View topic - Found this funny little article......

[Steel_Buckeye Profile]

Not sure if this has been posted already, but I thought it was worth a copy and paste!

Teammate Fined by the NFL for Aggressive High-Five with Quarterback

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He's done it again!


Quote:
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward was fined $50,000 today by the NFL for delivering a hard high-five to the right hand of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on Sunday moments after the duo connected on a 29-yard pass during the first quarter.

No penalty was called on Ward by the game officials, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell ruled that Ward’s hit on Roethlisberger was excessive.

“Not only did he hit him too hard – no doubt Ben had a bit of stinging in his palm and maybe even fingers for a few seconds,” said Goodell. “But the brutal high-five came well after the whistle blew and the play was over. That is unacceptable.”

Ward says he strongly disagrees with the commissioner’s decision to fine him.

“That’s just how I play the game. Always have, always will,” said Ward. “Ben made a great pass, we got the first down and we were both excited about it. There was nothing malicious about my high-five. I could have just nodded to him or have done one of those swing-and-miss Tiger Woods high fives, but that’s not my style.”

The Steelers receiver says he won’t appeal the fine, however.

“The last time I appealed a fine we faxed in our appeal to the league office and five minutes later we got an angry call from Roger Goodell,” said Ward. “He said that we caused a paper to suddenly shoot out of their fax machine, risking serious paper cut harm to everyone in the office. And then he upped my fine by $5,000.”

While Ward and other players around the league say Goodell is trying to take the physicality and fun out of the sport, the commissioner denies those charges.

“I am merely trying to make the game safer for our players. I would think they would welcome that,” he said. “A high-five may look harmless, but what’s next – a congratulatory slap to the helmet? I shudder to think. And we really must protect the quarterbacks who are often defenseless. For example, Roethlisberger scrambled a few weeks ago and slid to the ground to avoid a hit. But he still was jarred pretty hard by the ground when sliding. So I am working with legal to see if there’s a way I can fine the ground.”

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