte, so I experienced (both as hammer and nail) of helmet to helmet hits. You know, I couple were close to the Robinson-Jackson hit, but it doesn’t take a concussion-producing hit to leave a permanent inury. And that’s what the NFL is only now learning. This level of contact has only come about over the past 15-20 years. Sure there were big hits (Jack Tatum – Darryl Stingley, etc.), but they happened once a decade or once a season, not every week. Christopher Reeves broke his neck and eventually died because he fell off a horse – while competing. There is risk in all aspects of life, but the NFL can mitigate the risk with a few tweeks of the rules; just as its decision to tweek the rules to make the game more appealing has increased risk in some areas. What I find “entertaining” are the jock sniffs and losers who “like to watch” football and then offer baseless, weak opinons about what it takes to make in the NFL, or that they have some sort of right to be entertained by violence.
Mr. Turnip-Green Jeans
October 19th, 2010
2:41 pm
10-years ago, the talk woulda been about what a great hit it was. Remember when it used to be standard procedure to intimidate receivers with vicious hits? It was openly discussed, and accepted, as a legit part of football.
Football is evolving into a different sport than the one I’ve loved since childhood.
Football ain’t soccer, it’s SUPPOSED to be WAR.
THIS JUST IN: No truth to rumors that NASCAR, in 2011, will force drivers to pilot Red Rider Wagons, in lieu of cars, for safety reasons.
UPDATE: UFC fighters will not, as it turns out, be required to use only pinkie-toes and tongues in future bouts.
Juan Carlos Diego Raul Sanchez
October 19th, 2010
2:44 pm
So taking the contact out of the sport – should this overpaid weekend warriors take a pay cut?
Chris
October 19th, 2010
2:48 pm
Me thinks ex-BCS is full of crap.
Fish Bisch
October 19th, 2010
2:51 pm
So let me get this straight, a Pittsburg Steeler player knocks two players out of the game by spearing them. No flags were thrown because I guess that the referees know the Steelers are known for tough, physical, defensive play. When an Atlanta Falcon makes a clean, hard hit, this is hitting a defensless receiver. Now, the NFL wants to step in a make the issue all the more confusing. Harrison should be banned from the game if his sole goal is to hurt people. I didn’t hear Robinson saying his goal is to hurt people.
My wife hits harder than that
October 19th, 2010
2:52 pm
It seems to me that there are 2 problems. One is objectivity and the other is the christians-vs-lions mentality.
People have no objectivity because they don’t personally know that player. It’s something they see on TV or maybe from the stands, but hey, aren’t there 53 players? Put someone else out there and let me eat my corn dog. The situation would change if it was your brother or son laying out on the field.
And this country has devolved in terms of entertainment. Boxing has been around as long as there have been 2 men willing to beat some else’s brains out for money, and football is essentially controlled violence. Somewhere along the line we seem to have developed a blood lust. We as a society now want to see the lion eat the christian, and this scares me.
Ex-BCS & Ex-NFL I never played football, not even in high school. But I’ve read stories about people like Jerome Bettis, who can’t walk down a flight of stairs anymore. Concussions are a serious problem in the game. They may play today, but they’re going to live another 50 years. BTW, I’m the guy who mentioned Bradshaw, and he was never a mensa candidate. I think Hollywood Henderson once said that Bradshaw was so dumb, he couldn’t spell cat if you gave him the ‘c’ and the ‘a’.
ex-BCS & ex-NFL
October 19th, 2010
2:56 pm
Ted Striker, Interesting observations. Then again, I think adult males who are “entertained” by the primal behaviors of other adult males to be interesting. And as one who actually played the game at the highest level, I find those who opine about what it means to be a ’sissy” or those who talk about QBs wearing skirts is about as juvenile as it gets. I place it somewhere in the elementary school to middle school range, but certainly not above sixth grade, which is when most males experience puberty and become men. I also find the idea that adult males have a “favorite team” or “dress up” like football players (save Halloween) to be juvenile. That said, it is their right, and I am sure the NFLPA and NFL ownership (merchandising and licensing) appreciate such juvenile behavior.
JOE
October 19th, 2010
2:56 pm
Dunta hit was illegal, dude is a dirty player. DeSean is a pro bowl explosive player that was tourching the Falcons. Dunta should be fined and or suspended. The league said it was dirty, it was a dirty play. So glad DeSean is going to be alright.
Old Dawg
October 19th, 2010
2:58 pm
Here’s a contradiction for you: The NFL doesn’t want these big hits because of possible injuries but the commissioner and owners want longer regular seasons, which will wear our players and lead to more injuries. You simply can’t have it both ways.
Personally, I think the league needs to cut back to 2 preseason games and 14 regular season games. I know that cuts across the grain for many folks; however, it’s the marketing equivalent of less is more. With fewer games, fans passions will increase, leading to more ticket sales, higher TV ratings, fewer injuries and an improved product.
If the league doesn’t pay attention to its problems, it will kill the pigskin that laid golden eggs.
chris
October 19th, 2010
2:58 pm
I lived in Houston, Dunta was a dirty player case close. DeSean Jackson is a superstar, a touch down machine, Dunta a dirty player who he is out for a while.
Buzz
October 19th, 2010
3:01 pm
Douche bag CHRIS!!!! Legal hit!! Not dirty!!!! Living in Houston must really SUCK!!!!
Will
October 19th, 2010
3:03 pm
It was a vicious, in many ways very unnecessary play. These players need to put each other first before the team. They need to say hey i am not going to get my fellow player hurt. Dunta could have paralyze DeSean with that hit, for what a incomplete pass or a INT. The play in my opinion was a illegal play. Hopefully Dunta wouldn’t hit anyone else in that matter. It’s no laughing matter to see any athlete on anyteam getting hit the way they were hit this past weekend.
Will
October 19th, 2010
3:04 pm
Hey Buzz better then Freaking Gay Atlanta. A town that don’t support they sports teams…lol
chris
October 19th, 2010
3:06 pm
Thanks Will…Go Texans !!!! Gay Atlanta …love that one dude.
Fred in Columbus
October 19th, 2010
3:07 pm
Slobber Knocker