Filed under: Steelers, AFC North, NFL Injuries
Hines Ward blasted the NFL, well, for pretty much everything Wednesday, including its treatment of his hard-hitting Pittsburgh Steelers teammate James Harrison, who has been repeatedly fined for illegal hits.Ward, the Steelers' veteran receiver and team leader, called out the league for what he perceives as its hypocrisy regarding player safety, among other things.
"The league doesn't care about us anyway," he said, according to The Associated Press. "They don't care about the safety of the game. If the league was so concerned about the safety, why are you adding two more games on? You talk about you don't want players to drink ... and all you see is beer commercials. You don't want us to gamble, but then there are (NFL-endorsed lottery scratch-off games ... ).
"(The illegal-hit penalties are) going to change the outcome; somebody's going to lose a game because of it. ... It's going to be a huge play in a playoff game, somebody's going to hit a quarterback or do something and the referee is going to be too scared to call it. So he's going to call it anyway so he can save his tail. He (the player) may not even get fined or not, but it will come down to the outcome of a ballgame."
Harrison, Pittsburgh's star linebacker, has been fined $125,000 for illegal hits -- whether they be late or vicious -- this season. The fines have sparked a debate regarding whether or not the penalties have detracted from the spirit of the game, which is violent in nature.
Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/12/01/hines-ward-nfls-hypocritical-doesnt-care-about-players/
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