Houston Texans: Andre Johnson Fight Not a Big Deal

Late in the fourth quarter of the Houston Texans 20-0 victory over the Tennessee Titans, Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson and Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan went after each other.

Helmets were thrown and punches were landed as both players were ejected from the game.

Now, people are starting to talk about what the punishment will be for the two players—will it be a fine, a one game suspension or a multiple game suspension?

Some think behavior like that shown by these two players has no place in football. But, whether we like it or not, aggressive actions such as these have been and always will be a part of the sport we love.

Fighting in Football

Football is a physical, violent game. That's how it was created; that's how it was intended to be played.

Keeping players safe by eliminating head shots, clotheslines and other dangerous hits is smart. Creating safer equipment is smart. But, stopping players from expressing emotion on the field is not smart.

Commissioner Roger Goodell has already cracked down on touchdown celebrations, taking that sort of emotion out of the game.

The officials are also cracking down on defensive celebrations. Basically, they are trying to take any sort of emotional expression out of the game of football.

I mean, what was Johnson supposed to do? Keep getting hit in the face by Finnegan and just smile while letting it happen?

Maybe if the officials had called one of the several illegal hands to the face penalties on Finnegan, Johnson wouldn't have felt the need to take matters into his own hands.

Johnson wasn't just frustrated by Finnegan's defense, as he had already scored a touchdown that game. He was frustrated by penalties that weren't called.

Punishment

So, how should Johnson and Finnegan be punished?

Anything more than a $10,000-25,000 fine would be overkill, and they absolutely should not be suspended for another game.

Players who fight on the field should be kicked out of that game but should suffer no further playing time penalty.

It should be more like hockey. If a player fights in hockey, they are sent to the penalty box for a few minutes. Obviously, there isn't a penalty box in football, so the players should be kicked out of the game. But, they should suffer no additional suspension.

Fight Guidelines

While players fighting should be separated as soon as possible, they should only be suspended for the remainder of the game in which the fight took place.

But, if any other players try to join the fight, they should be punished more severely. If a player who was not involved in the original fight throws a punch, he should be suspended for the remainder of that game and the next game.

A small fight to express frustration that gets broken up quickly is fine with me. An all out brawl between teams is not fine.

What's Next?

So, what will happen to Johnson and Finnegan?

They'll definitely receive a fine, but for how much? And, will they be suspended?

The NFL will need to make a ruling quickly in the Johnson case, as the Texans play on Thursday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.

If they are going to suspend him, they'll need to do it quickly.

But, I think (I hope) Johnson and Finnegan will be on the field for their respective teams this weekend.