Organization: Central Michigan University
Date: Friday, 11 Dec 1992 04:42:22 EST
From: William Grant <343VTQ2@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU>
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro
Subject: Re: Leroy Butler suspension inappropriate and wrong!

In article <1g60f2INN3qn@spool.mu.edu>, wayne@waynes.frontiertech.com says:
>
>Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, you should be ashamed of yourself!
>
>Suspending Leroy Butler for the next Packer game vs. the Oilers while the Pack
>is in the midst of a heated play-off race is inexcusable.  Leroy Butler does  t
>no
>have
>a reputation for being a cheap-shot artist and is well respected by his peers.
>The hit
>he issued on Andre Ware was not vindictive, as Ware and Butler are good       ,
>friends
>and
>the hit was not near as severe as it looked.
>
>How the league can suspend a player for one action, while yet inexcusable,
>caused
>no harm to the player receiving the hit, and yet show no reaction to players  o
>wh
>continually incorporate cheap shots into their weekly repertoire, perplexes
>me.
>
>Butler apologized to Ware after the game and faxed a letter of apology to both
>Ware
>and Head Coach Wayne Fontes the day after the incident occured.
>
>Ware, upon hearing the apology by Butler on the field after the game, harbored
>no ill
>against Butler and himself believed the hit not to be serious.
>
>How Tagliabue can severly diminish the Packer's chances for a play-off berth
>by
>suspending Butler against the 'pass-happy' Oilers IS SAD!!!
>
>I understand that Commissioner Paul Tagliabue is a big REDSKINS fan!
>You put the pieces together!
>[A HARDCORE PACKER FAN]       Paul Kaufmann
>
   EXCUSE ME???  (Oh, you're a packer fan,  that's why!)  Let me see
if I get this straight.... He shouldn't be suspended because the hit
wasn't as bad as it looked??  So because Ware wasn't carried off the
field on a stretcher,  everything is OK right???  Oh, I'm sorry,  he
faxed Andre an apology.  So that makes it better.  So If I take a shot
at you with a gun,  but don't hit you,  and fax you an apology,  I shouldn't
go to jail for attempted murder right???  SHEESH!!!!
     Just because Andre wasn't hurt,  or the fact that Butler faxed that
he was sorry to Andre,  doesn't mean that the hit wasn't against the rules,
and that the player shouldn't get suspended.  The foul exists to PREVENT
injuries.  The Suspension enforces it!  If other people (maybe with more
malicious intentions than Butler,  as you say he didn't MEAN to leap 3
feet off the ground and throw his entire upper body into Andre's head and
come down on top of him,  YEAH RIGHT,  but this is not the point) see
that Butler can get away with it by saying 'I'm sorry',  then they might
be more inclined to try it themselves.  Then someone may eventually get
hurt.  FACT:  weather he MEANT it or not,  Butler took a shot to the head
of a Quarterback after the play.  This is against the rules,  and reguardless
of the outcome to Andre or the apology made,  he should pay the price.  The
argument that the commish is trying to keep Green Bay out of the playoffs
is shallow.  He's just looking out for the players,  which he should!!!

   In answer to the obvious question:  NO I AM NOT a lion's fan.  I loved
seeing Andre bite the dust,  expecially on the fumble.  I rooted for GB all
the way.  But CHEAP SHOTS like that have no place in this game.  I still
can't believe he wasn't ejected from the GAME!!!  Don't let your desire for
your favorite team to win cloud your judgement as to the way the game
should be played!
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// William A. Grant            //  ' Anticipation of deathi is worse   //
// Central Michigan University //      death itself ' - S. Segal       //
// 343VTQ2@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU //        - Hard to Kill                //
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro