Another reason why the NFL is a
No Boys allowed club, unlike the NRL.....
NFL cracks down on hits
By Skip Wood,
USA TODAY
After the $75,000 fine levied Wednesday on Dallas Cowboys safety Darren Woodson, the debate centers on whether the NFL has gone too far, and if such punishments continue, whether the league will lose its hard-hitting identity. There is no debate, NFL rules enforcer Gene Washington says.
Broncos safety Kenoy Kennedy (right) lays out Dolphins receiver Chris Chambers.
By John Leyba, AP
"No. 1, it hasn't changed the style of play," Washington said Wednesday after doling out what is believed to be the harshest non-suspension penalty in league history. "No. 2, the game is tougher today than when I played (1969-79) simply because you have
bigger, faster, stronger athletes who train year-round.
"If players today played under the same rules that we had, you would have mayhem."
The league strengthened rules to protect offensive skill players more than five years ago, emphasizing not using helmets as weapons.
Woodson was cited for his helmet-to-helmet hit last weekend on Seattle Seahawks receiver Darrell Jackson. Jackson later had a seizure and spent the night in the hospital.
