As the statement on NFL.com indicates, Ed Reed will be allowed to play against San Diego on Sunday with a slightly lighter pocket. Of course, the $423,529 game check would’ve been a bit more steep than the $50,000 fine he will now face.
Here’s what the league’s hearing official, Ted Cottrell, had to say to Reed:
“I have determined that your actions were egregious and warrant significant discipline. However, I do not believe that your actions were so egregious as to subject you to a one-game suspension without pay. Player safety is the league’s primary concern in the formation of playing rules and all players are expected to adhere to those rules or face disciplinary action. I hope in the future you will focus on ensuring that your play conforms to the rules.”
If this sounds like a classic “good cop, bad cop” between Cottrell and Ray Anderson, the league’s Executive VP for Football Operations, it’s because it is. Over on Yahoo!, Doug Farrar sums it up well: this latest Ed Reed saga shows the league really doesn’t know what it wants out of its players when it comes to safety. Someone needs to make a Wheel of Justice for the NFL immediately.
