NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell slapped Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison with yet another fine on Tuesday. For those not keeping score that increases Harrison’s total to $125,000 this season for tackles considered outside of the boundaries of current rules in the NFL.

With his largest fine totaling $75,000 earlier this year, this latest $25,000 punishment was for a tackle on Buffalo Bills QB, Ryan Fitzpatrick, during Sunday’s game that was won by the Steelers in overtime. According to the NFL offices, Fitzpatrick was a defenseless player when he was struck by Harrison. This hit qualified for a 15-yard penalty on the field for roughing the passer, but it isn’t necessary for him to have his bank account flagged yet again.

Although these fines sound life-changing, the Steelers’ salary chart reveals that Harrison is earning more than $13 million this 2010 season.

NFL shouldn’t fine Steelers for latest rules infraction

In the post game presser, when asked about the hit, Harrison told the media:

“I hit him the same way I did the quarterback from Oakland [Jason Campbell] and I got the same flag but I didn’t get a fine.… I’m expecting the same thing on this.”

How wrong was he?

At the rate this is going, the 6-ft, 242 pound linebacker who has always been known as a hard hitter may have to incorporate video editing techniques to determine when he has justified another fine.

The lack of outrage in the press after this latest fine announcement may mean the recent actions of the NFL punishment machine is starting to take its toll. When players believe they are powerless to effect change, does the league think it is better off? Being familiar with Harrison’s personality and his strong support by his head coach and fellow players, it might just produce the opposite of a desired result. If Harrison is convinced he can’t control how his actions are perceived by the league then it won’t take much to convince him to let his freak flag fly.

And what happens when two players rip each other’s helmets off and stand toe-to-toe throwing haymakers in the middle of a televised Sunday afternoon game then get slapped on the wrist with a $25,000 fine and no suspension? Then the same afternoon another player accidentally targets his helmet a little higher than the allowed area and gets fined more than the two did for fighting?

It’s in the best interest of the defenseless players the league says it must protect, to try to gain some support from James Harrison. Perhaps in the process, it might realize that the minuscule differences between one helmet angle and the other aren’t helping the situation at all.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles. 

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

For failing to have a structured fine system, and for sending mixed messages to the league, Roger Goodell get’s the Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week.

Mr. Goodell has pretty much always been a glutton for punishment, however, this latest crackdown makes about as much sense as a solar-powered flashlight.

Earlier this week, the Czar of Football swung his mighty gavel and declared that Cortland Finnegan and Andre Johnson were to be fined $25,000 for ripping off each other’s helmets and brawling in the middle of the game.

Hold up, wait a minute, let’s look at this a little bit closer and add some judgment.

According to Goodell, a fight with haymakers to the face is the equivalent to a person tweeting during a game. That’s right. Earlier this year, Chad Ochocinco was fined the exact same amount ($25,000) for sending an in-game tweet.

This isn’t the first time that Mr. Magoo has failed to see through his coke-bottled, clouded lenses.

In 2006, Terrell Owens was fined $35,000 for spitting on another player. In 2008, Clinton Portis and Sean Taylor were fined $5,000 for wearing red socks instead of white socks. In 2009, Titans owner Bud Adams was fined a whopping $250,000 for throwing the double birdie at an entire stadium. And just a couple months ago, Steve Johnson was slapped with a $10,000 fine for pretending to shoot off a rifle and Nate Burleson was fined $15,000 for punting the ball after a touchdown celebration.

So, after some deductive reasoning, one can assume that punching a guy in the face is approximately worth… nothing.

If we go by Goodell’s rules, it costs a player more to hock a loogie than it does to throw an uppercut to an unprotected face trying to inflict bodily harm. And apparently those throwing up a middle finger should expect to feel the strongest wrath.

The commissioner has no problem fining players up to 75K for tackling someone just above the numbers, but somehow has remorse for players duking it out in the middle of a televised game.

So what kind of system is this guy running? There really seems to be no system at all. The fines that Goodell is handing out are ludicrous and have no reasoning whatsoever. If he wanted to send a message to the league and its players, then he should have come down hard on Andre Johnson and Cortland Finnegan.

Now don’t get us wrong. we enjoy a nice boxing match as much as the next testosterone-filled sports fan, that’s why we go to hockey games, but if Goodell is attempting to clean up the NFL and set standards amongst its members, then he has completely failed.

Don’t be surprised if more athletes turn to fistfights now that precedence is set and the punishment is equivalent to a couple sock fines or Brad Maynard impressions. It’s even less than wearing a sombrero and poncho after scoring a touchdown.

By the way, Mr. Goodell, how does this hand taste? SMACK!

Used with permission of the author.

Logan Rhoades is a Los Angeles columnist and the Associate Editor of Jocks Behind Bars. With an extensive knowledge of ESPN topics and celebrity gossip, he is known for mixing sports and pop culture in the various columns he writes. Check out his blog and Follow him on Twitter @loganrhoades.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC