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When Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth kicked Cowboys guard Andre Gurode in the head during Sunday's game it drew a five-game suspension from the NFL front office. It has also drawn complete outrage from Haynesworth's brethren throughout the league. Outrage. Disgust. Anger. The emotions don't stop there.
FOXSports.com this week spoke with several of the NFL's elite and asked for their take to the on-field assault. The reactions ranged with regard to the specifics but all held one common theme: it was a disgrace.
Stars such as Chicago's Brian Urlacher, Carolina's Keyshawn Johnson, Denver's John Lynch, the Giants' Michael Strahan, Chiefs' Tony Gonzalez, Falcons' John Abraham and Keith Brooking, the Chiefs' Kyle Turley (a guy who knows a thing or two about snapping on the field) and the Jets' Jonathon Vilma all had, to say the least, strong reactions.
The man who wanted the stiffest penalty on our panel was Johnson, the Panthers' wideout.
"I would have asked for him to be kicked out of the league permanently," said the outspoken receiver. "Even if I was his teammate I would ask that he was kicked out of the league. I don't want any idiots on our team that would embarrass themselves. If they want to fight then go do Ultimate Fighting. They have a sport where you are allowed to kick someone in the face and it's not football.
"I've never seen anybody kick somebody in the face, never, ever, ever, ever, never seen it. If he was on the Panthers I would ask (owner) Jerry Richardson to get rid of him. I'd tell the coach and the GM that we shouldn't have to play with him. It's embarrassing to the league."
Johnson, however, took it even one step further.
"It's embarrassing to me as a black man," said Johnson. "Is that how we act? Because you're getting your *** whipped is that how we act? Is that how you represent yourself? What if he stomped on the guy's temple? He could have killed him. There is no place for something like that in this league."
Johnson's former teammate and hard-hitting safety John Lynch said that while violence reigns on a football field, the players all respect a line that is never meant to be crossed.
"Even in such a violent game there is a code you don't cross and he crossed it," said Lynch. "That's as bad as I've ever seen. If that was me who got kicked in the face, I would have been suspended for five games too because of what I would have done. You just don't mess with a guy when his helmet is off."
Violent acts and even cheap shots occur in every 60-minute span of time in this league. What is the difference between what Haynesworth did and your weekly run-of-the-mill cheap shot?
One guy to ask is Giants defensive end Michael Strahan. Last year Strahan was the victim of an eye-poke by a Raiders offensive lineman that had the Pro Bowl pass rusher furious. The finger poke caused enough swelling to completely shut Strahan's eye.
"When I got poked in the eye last year, even though I thought he poked me on purpose, there could be some who could debate whether it was on purpose or not," said Strahan. "With this play, there was no doubt he was trying to hurt someone. What he did goes beyond football — what he does can affect your livelihood.
"If he got suspended for a year, I don't think there would be anybody in the league who would mind it. They say you should leave everything on the field but this steps beyond it. His actions could hurt off the field so I'd take it off the field too and sue him. Absolutely, I'd sue him!"
Strahan was not alone in urging Gurode to take legal action off the field.
"I'd press charges," said All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez. "That was ridiculous. Seriously, I view that as a criminal offense. When I first saw it I was like, 'Are you kidding me?' That was one of the worst things I'd ever seen. I'd want him prosecuted."
Some, like the Jets' Vilma and the Bucs' Simeon Rice, agreed with legal action as an option, but also said they wouldn't be able to resist taking matters into his own hands off the field.
"If it was a home game I would have met him afterwards at the bus. I'd have gone into the parking lot and waited for him by his team's bus" said Vilma. "I wouldn't be able to just leave it on the field. If it was an away game the only I could have done was sue him. He took it way past the line. It's one thing if you get in a fight on the field but for him to step on your head, it's crazy. It's ridiculous – and he had on cleats! It's not like he's a little dude. Heck no! That's the worst thing I've ever seen on a football field. There's a line you don't cross. It's one thing to be dirty, but he could have taken his eye out easily. He has kids, a family to feed -- you can't do that."
"If that was me, they would have had to cancel the game at halftime," Rice said. "I would have gone crazy. The way I would have looked at it is like he was trying to kill me. I wouldn't have sued him. I would have taken it into my own hands."
Bears All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher said his focus would have been coming to his teammate's aid. Assuming of course, that his teammate was the stompee, as opposed to the stomper.
"If that was one of my teammates (who got kicked), offense or defense, and I saw that, I'd be the first one flying off the sidelines to come to his aid," Urlacher said. "First, I'd make sure my helmet was on. Then I'd run otno the field. I'd definitely get fined by the league, but you've got to do that for your teammates."
While all of the aforementioned players live a daily life of on-field violence, none has been involved in anything controversial when it comes to on-field anger. That is why we went to Chiefs offensive tackle Kyle Turley. For years Turley was something of a poster child for anger management. Years ago he drew the ire of the league after he tore the helmet off of Jets safety Damien Robinson and chucked it across the field.
There was a difference, however, in that Robinson was seen twisting Saints QB Aaron Brooks' head around as if trying to hurt him and Turley reacted.
"I know I might sound hypocritical because I'm the guy who threw the helmet but I was retaliating," said Turley. "I took it a bit too far but it's different. I snapped because I was trying to protect my teammate. There's a difference between snapping for good and snapping for bad. One is admirable and one is despicable."
Turley, one of the league's toughest men, said he wouldn't be able to take such a cheap shot from anybody.
"If that guy kicked me in the face like that I wouldn't let anyone from stopping me from running into his locker room and bashing his head in," said Turley. "Then after that I would sue him and I certainly wouldn't accept any phone call apologizing. Guys like that don't belong in football. They don't belong on the same field as us."
Former Jet and current Falcon John Abraham was on the field when Turley tore Robinson's helmet off. He also knows Haynesworth personally since they attended the same church as youngsters.
"I was involved in that incident with Turley and that was crazy but this was 10 times worse," said Abraham. "But I know Albert and I'm surprised by this."
What would Abraham have done if Haynesworth was his teammate? Would he have the same reaction as the Panthers' Johnson?
"If he was my teammate, I wouldn't try to scold him I'd come ask him what is going on outside of football," said the Pro Bowl pass rusher. "Obviously there is something else going on inside his mind outside the game. Everyone says he has anger management problems but I never saw that in him."
Still, what would Abraham have done if the Titans' big man stomped on his face?
"I'd call his mom," said Abraham. "Since I've known him and his family for that long, I'd call his mom."
Abraham's reaction is far from his peers' disgust.
"That was assault on the football field," said hard-hitting Atlanta linebacker Keith Brooking. "That's not just a shoving match, that's where you are staying outside his locker room after the game. He totally crossed the line. In the heat of the moment there's stuff you usually forget all about after the game but something like that you just can't let go. There would be a fight after that where the whole team would have to stop it."
"I wouldn't even take his phone call," said Strahan. "Don't even bother calling because I'm not picking up."
FOXSports.com this week spoke with several of the NFL's elite and asked for their take to the on-field assault. The reactions ranged with regard to the specifics but all held one common theme: it was a disgrace.
Stars such as Chicago's Brian Urlacher, Carolina's Keyshawn Johnson, Denver's John Lynch, the Giants' Michael Strahan, Chiefs' Tony Gonzalez, Falcons' John Abraham and Keith Brooking, the Chiefs' Kyle Turley (a guy who knows a thing or two about snapping on the field) and the Jets' Jonathon Vilma all had, to say the least, strong reactions.
The man who wanted the stiffest penalty on our panel was Johnson, the Panthers' wideout.
"I would have asked for him to be kicked out of the league permanently," said the outspoken receiver. "Even if I was his teammate I would ask that he was kicked out of the league. I don't want any idiots on our team that would embarrass themselves. If they want to fight then go do Ultimate Fighting. They have a sport where you are allowed to kick someone in the face and it's not football.
"I've never seen anybody kick somebody in the face, never, ever, ever, ever, never seen it. If he was on the Panthers I would ask (owner) Jerry Richardson to get rid of him. I'd tell the coach and the GM that we shouldn't have to play with him. It's embarrassing to the league."
Johnson, however, took it even one step further.
"It's embarrassing to me as a black man," said Johnson. "Is that how we act? Because you're getting your *** whipped is that how we act? Is that how you represent yourself? What if he stomped on the guy's temple? He could have killed him. There is no place for something like that in this league."
Johnson's former teammate and hard-hitting safety John Lynch said that while violence reigns on a football field, the players all respect a line that is never meant to be crossed.
"Even in such a violent game there is a code you don't cross and he crossed it," said Lynch. "That's as bad as I've ever seen. If that was me who got kicked in the face, I would have been suspended for five games too because of what I would have done. You just don't mess with a guy when his helmet is off."
Violent acts and even cheap shots occur in every 60-minute span of time in this league. What is the difference between what Haynesworth did and your weekly run-of-the-mill cheap shot?
One guy to ask is Giants defensive end Michael Strahan. Last year Strahan was the victim of an eye-poke by a Raiders offensive lineman that had the Pro Bowl pass rusher furious. The finger poke caused enough swelling to completely shut Strahan's eye.
"When I got poked in the eye last year, even though I thought he poked me on purpose, there could be some who could debate whether it was on purpose or not," said Strahan. "With this play, there was no doubt he was trying to hurt someone. What he did goes beyond football — what he does can affect your livelihood.
"If he got suspended for a year, I don't think there would be anybody in the league who would mind it. They say you should leave everything on the field but this steps beyond it. His actions could hurt off the field so I'd take it off the field too and sue him. Absolutely, I'd sue him!"
Strahan was not alone in urging Gurode to take legal action off the field.
"I'd press charges," said All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez. "That was ridiculous. Seriously, I view that as a criminal offense. When I first saw it I was like, 'Are you kidding me?' That was one of the worst things I'd ever seen. I'd want him prosecuted."
Some, like the Jets' Vilma and the Bucs' Simeon Rice, agreed with legal action as an option, but also said they wouldn't be able to resist taking matters into his own hands off the field.
"If it was a home game I would have met him afterwards at the bus. I'd have gone into the parking lot and waited for him by his team's bus" said Vilma. "I wouldn't be able to just leave it on the field. If it was an away game the only I could have done was sue him. He took it way past the line. It's one thing if you get in a fight on the field but for him to step on your head, it's crazy. It's ridiculous – and he had on cleats! It's not like he's a little dude. Heck no! That's the worst thing I've ever seen on a football field. There's a line you don't cross. It's one thing to be dirty, but he could have taken his eye out easily. He has kids, a family to feed -- you can't do that."
"If that was me, they would have had to cancel the game at halftime," Rice said. "I would have gone crazy. The way I would have looked at it is like he was trying to kill me. I wouldn't have sued him. I would have taken it into my own hands."
Bears All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher said his focus would have been coming to his teammate's aid. Assuming of course, that his teammate was the stompee, as opposed to the stomper.
"If that was one of my teammates (who got kicked), offense or defense, and I saw that, I'd be the first one flying off the sidelines to come to his aid," Urlacher said. "First, I'd make sure my helmet was on. Then I'd run otno the field. I'd definitely get fined by the league, but you've got to do that for your teammates."
While all of the aforementioned players live a daily life of on-field violence, none has been involved in anything controversial when it comes to on-field anger. That is why we went to Chiefs offensive tackle Kyle Turley. For years Turley was something of a poster child for anger management. Years ago he drew the ire of the league after he tore the helmet off of Jets safety Damien Robinson and chucked it across the field.
There was a difference, however, in that Robinson was seen twisting Saints QB Aaron Brooks' head around as if trying to hurt him and Turley reacted.
"I know I might sound hypocritical because I'm the guy who threw the helmet but I was retaliating," said Turley. "I took it a bit too far but it's different. I snapped because I was trying to protect my teammate. There's a difference between snapping for good and snapping for bad. One is admirable and one is despicable."
Turley, one of the league's toughest men, said he wouldn't be able to take such a cheap shot from anybody.
"If that guy kicked me in the face like that I wouldn't let anyone from stopping me from running into his locker room and bashing his head in," said Turley. "Then after that I would sue him and I certainly wouldn't accept any phone call apologizing. Guys like that don't belong in football. They don't belong on the same field as us."
Former Jet and current Falcon John Abraham was on the field when Turley tore Robinson's helmet off. He also knows Haynesworth personally since they attended the same church as youngsters.
"I was involved in that incident with Turley and that was crazy but this was 10 times worse," said Abraham. "But I know Albert and I'm surprised by this."
What would Abraham have done if Haynesworth was his teammate? Would he have the same reaction as the Panthers' Johnson?
"If he was my teammate, I wouldn't try to scold him I'd come ask him what is going on outside of football," said the Pro Bowl pass rusher. "Obviously there is something else going on inside his mind outside the game. Everyone says he has anger management problems but I never saw that in him."
Still, what would Abraham have done if the Titans' big man stomped on his face?
"I'd call his mom," said Abraham. "Since I've known him and his family for that long, I'd call his mom."
Abraham's reaction is far from his peers' disgust.
"That was assault on the football field," said hard-hitting Atlanta linebacker Keith Brooking. "That's not just a shoving match, that's where you are staying outside his locker room after the game. He totally crossed the line. In the heat of the moment there's stuff you usually forget all about after the game but something like that you just can't let go. There would be a fight after that where the whole team would have to stop it."
"I wouldn't even take his phone call," said Strahan. "Don't even bother calling because I'm not picking up."
