A special note before I begin: I wish to start this blog by saying that I am NOT promoting violence towards anyone, nor am I agreeing with any kind of harm to anyone. I wanted to get that out of the way so there is no misunderstanding.
Now that I have gotten that out of the way, as most NFL fans are aware, last week, against the San Fransisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo was knocked out of the game when he took a hit, and later returned to lead the Cowboys in a come back effort to defeat the 49ers, 27-24. It was revealed during the game that he suffered cracked/broken ribs. However, AFTER the game, it was revealed he also suffered a punctured lung, which would make any fan nervous. Romo got a lot of praise by many for playing tough, and winning the game in the 4th quarter (a lot of the same media people who crucified the poor soul the week before about the Jets game).
This week, on Monday Night Football, the Cowboys play their bitter NFC East rival, the Redskins. CB DeAngelo Hall during the week made controversial remarks to the Washington Post such as
[adinserter block=”2″]“Absolutely. I want to get a chance to put my helmet on whatever’s hurt,” Hall said. “Romo’s ribs — I’m going to be asking for some corner blitzes. If I know Felix Jones’ shoulder’s hurt, I’m not going to cut him. I’m definitely going to try to hit him up high, so that’s just part of it.
“If you know something’s wrong with an opponent, you’re going to try to target in on that. We’re going to try to definitely get as many hats on that team as possible.” Well, as one can imagine, there were various responses. There were those who just let it slide, and said it was part of the game as the game was a violent game. Some thought Hall was dumb to say what he said in the sense that he would give away the game plan. Some just mocked him. However, there were quite a few people who thought it was a very mean, and threatening thing, and unsportsmanlike thing to say, and condemned Hall for saying what he said
Well, here is my view. Why are people, particularly Americans , so shocked at what Hall said? I tend to agree with those who say that football is a VIOLENT sport, no matter how much NFL Commissioner Goodell and his Competition Committee want to water it down with their nutty rules. Fans flock to stadiums and cheer guys knocking each other around and piling up, and doing that over and over for three hours. What Hall said is part of their mentality. Unfortunately, in my opinion, Hall is dumber than a box of rocks, and he comes out and says it. I never though he was all that great of a corner anyway, but that is besides the point. No one, especially NFL fans should be surprised by what Hall said.
The United States is a violent nation, let’s face it. We cheer on NFL players knocking each other around. We love violent movies. I mean, some of the most highest grossing films are films like “Die Hard,” “Rambo,” “The Terminator,” etc. Heck, I am not immune. My favorite film ever is “The Godfather,” with “Goodfellas” right behind it. I mean, people loved John Wayne, and he did a lot of the shoot’em up Westerns.
[adinserter block=”1″]Even NFL fans shouting “Hurt so and so.” In 2008, when New England Patriots Tom Brady was gone for the year thanks to a hit by then Kansas City Chiefs’ Bernard Pollard (now a Raven, ironically), some Pittsburgh Steelers fans made a website making Bernard Pollard a HERO. Wrestling fans go to shows and (depending on the promotion) watch men and women in tights wrestle each other with high impact moves, and in gimmick matches, put one another through tables, hit each other with chairs, etc. Texas Governor Rick Perry was cheered at a GOP debate for bragging that 234 people were executed in his state. Americans celebrate violence, so I don’t see DeAngelo Hall’s comments as a big deal that some have made them out.
Seriously, people should realize that football is a modern day gladiator sport. The players know what they are getting into, and I also think Hall’s comments were just psychological. He was trying to get a mental advantage. I am sure the Cowboys will have something planned for him, and that bunch they call a defense. I honestly wish they both could lose as I can’t stand either team, but oh well. I am sure the Monday Night Football ratings will go up of course. However, Hall’s comments are not anything to worry about when it is time to play the game.
Terri Bey currently blogs for CamelClutchBlog.com about Wrestling, NFL, and other sports/pop culture related subjects. Her work has appeared in BleacherReport and for F4WOnline.com. Terri can be found here at Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/TerriBey and at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/missedgehead
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