Questioning Integrity of Officials & League

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by UES

Baseball obviously handles the above situations differently than football.

1. Questioning the ingretity of an umpire and/or MLB is an automatic ejection (if done during the game) and an immediate fine and suspension if done publicly through the media (the league dishes out its punishment within 24 hours on these type of matters - I think the NBA handles it in a similar fashion)

Let me qualify my statement by saying I did not see this live. I turned back to the game after all of this had happen. First of all the comments you just mentioned were not things that were said during the game. These were things said in the locker room. So to say there should have been an "automatic" ejection does not even apply. And from what I understand it is hard to know what was said on the field. And for the record fines and suspensions are common in the NFL without action being taken by officials. It happens much more in the NFL than I have ever heard done in other sports.

Originally Posted by UES

2. I can't believe the player who throw the flag in the stands was not ejected IMMEDIATELY. How much more can you disrespect an official than what that idiot did? Also, what kind of precedent does that send to other players in the league - are they going to be able to get away with that? And no, penalizing a player, I don't care how many yards, does not take care of the problem

All I will say is I did not see if there was an ejection. But what I understand is he did not play anymore and received two unsportsmanlike penalties. From what I understand in football there is not a 2 and out limit with unsportsmanlike penalties, but you can be ejected. I am not sure if that happen here or not.

Originally Posted by UES

3. Here we are, 48 hours after these comments, and the NFL has done absolutely nothing to back it's officials. That is SAD!!!! McAllister, Rolle & Scott should have been fined and suspended for their comments/actions on Tuesday

We do not know what they have or will do. The issue is definitely being investigated. We just do not know what the action will be. There will be action, it is just under review. The NFL talks their time on these issues.

Originally Posted by UES

4. As for the "Boy" comment - this should be dealt with separately. With this type of matter, it usually takes a little longer to get all of the details. I would imagine that this official will probably be suspended for a certain amount of games and probably deservedly so.

Once again this is under investigation. I can tell you that this is a little different because that will involve what happens to the officials. The same individual that would fine or suspend the officials is not the same people that fine and suspend players. Different "departments" that take care of those issues and who they fine and suspend in the NFL.

Originally Posted by UES

Can you football guys help this ignorant baseball umpire understand why things were handled so poorly - both by the referee who did not throw Scott out of the game and the NFL for not immediately handing out suspensions and fines for the integrity comments?????

I am a football and baseball official. The sports are different for many reasons. For one there is no equivalent for penalties in baseball like there are in football. Penalties can cost series yardage and can change the complexion of the game. All that happens to a team in baseball is an ejection. Which I would argue does nothing. All they do in baseball is getting rid of the player from the game instead of awarding a game penalty. You do not award bases or give runs for an unsportsmanlike act in baseball. You do award significant yardage in football and as it did the penalties help the Ravens lose the game. And I really do not know that MLB does a better job in handing in fines and suspensions. I know it takes days to bring down fines and suspensions in baseball and they can play as they decide to appeal the punishment. Last year when a player stepped on the face of another player, this player lost about 6 games or a quarter of the entire season. In some cases when players get suspended in baseball they do not miss that much time and in some cases it is minor compared to what happens in football. I think you need to put some things in perspective about how penalties are handed out. If anything players in the NFL get fined from how they do not wear their uniform to hits that are not penalized. A MLB player can curse out an umpire and they will play the next day and not ever get suspended unless they go so over the top the league feels like they should do something.

Peace