Last Sunday’s ugly incident between the Texans and Jaguars, sparked by the knockout blow utilized to linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair to a sliding Trevor Lawrence, ought to have resulted in a broad array of fines for the battle that broke out after the hit.
Ultimately, solely Jaguars tight finish Evan Engram was fined. Not even Al-Shaair — who per the league “escalated [the fight] when [he] pulled an opponent all the way down to the bottom by his facemask — was individually punished for his actions throughout what was a pair of altercations. (The record of Al-Shaair infractions over the previous a number of years contains an unsportsmanlike conduct foul for final Sunday, however no fantastic.)
Per a supply with data of the scenario, the oldsters accountable for meting out punishment determined it wouldn’t be honest to impose fines for the aftermath of 1 particular incident. It was the hit and Engram’s shove of Al-Shaair that sparked every thing.
On one hand, it is sensible. On the opposite hand, it’s arguably a mistake, as a result of it sends a message to all groups.
Once a big incident occurs and the battle is joined, have at it!
Moreover, the result required acutely aware disregard of the foundations and previous precedent. It additionally units a brand new precedent that may probably grow to be a part of the appeals course of transferring ahead. A participant who’s fined for a fracas that stems from another incident can argue that, if it wasn’t honest to fantastic everybody who received concerned in a pair of fights final Sunday, it’s not honest to fantastic them, both.
