NFL

NFL Fining for Face Paint Proves League’s Priorities Are Not in Order

Fresh Videos

By @RobertDeVita24

Greg Hardy

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL needs to wake up because right now their priorities are just in all the wrong places.

First we saw them issue fines to players who would dunk on the goal post, which is absolutely ridiculous if you ask me. Now they will be fining players for wearing face paint, so Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy will no longer be able to unleash the Kraken without paying a hefty fee.

There are much bigger issues at hand that need to be taken care of. Domestic violence has been a topic of great popularity in the NFL over the past few months and Hardy himself could be facing a six-game suspension if his guilty verdict is not overturned on appeal. So basically Hardy could be facing a harsher penalty at the moment for wearing face paint, than the crime he committed. The NFL is really missing the bigger picture here. They are worried too much about the little things and have let bigger problems slide.

Baltimore Ravens‘ Ray Rice only got a two-game suspension after he was indicted on domestic violence charges. How is it possible that the NFL thought that only a two-game suspension could be a large enough punishment for a crime of that magnitude? I understand Commissioner Roger Goodell has a tough job but there are times where the guy is just a space cadet. He has done some good for the NFL — don’t get me wrong — but there are some things that make me scratch my head. He acknowledged that he was wrong but not until the whole situation blew up.

Earlier this season New Orleans Saints‘ Jimmy Graham did his signature dunk on the goal posts and was fined $30k for doing so. Cleveland Browns‘ rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel blatantly flipped off the Washington Redskins‘ bench and was only fined $12k for that. Based on those two fines it tells me that the NFL thinks it’s more of a crime to dunk on the goal post than telling the opposing team to go you-know-what themselves. It’s just silly that the NFL is penalizing players for things that aren’t that serious and have dropped the ball with bigger infractions.

They have it totally right when it comes to illegal hits; they are protecting the players and that is what needs to be done. When they go and announce that they are fining players for wearing face paint when there are much more important tasks at hand, it just takes away from their credibility.

I can only hope that the league comes to its senses and realizes that there are some things they just need to let be.

Robert DeVita is a New York Mets writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter@RobertDeVita24, like him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on