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.
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420 comments Add your comment
chris
October 19th, 2010
3:08 pm
Hey Buzz
Where is your clutch bag? It was a illegal hit. Dunta should be FINED/OR SUSPENDED. DUDE is a dirty player we said when he left good riddance to bad rubbish.
ex-BCS & ex-NFL
October 19th, 2010
3:08 pm
MWC, What I mean to say is, the type of contact – helmet-to-helmet hits and spearing is not the what makes the NFL ‘contact’ unique. As I noted, hockey players don’t use sticks or helmets as weapons (within the rules of the game). Obviously, a good check can cause an injury, being a “goon” is not a skill in my book. But since you played the game, let me ask you, you still have all your teeth? As I said, I think replacing football helmets with hockey helmets would put a geater emphasis in football skills (running, tackling, man-to-man defense, blocking) , just as skating and stick handling, passing the puck, are what separates hockey teams from good hockey teams.
ex-BCS & ex-NFL
October 19th, 2010
3:09 pm
excuse is WHAT MAKES THE NFL… delet “not”
Ignernt
October 19th, 2010
3:09 pm
Actually, PMC, I love the comment about F1, it is the best motor sport out there. But mentioning it here might not be such a great idea. Most Americans have no concept of race cars making a right turn.
Buzz
October 19th, 2010
3:09 pm
Will and Chris…. Secret lovers!!!! It’s football and hard clean hits are part of the game!!!!
tim in Marina Del Ray formerly Atlanta
October 19th, 2010
3:11 pm
The play was hard to see, it was not necessarily illegal but unnecessary.Dunta couldn’t had ended D Jackson career, even his life. He needs to be warned, or fined but suspended? I don’t know but it was a awful animalistic hit.
ex-BCS & ex-NFL
October 19th, 2010
3:11 pm
Hey Turnip Green-Jones, Ted Striker told me war references are juvenile. Football is supposed to be football. War is war, and I think if you go to the VA Hospital on Clermont, you would not make such statements.
waterstim
October 19th, 2010
3:13 pm
How do you make a split-second decision to back off in that situation? It is 99% reactionary. This is a violent game, thus the x-ray machines under the stadiums and ambulances waiting to tote hurt players off. PC has now invaded a great game. Unbelievable.
ex-BCS & ex-NFL
October 19th, 2010
3:14 pm
Chris, Methinks you are a “sissy”. Tag, you’re it!
chris
October 19th, 2010
3:15 pm
Hey Buzz
Who lives in Atlanta? Where is that purse Buzz? No that wasn’t a clean hit. The league dude has spoken a illegal bad hit. As Tim wrote a unnecessary type of hit,play. Dunta is a loser dirty player. Do Atlanta support any pro sports team? I watched the Braves during they very highly amuse, failed playoff run, the joint was EMPTY.
no name
October 19th, 2010
3:18 pm
Does the nfl have any rules concerning when an offensive player(RB,
TE)etc lowers their head and leads with their helmet into the defensive player trying to make a tackle.
chris
October 19th, 2010
3:18 pm
EX BCxNFL AKA BUZZ ….GO away loser in a sissy sports town non supporting fans everyone in other cities call ATLANTA…………
chris
October 19th, 2010
3:20 pm
Atlanta shouldn’t have pro sports teams. They are a non supporting town that the fans who knows nothing about sports.
MIKE FROM PHILADELPHIA
October 19th, 2010
3:21 pm
GREAT POINTS CHRIS………GO PHILS, EAGLES, FLYERS AND SIXERS……….
Candler Road
October 19th, 2010
3:22 pm
I think it’s unfair how the media keeps throwing DR in the mix when talking about dirty/helmet to helmet hits. ESPN’s “Bottomline” even said that he was penalized for a helmet to helmet hit which is not true. He was flagged for a hitting a “defenseless” player, which was also wrong considering that Jackson was actually holding the ball when he was plastered by DR.
Sports Blog Atlanta
October 19th, 2010
3:24 pm
I am glad somebody finally wrote about it here. The announcers in the game were quick to villianize the play as well as everybody else. Robinson was going after a receiver who caught the ball and was turning around to gain more yards. How was Robinson to know the receiver did not have the ball, and how was the receiver defenseless there? Next time, the Eagles should not call a play like that over the middle.
Something should be done about the dangerous hits, but there was simply no penalty on that play (they threw the flag, but it was a wrong call). The league should look into more and better protection for the players. Players are faster and stronger than ever before, so the hits are going to be harder. The players should be better protected. Let’s just make sure officials don’t throw flags for something they think is a foul. If they do that, they will turn into the NBA.
kenya
October 19th, 2010
3:25 pm
I love DeSean Jackson will be ok. He is fine, a superstar, that play was illegal. Glad DeSean going to be alright, wasn’t hurt too bad. Mr.Robinson needs to be suspended.
ex-BCS & ex-NFL
October 19th, 2010
3:25 pm
waterstim. “PC has now invaded a great game”. Do you live in Atlanta? Do you remember when the Super Bowl was here the last time (2001)? You know why it was here? It was supposed to be in Phoenix, but because Arizona was the last state to acknowledge the MLK, Jr. holiday, the NFL “punished” AZ. You follow college football? You know about the University of Mississsippi and it’s new mascot? How about the dust-up a couple years ago when a big deal was made of the State of SC flying a Confederate flag over the State Capitol, and how Jesse Jackson or some wannabe politicians threatened a “boycott” – and urged African American athletes to “boycott” schools in SC? These are examples of PC infecting sports. The idea that players, owners, schools, leagues, are concerned about concussions and injuries is not political correctness, regardless of how dim-witted, jock-sniff fans feel about it. It may be financial or economic correctness, but it is not poliical correctness.
Falcon66
October 19th, 2010
3:25 pm
a way to solve the problem is to take away some of the protection. go back to leather helmets or no helmets.
kenya
October 19th, 2010
3:25 pm
DESEAN JACKSON SUPERSTAR, DUNTA ROBINSON DIRTY PLAYER.
Jack Tatum
October 19th, 2010
3:26 pm
Based on some of the comments on this blog a bunch of you have never played football or afraid to be hit.
Not only was it a clean hit but that punk fumble the ball,but the sorry ass refs never looked at that. If recievers don’t want to take the kill shot, how about cooling the celebrations on first downs or touch downs. Those 2 dances alone by desean stevenson deserves the kill shot he recieved. Keep busting those prima donna bitch ass recievers.
George Atkinson-Raiders baby!!
BigTimeTECHFan
October 19th, 2010
3:28 pm
It as much the coaches fault, and QB’s fault as D Robinson’s.
1. QB should not have lead him in zone D
2. There was a time when QB’s and coaches would not throw over the middle because they knew their receiver could get hurt. Not anymore, they don’t care about the players health.
They should fine the QB and Coach for the pass play that caused this, it’s that simple.
joe
October 19th, 2010
3:28 pm
It was a bad play a illegal play, he should be suspended.
ex-BCS & ex-NFL
October 19th, 2010
3:29 pm
no name, I don’t know if the NFL has addressed RBs, but there is serious talk about no longer allowing OL assume a three-point stance. This is why I said, if you remove the helmet, or change it from an offensive weapon to protective tool, no running back is going to lead with his head.
MWC
October 19th, 2010
3:31 pm
ex-BCS
Thanks for clearing that up.
Yes,still have all my teeth (lol), but I did suffer a few concusions on clean AND dirty hits.
On topic, although violent, I do think it was clean hit,( Dunta), just a very bad result no one likes to see.
BigTimeTECHFan
October 19th, 2010
3:34 pm
Jack Tatum – me and you are kind of on same page. Offense get to do what ever they want.
If your going to make rule that prevent defense from jarring the ball lose on a receiption, you have to make rules that states a QB cannot throw a pass that leads a receiver into a defender.
Tatam and Atkison were awesome. but other team knew not to throw over the middle on them or you may get a receiver hurt, so they didn’t do it.
ex-BCS & ex-NFL
October 19th, 2010
3:39 pm
MWC, I totally agree that Dunta’s hit was “clean”. He very clearly led with his shoulder. The fact that his shoulder is connected to his head, and his head (helmet) came into contact with Jackson’s helmet may have cause HIS concussion, but I think Jackson’s injury may have been a whiplash injury. Sometimes a player’s head rattling inside a helmet (or an athlete’s brain “rattling” inside his skull, because of a whiplash) can cause a brain injury or concussion, and I think this is what the NFL is trying to address. I think Robinson just had the misfortune of making a good hit on a bad day (other hits in other games) and he will pay for it. But it doesn’t change the fact that something needs to be done.
Fish Bisch
October 19th, 2010
3:41 pm
I guess NASCAR will follow suit and tell their drivers they will be suspendedif they are involved in a wreck. Fans love to see car wrecks as well as big time hits.
Fred in Columbus
October 19th, 2010
3:42 pm
I like the way Jack Tatum is thinking, cuz we know he wuz one hard hitting fool…
Will
October 19th, 2010
3:44 pm
Hey Fish Bisch why don’t you drive on I-75 blindfolded. Just seeing it on 11alive will make my day.
That Guy
October 19th, 2010
3:48 pm
The only way to minimize the collisions is a complete redesign of the helmet. Part of the ‘problem’ is that defenders aren’t tackling in a manner that we were taught growing up. How many times have you seen in a game (Pro, College, even HS) where the defensive player launches himself into the path of the ball carrier like he is trying to block him instead of the old school way of wrapping up. Technique, for the most part, is a lost art. It’s more a matter of physics now.
do-dah do-dah
October 19th, 2010
3:49 pm
If you lead with your helmet you should be kicked out of the game and then suspended. The guy with pIttsburgh is a dirty player and should be called out as such. 46 such injuries this year already- yeah it is past time.
mark
October 19th, 2010
3:49 pm
Hey Jack Tatum didn’t you die years ago? Just asking that hit on Mr. Jackson by D. Robinson was a BAD,ILLEGAL CHEAP SHOT DIRTY HIT. DUNTA IS A DIRTY PLAYER. I READ WHERE MR. JACKSON IS GOING TO BE OKAY.
jan
October 19th, 2010
3:51 pm
NFL is getting too soft. First you protect the Quarterbacks, now I see new rules for protecting he WR’s. Seems like they are trying to make defenses obsolete. LOL
Lee
October 19th, 2010
3:51 pm
Jack Tatum died from head injuries i think this pass summer. The play was a tough play to watch on the replay. Even a few New York Giants players are saying that play was dirty,something needs to be done.
jan
October 19th, 2010
3:52 pm
p.s. HE DIDN’T LEAD WITH THE HELMET, he lead with the shoulder pads!!
The Law of the NFL
October 19th, 2010
3:52 pm
For the idiots defending these hits as ‘Part of the NFL’, and ‘Just Players Playing Hard’, get your head out of your asses. The NFL has it right on, when it comes to brain injury and spinal cord injury, you don’t screw around. The NFL is trying to prevent two things, death and paralysis. Wow, shame on them according to you dipshits that demand to be ‘Entertained’ at any cost. Football is brutal and physical, it is supposed to be – no one is arguing that. You get a compound fracture of the leg with your bone sticking out of the skin on the field, so be it – they’ll patch you up, maybe you’ll play again, maybe you won’t. That’s football. It gets a little different when there is death upon impact, or you become paralyzed for life due to taking a full speed direct impact to the helmet as a defenseless receiver. Cheap shots are obvious, even if you argue that by the letter of the law it was a ‘clean hit’. A player can easily follow the letter of the law, while at the same time obliterate the spirit of the law and land a potentially life ending impact to an opponent who never saw it coming. But hey, it was a clean hit right?
Decatur Native
October 19th, 2010
3:52 pm
it was clean as a baby’s bottom
jg
October 19th, 2010
3:53 pm
i’m glad the nfl is talking about this problem–they should fine or penalize any player that does this with malice or intent to injure. but dunta’s hit was no where close to being illegal or cheap. in fact in my opinion didn’t even warrant a penalty. a penalty that cost the falcons atleast 4 points maybe 7 in lieu of the fact that akers couldn’t hit a fg on sunday.
what the nfl SHOULD also consider is the 7 to 10 “poor calls” that take place during an average nfl game. that was a “bad” call by an official that directly led to points for the eagles. i believe that was 3rd down and over 10 yards to go for first..but with the bs penalty it resulted in a first down and an eagles td three downs later.
another poor call came late in the game when somehow the four officials standing within 20 feet away from matt ryan couldn’t tell his arm was coming forward on a pass attempt–instead ruling this a fumbled ball. out and out ridiculous! i saw with the naked eye all the way back here in chattanooga. and having already spent our allotment of timeouts–the falcons couldn’t review the obvious blown call.
some will say the game was over any way—i say hold on a minute–there was around four minutes to go and a score and onside kick recovery and we’re throwing to the endzone in the final minutes of the game. trust me i’ve seen the falcons blow leads like this many a times.
finally–i’m just tired of all the hoopla surrounding our players hit. dunta’s hit was not illegal–the wr had already scored on an end a round, a long pass play and was about to catch another ball for what would have been close to another first down. anytime you go up to catch a ball in any football league–you know you are going to be hit–therefor you are not “defenseless”. dunta did his job on that play–the guy caught the pass–took a step and almost another before the perfect hit separated the ball making it incomplete. the ruling should have been inc–4th and 13..fg attempt–if made it’s 17-0–if missed like three other attempts it’s still 14-0 thus 14-7 at the half. entirely different game.
we are barking up the wrong tree nfl–forget the HITS AND START WATCHING OVER THESE HORRIBLE REFS THAT BLOW MULTIPLE CALLS A WEEK.
tim in Marina Del Ray formerly Atlanta
October 19th, 2010
3:53 pm
No body wants to see any PRO PLAYER GET PARALYZE. THIS GAME CALL FOOTBALL AINT THAT SERIOUS FOR REAL. SO GOOD FOR THE COMMISH, THE LEAGUE FOR THE NEW CRACKDOWN.
Milledgeville Dawg
October 19th, 2010
3:54 pm
Now mark is an expert on NFL tackling. The guy and his athletism never amaze me. Mark go back to cutting atheletes down, you are great at this.
tim in Marina Del Ray formerly Atlanta
October 19th, 2010
3:54 pm
Hey Decatur Native …..Dunta Robinson is a dirty player, he should be fine,or suspended. The hit was as bad as Turner Stadium being empty during a pennant drive.
Ignernt
October 19th, 2010
3:55 pm
Explain how the Robinson hit was dirty? Illegal? A cheap shot? You can’t, because it wasn’t. Jackson caught the ball and then began to progress down field. He would’ve been levelled straight up, but he changed the level of his pads on the move. Robinson did not change direction. Are you telling me that Dunta Robinson is psychic and knew that Jackson was going to change his body position? I highly doubt that Robinson was out there trying to get a “kill shot” on someone. If you take away the ability of defenders to “light up” an offensive skill player, then you take away one of the best parts of the game. Otherwise, we’re stuck with Arena football. Do you really wnat to see a Falcons game where the score is 78-64? Some people might, but the greater majority realize that football is a defensive game.
Decatur Native
October 19th, 2010
3:55 pm
it’s turning into the National Female League
Bob
October 19th, 2010
3:56 pm
You can’t touch the quarter back, you can’t hit a “defensless” receiver, no horse collar. I guess we need to make this the NFFL, National Flag Football League.
Decatur Native
October 19th, 2010
3:58 pm
@ tim in Marina Del Ray formerly Atlanta
lol whatever
do-dah do-dah
October 19th, 2010
3:58 pm
Jan looks to me like he lowered his head and hit him with his helmet into his right shoulder in addition to his shoulder hitting the right side of the runner- the bulk of the blow though was on the runners right side by the way his body twisted from the hit
Tweets that mention Dunta's hit on Jackson: Scary, but was it against the rules? | Mark Bradley -- Topsy.com
October 19th, 2010
4:00 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Dhanabir Singh Th., Kitty Hawke. Kitty Hawke said: Dunta's hit on Jackson: Scary, but was it against the rules?: Dunta Robinson's hit on DeSean Jackson was terrifyin… http://bit.ly/bpSEnj [...]
Let the kids play
October 19th, 2010
4:00 pm
Read the book 40 million dollar slaves……You have got to protect your investments to keep the profits up. Is football really a sport ????? or just staged entertainment like the WWE.
jan
October 19th, 2010
4:00 pm
Lee!! Tatum did not die from a head injury!!……..If you need football information come to THIS LADY FOR IT. Stop blaming Tatum for what is happening in football. PLAYING FOOTBALL!…….PS….He died from a heart attack!!! Thank You!!