NFL absolves Geathers for hit on Green

[AZ_Steeler]

When I first saw the hit on Green my initial thought was it was late... Then after seeing the replays I realized that hit could have avoided by both parties especially on Green's part! He did go into that slide a little late when he probably could have juked the would be tackler and avided the hit... I'm sure he'll play it over a 1000 times but at least he's going to be ok.

This article goes over the whole sliding by the QB's, there is more to the article though, I only took part of it.

sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AnfFp93MEObngUZ1e8tJ5.c5nYcB?slug=ap-bengals-geathers-greeninjury&prov=ap&type=lgns)


NEW YORK (AP) -- The NFL absolved Cincinnati defensive end Robert Geathers on Wednesday for his hit on Kansas City quarterback Trent Green, emphasizing quarterbacks are responsible for avoiding hits by sliding.

Green sustained a serious concussion last Sunday after a hit by Geathers and will miss at least two or three games.

"The injury ... was unfortunate and has drawn much commentary, but it is not a foul," Ray Anderson, the NFL's senior vice president, said in a statement.

Anderson said a review of the play in Kansas City showed Green started "a late slide" as Geathers prepared to tackle him. At the same time, Geathers was blocked in the back by a Chiefs player, was no longer in control of his body and twisted in order to avoid driving his helmet into Green or hitting him helmet-to-helmet.

Geathers' right shoulder, however, hit Green's shoulder and drove Green's head into the ground.

In a memo sent to all 32 teams Anderson said: "On sliding quarterback plays, the responsibility of defenders is to avoid a sliding quarterback while the responsibility of the quarterback is to use the protection properly. This rule will continue to be strictly enforced, and violations are likely to result in disciplinary action."

Anderson said quarterbacks who want to take advantage of the protection of a slide must start it before the prospect of imminent contact.

[Steelersfan]

I would agree with the NFL on this. It could have been avoided but it wasn't a foul play. QB's have a lot of protection and should use it when they can.

[BlitzburghRockCity]

Trent is one of the most underrated QB's in the league, it's good to see he'll be ok. I don't think it was malicious in intent by Gathers to injure Trent either, just the speed of the game.

But you can bet no matter what the Chiefs aren't going to forget this when the 2 teams meet again.

[suitanim]

I don't trust anything any Bengal says or does...and I still think if it was Peyton or Brady, the outcome would have been a lot different...

[AZ_Steeler]

I don't trust anything any Bengal says or does...and I still think if it was Peyton or Brady, the outcome would have been a lot different...
You bring up a good one with the NFL's two Golden Childs... that will be something to watch for this year. The NFL does protect these two an awful lot though even to the point the refs try and help them win games...

[suitanim]

Here's Dr. Z's take from SI.

The kill shot that Cincy's Robert Geathers laid on K.C.'s Trent Green should have drawn not only a flag, but also an ejection. It was ruled legal, but just barely, because supposedly Geathers was blocked into Green, who had already launched his slide. Maybe it was easier for us, given a first look and replays, to get the sense of the play more fully than the official on the spot did, but the intent was clear. Take the QB out at head level. Geathers could have veered off, but he chose not to, and Green was out cold for almost 15 minutes.
This was the same situation as the Warren Sapp case of a few years ago. He went halfway across the field to launch a blindside shot on the Packers' Chad Clifton, following an interception. Clifton had been out of the play. Sapp's shot put him in the hospital and nearly ended his career. Again, it was ruled legal. It didn't even draw a flag, although it was an ugly, mean act. "Crippling the dummy" was what we used to call it.
The best comment I heard about this came from a high school official.
"There is a rule on the books calling for a penalty for unnecessary roughness," he said. "In the NFL it's basically ignored, but at the high school level it's taken very seriously. The key word is unnecessary. Did the play have to be made, within a football context? If there's the slightest doubt, the flag is dropped. The Sapp play was unnecessary."
And so was the shot Geathers laid on Green. A mean, vicious play that produced the desired result.