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You may remember this hit above from this weekend's Steelers/Pats game. It's the one where Wes Welker had his brain scrambled by Ryan Clark, even though Welker was pulling up and wasn't anywhere close to the ball. And just to top it all off, Clark also launched himself into Welker, leaving both his feet, which is, you know, sort of dangerous. See, for all those reasons, the refs threw a flag on the play.
Naturally, today the NFL has stepped in to fine Clark for this vicious hit, right?
Hahahaha, no, of course not. Instead they're here to tell us just how legal it is. Take it away NFL head of officiating Mike Pereira:
"A lot of people think it's a foul to leave your feet," ... Pereira said yesterday from New York. "Launching is not a foul. There is nothing in the rulebook that states that at all. It's a misconception people have.
"It is a foul to hit with your helmet against a defenseless receiver. It is a foul to throw a forearm into the neck or head area of your opponent. I don't think either of those things happened. I'm not a fan of those high hits but if you do it with your shoulder you're OK."
"It is a foul to hit with your helmet against a defenseless receiver. It is a foul to throw a forearm into the neck or head area of your opponent. I don't think either of those things happened. I'm not a fan of those high hits but if you do it with your shoulder you're OK."
Wow, so this hit was totally cool then?
"When you look at it and slow it down it probably was not an illegal hit. You might have to factor in that it was deflected early and does that make it become late. But the actual hit itself is probably OK."
Oh, well that's good to know. Sure the hit that nearly paralyzed Welker was probably late, but the hit itself was OK. Which means everything's cool! Man, the logic behind Pereira's statement there is like saying, yes our bomb accidentally fell on a school, but we went through all the proper pre-drop requirements. Like that somehow makes the end result better.
God, what a joke. Meanwhile, Roger Goodell scoffs at medical reports that strongly suggest that NFL players suffer the same brain damage as boxers, all while Welker's still trying to figure out what zip code he's in.
Way to look out for your players NFL. I'm sure receivers everywhere are glad to know it's open season on their heads.
NFL Defends Wes Welker Hit [Boston Herald] via [Fanhouse]
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