http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/sports/football/nfl/carolina_panthers/13502570.htm

Quote :

" Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith has been fined $15,000 by the NFL for "improper physical contact with a game official," a league executive said Wednesday evening. Smith was ejected late in the third quarter of Saturday's game with Dallas after he placed his hands on line judge Mark Steinkerchner as Smith pleaded his case over what he thought was a late hit by a Cowboys' defender. Smith will not be suspended. Cornerback Ken Lucas may also be fined for post-game criticism of officials, but the source who commented on Smith's fine had heard nothing concerning Lucas as of Wednesday."

that hardly deserved a penalty, let alone an ejection and fine.

12/29/2005 12:46:34 AM

It states in the rulebook you cannot make contact with an official.

12/29/2005 12:48:34 AM

I knew when i saw it, i turned to my friend and said

"Sumbody gaw git fined afta dis!"

12/29/2005 12:53:10 AM

The NFL is a joke.

12/29/2005 12:56:22 AM

I was at the game and never knew he got ejected until I saw it on the highlights when I got home.

12/29/2005 1:18:50 AM

Wish that fine was deposited into my bank account.

12/29/2005 1:22:50 AM

Quote :

"The NFL is a joke."

12/29/2005 1:35:19 AM

The 15k is likely chump change. Won't he lose his game check, as in 1/16 of his salary this year? That's why you see baseball players getting thrown out more often (162 game schedule) than basketball players (82 game schedule) more often than football, no??? Someone correct me if I'm wrong...

12/29/2005 1:41:03 AM

fuckin a, the guy deserved it. Panther's fan or not, you know that if a player fucks with a ref intentionally then it's a fine

12/29/2005 1:50:13 AM

I only saw this on SC, so I might've missed something. I saw Smith put his hand on the ref while pleading for a call. No striking, no pushing, just a hand.

I know the rulebook says no touching. It's a ridiculous fucking rule. I'm sure it was written in a no-tolerance fashion to deter players from even thinking about trying to intimidate an official physically, but soccer and hockey have no tolerance for abuse of officials and still allow players to have discussions and engage officials, even *GASP* a hand on the shoulder.

12/29/2005 2:11:47 AM

Quote :

"I was at the game and never knew he got ejected until I saw it on the highlights when I got home. "

well you must not have been paying attention. i was there too and while i didnt hear the ref say he was ejected, i sure as hell saw him going through the tunnel with his helmet off while looking extremely pissed, and even if you miss that, how you didnt notice he wasnt on the field is beyond me

12/29/2005 2:14:43 AM

I was in the upper deck on the very top row. I couldn't see who was going into any tunnels. I could barely read the numbers on the jerseys from where I was sitting.

12/29/2005 2:17:58 AM

Players make contact with refs all the time--- this ref just had an attitude problem (just look at the guy's face in the replay.) If anyone should have been ejected it should have been the Cowgirls player who tried to rip Smith's head off out of bounds...

12/29/2005 2:20:26 AM

If I was making millions and the refs were making bad calls I would speak up even if it cost me a fine.

12/29/2005 2:22:16 AM

earlier this year Ronde Barber punched a ref in the face, knocking him down. no ejection.

A while back Drew bledsoe hit a ref in the chest to get his attention w/ no ejection.

fuck that pansy-ass lookin ref.

[Edited on December 29, 2005 at 3:01 AM. Reason : .]

12/29/2005 3:00:23 AM

i agree with the ejection but not the fine

either way 15,000 is not that much for him

12/29/2005 3:05:30 AM

Quote :

"I was in the upper deck on the very top row. I couldn't see who was going into any tunnels. I could barely read the numbers on the jerseys from where I was sitting."

12/29/2005 3:40:03 AM

I don't agree with the ejection or the fine. Sometimes the NFL takes shit too far when it comes to exercising authority. When he grabbed that ref, there was nothing malicious whatsoever about it, neither was it overly agressive. They need to give those guys a break sometime. All the red tape that exists, wtf, are you kidding me.

12/29/2005 3:56:35 AM

At least we can all agree that he didn't get as raw a deal as the lineman that a ref threw a flag in his eye, and he went up and put his hand on the ref. He was blinded in that eye, had his career ended, and the NFL still went after him.

12/29/2005 7:47:50 AM

I think you really have to look at it from the refs point of view. I mean, seriously, how old is the average ref, and how big? I have no idea of the actual stats, but if I had to take an educated guess, I would say perhaps 45ish and about 180 pounds. Now imagine a 22 year old, 300 pound lineman who is disgruntled with a call you just made getting in your face and screaming at you. Personally, I'd be scared shitless simply because you know this guy has probably made a practice of picking on smaller people his whole life and using size as an intimidation measure. The policy says hands-off, and it's a great policy. The fact that Smith got ejected/fined is not the problem, the problem is that EVERY player who touches a ref is not treated the same way.

12/29/2005 8:57:03 AM

I'm gonna agree with feeble. The rule is in there to draw a line and protect the refs. What are they supposed to put in there? "No player may touch the ref in manner that can be construded as threatening." That just puts too big a fuzzy line. Make a rule and stick to it. Like it or not, the NFL is great at that. The players know the rules, and they have no ground to stand on when they complain.

Not to mention Smith Grabbed the official around the waist and pulled him. It wasn't just a little hand on the shoulder, he is lucky he didn't get suspended.

Boo hoo, he got fined $15,000. He still plays a game for a living, and makes more in a week than I make all year.

12/29/2005 9:35:10 AM

Well,
the next game that someone even brushes a ref Fox should make a stink and have a fit and fall in it.

Smith put his hand on the guy, there was nothing aggressive about it.

If the rule is that black and white, then it should be inforced 100% of the time that way. No touching at all, not hand on the shoulder, not pat on the butt, no catching him if a crevass opens up and he is about to fall in.

12/29/2005 9:45:07 AM

Quote :

"The NFL is a joke."

agreed

12/29/2005 10:14:27 AM

You guys are kidding yourselves if you don't think a player wouldn't get ejected/suspended in College for the same shit smith did.

12/29/2005 10:37:52 AM

Anyone arguing that this punishment is fair didnt see the call. He was basically just putting his hands on the ref's pleeding for the call, not pulling, pushing, or hitting him, or even grabbing.


Lets also remember that there was a blatent late hit on the play or unnecessary roughness out of bounds that wasnt called. That referee was just making up for the fact that he missed a big call. Fucking faggot.

12/29/2005 10:59:35 AM

I still think its perception with the referee crews. Much like with State this year we got a lot of ticky tacky calls against our defense based on the aggressiveness of the defense. Steve Smith is known as being a hothead throughout the NFL, he even ended a recievers career on his own team. I personally think the reason he got ejected was because he was on the Dallas sideline.

12/29/2005 10:59:53 AM

Quote :

"What are they supposed to put in there? "No player may touch the ref in manner that can be construded as threatening.""

you make it a fucking judgment call. i mean if a player pats a ref on the ass, should you eject him? technicall yes, but it would be totally stupid and unwarranted. that might have been meaningless with steve, because it looked like the ref was out to get him, but there's a definite need for more subjectivity

12/29/2005 11:05:57 AM

^exactly

If he grabbed his shoulder and turned him completely around, then throw him out. If you're gonna make it a zero tolerance rule, throw fucking peyton manning our of the game every time he chats with his arm around the ref. This was bullshit, and the league knows it. As hard as smith was hit out of bounds i'm surprised he didnt do something worse.

12/29/2005 11:12:22 AM

you people know Jerry Jones brings his checkbook everyweek so he can payoff the officials right.


but seriously, Dallas makes the NFL a lot of money with merchandise sales so the get the benefit of a lot of calls, same goes with Michael Vick, its not fair and it sucks but hey thats life.

12/29/2005 11:15:43 AM

Quote :

"The NFL is a joke."

no, the NBA is a joke.

i have no problem with the nfl holding high standards for sportsmanship. its a very simple rule and one i'm sure every player knows.

12/29/2005 11:25:46 AM

^^You guys are being ridiculous. Dallas gets calls? My god. Is this NC State or UNC? Quit fucking crying. I don't see how some of you are calling the tackle on Smith late or unneccessary. It looked clean to me and Smith had to show his ass. Oh and if Smith wouldn't have got that penalty and lost 15 yards, it would have been a 1st down and would have went a long way towards a Panther win.

Quote :

"Boo hoo, he got fined $15,000. He still plays a game for a living, and makes more in a week than I make all year."

Thank God someone said it.

[Edited on December 29, 2005 at 11:27 AM. Reason : ^^]

12/29/2005 11:27:46 AM

Quote :

"its a very simple rule and one i'm sure every player knows."

Someone show me a picture of Peyton (or any QB) touching a ref during a game.

So if he spun him around, its not ok, but since he just jumped off the ground, grabbed and pulled on his shirt, its ok? Gimme a break.

12/29/2005 11:40:16 AM

quit whinning

you all sound like a bunch of fucking babies

12/29/2005 11:42:38 AM

Quote :

"earlier this year Ronde Barber punched a ref in the face, knocking him down. no ejection. A while back Drew bledsoe hit a ref in the chest to get his attention w/ no ejection. fuck that pansy-ass lookin ref."

I agree 100%

12/29/2005 11:43:36 AM

you know what i find funny is the horse collar rule was added because of Roy Williams and Terrance Newman and yet they never get it called on them, makes you think doesn't it. Carolina lost that game not because of officiating but because they got schooled by Julius Jones. I do however think that there is a double standard in the NFL when it comes to officiating. While Baber was not ejected he was fined $30k for his punch. The NFL Officials have been under fire all year for their inconsistencies and over zealousness to throw a flag. Newman should have been flagged for unecessary roughness for pushing Smith's face into the ground.

12/29/2005 12:34:38 PM

Quote :

"Newman should have been flagged for unecessary roughness for pushing Smith's face into the ground. "

Are you serious??? Its football. You are suppossed to get slammed to the ground.

Also you need to read the rulebook on the horse collar tackle. You have to go inside the player's shoulder pads and grab for it to be illegal.

Know the rules before you start ranting and raving and crying.

12/29/2005 1:21:44 PM

^that was the whole reason smith touched the referee in the first place...you're on the same side of the argument as him as far as the smith ejection. It was an obvious late hit.

12/29/2005 1:32:23 PM

Quote :

"i have no problem with the nfl holding high standards for sportsmanship. its a very simple rule and one i'm sure every player knows."

Quote :

"quit whinning you all sound like a bunch of fucking babies "

12/29/2005 2:06:09 PM

BARBER AND BLEDSOE DONT RUN THIER FUCKING MOUTHS AND ATTENTION WHORE

YOU SEE WHERE IT GETS YOU?

A LOSS TO THE COWBOYS AND A BILL



PS : LAST TIME I CHECKED, STEVE SMITH WAS A WIDEOUT AND WOULDNT HAVE BEEN CAPABLE

OF STOPPING THE PAIN TRAIN RUNNING GAME OF MR JONES.

[Edited on December 29, 2005 at 2:42 PM. Reason : long time since december]

12/29/2005 2:38:53 PM

OH I SEE. so it's ok to punch a ref in the face if you aren't an attention whore?

12/29/2005 5:28:30 PM

Quote :

"Are you serious??? Its football. You are suppossed to get slammed to the ground."

Yes it is, if you have the ball and are inbounds. Its the same situation as with a roughing the passer call. If you area already in the process of tackling him before the ball is released but you don't actually hit him until after it is released, there is generally no problem unless you drive him to the ground.

I have not watched detailed replays, but if he was diving to make the tackle before smith went out of bounds and then hit him out of bounds it would be ok. But he drove him to the ground once he was out of bounds.



^yup, sure is

12/29/2005 10:44:24 PM

none of you pussies have the balls or the intellect to officiate tackle football so stfu. if you say you do, then why don't you?

football players are aggressive, steroid-enraged, and generally slow-thinking, fast moving people with short tempers. officials put themselves at risk confronting them by making calls and deserve carte blanche protection. its the referee's perogative whether he wants to eject, and rightfully.

the NFL is compartively soft: the NCHSAA has a lifetime ban for a player or coach who makes contact with an official

and as far as, "he just was getting his attention," the rule is patently clear...you as a player or coach DO NOT touch officials

12/31/2005 5:52:37 PM

All of this was inevitable.

In fact, I'm surprised he wasn't suspended for at least part of a game.

12/31/2005 7:29:16 PM

Quote :

"OH I SEE. so it's ok to punch a ref in the face if you aren't an attention whore? "

Yes, that isnt clear to you?

12/31/2005 9:58:26 PM

Quote :

"the rule is patently clear...you as a player or coach DO NOT touch officials but it's ok if you are Ronde Barber"

12/31/2005 10:41:15 PM

Quote :

"the rule is patently clear...you as a player or coach DO NOT touch officials"

yup, sure is. The dispute isn't that smith shouldn't have been ejected, but that the rule is selectively enforced. if that is the letter of the law, then it should be for everyone.

12/31/2005 11:14:42 PM

its the official's on-field perogative

1/1/2006 2:00:06 PM