Are we ever equally at fault for an ejection?

[johnnyg08]

DeAngelo Hall, Washington Redskins CB, says referee 'equally at fault' in incident - ESPN

DeAngelo Hall, who is facing NFL discipline for his incident with an official that led to his ejection Sunday, said Tuesday in a radio interview that the official "was equally at fault."

The outspoken Washington Redskins cornerback, who was ejected from the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers after taking off his helmet and berating head linesman Dana McKenzie, is scheduled to meet with commissioner Roger Goodell and faces possible suspension.

Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall is facing NFL discipline for his on-field confrontation with head linesman Dana McKenzie last Sunday.
"From that particular camera angle you can't see what that ref's saying to me. So it looks like I'm just out there giving him a piece of my mind and he's smiling and walks away. And that's not the case at all. He's dishing it out just as much as I'm dishing it out," Hall said in an appearance on the "LaVar and Dukes" show on 106.7 The Fan in Washington.

Hall, who is trying to get video from different camera angles of the incident "so you can see both sides," said he wants to meet with Goodell "to tell our side of the story, just like them."

"But me and the ref was equally at fault on that particular play," he said.

Goodell said Wednesday that a decision on discipline could be coming soon.

"You know, our football operations staff are looking at that. I got a briefing this morning on it. They are going through the process of evaluating and getting all the information and they'll be making a decision on that either today or tomorrow, I believe," he said in an appearance on SiriusXM Radio's "Madden Football" show.
Hall said that players are expected to respect the officials, but that it should go both ways.

"It's not a system in place where ... they're the good cops and we're the criminals. It has to be an even playing field, a level playing field," Hall said. "If they want us to go out there and respect them, they have to do the same thing. They have to give us the same kind of respect that I feel like we've been giving them as players, as referees that ultimately control some of the calls in these games. Nobody is going out there trying to bully the referees, and likewise they shouldn't be out there trying to bully us."

On Monday, Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said the episode wouldn't have escalated if officials had flagged Steelers receiver Emmanuel Sanders for what the coach said was a "full nelson" wrestling move that put Hall on the ground.

"There's no question about it being a foul" on Sanders, Shanahan said.

Hall agreed that Sanders should have been flagged and said he tried to walk away from the Steelers receiver, who got in his "face and tries to, you know, talk trash. I immediately walk away from him, start talking to the ref."

"I'm just asking (the official) like, 'Did you not see what just took place right there?' ... For me to walk away from that incident and plead with the ref and beg like, 'Dude, what do I have to do to get a flag? The dude just slammed me. Nothing happened. I don't understand what you're looking at. If you're going to try to keep this game safe and the way it's supposed to be played, there's no way that particular play shouldn't have drawn a flag.'

Hall said that Sanders had already pulled his helmet "halfway off" and the Redskins had called a timeout.

"So helmets can come off during timeouts. So that wasn't why I got flagged for the helmet off and things like that. It was just a back and forth between me and that particular ref. And I can't go into too many details because it's still under review," he said.

Still, Shanahan on Monday didn't rule out some kind of team punishment for Hall, pending any league discipline.

"If there is something that occurs, you've got to be strong enough to stay away from it," Shanahan said. "That's part of being a good leader and a very smart football player."

On Wednesday, Shanahan said he didn't anticipate that Hall would be suspended for the incident.

Sanders will be headed for a meeting of his own with NFL officials, who want to discuss his fourth-quarter leg cramp in a 24-17 victory Oct. 21 against Cincinnati.
Sanders maintains he did nothing wrong when he suddenly dropped to the ground with the Steelers nursing a seven-point lead. Officials stopped play after Sanders lay on the turf, and television announcers suggested the third-year receiver was faking it so Pittsburgh could avoid using a timeout.

Sanders sat out one play and took in a small amount of fluids while team doctors massaged his calf before returning. He says the cramp was sudden but disappeared quickly after receiving medical attention. He says he's not sure when he'll meet with league officials.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Discuss.

[JRutledge]

Equally at fault because he lost his cool? Really?

DH is a dumbass and has been for some time. That part means more to me than anything the official he is going to accuse the official of. I am sure the official was saying something to him, but why would Hall keep in his face?

Peace

[HLin NC]

Hall is a great athlete AND an idiot, all at the same time.

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by johnnyg08

DeAngelo Hall, Washington Redskins CB, says referee 'equally at fault' in incident - ESPN

Discuss.

It's possible. And possible to be ever more at fault.

"Never say never, never say always."

With DH, it's close to an open and shut case. lol

[MD Longhorn]

It's definitely possible. But it doesn't seem to be in this case.

I suspect the 50-50 is much more common in baseball though.

[Canned Heat]

I suspect the 50-50 is much more common in baseball though.

Bing-o was his name-o.

[Altor]

TH in the video: "The officials are supposed to be the grown ups."

As if, somehow, the players aren't grown ups.

[Eastshire]

Originally Posted by Altor

TH in the video: "The officials are supposed to be the grown ups."

As if, somehow, the players aren't grown ups.

This is one of the things that always bothers me, especially during the replacement ref episode. Why is it that players are assumed to be completely unable to control themselves and yet we are okay with that?

[bkdow]

I have seen incidents where referees' choice of words or when they chose to say things has pour gas on a simmering fire. I watched one referee repeat the same phrase no less than 10 times (in 60 seconds) to the coach while the coach was asking for an explanation. It did nothing more than in-flame the coach and when it was done, both parties thought the other was an idiot.

We are paid to keep our cool. We are placed in pressure situations based on our abilities to retain our composure and choose our words wisely.

[zm1283]

This is not directed at football officials as it applies to all sports. The fact is that a lot of officials, especially at the high school level and below, do not handle situations well. They either take too much crap and get rolled over and make the next guy clean up their mess, or they can't communicate or know when to ignore statements so they look like hotheads and inflame situations that shouldn't be inflamed.

[ajmc]

Exactly when did it become the responsibility of people in authority to simply put up with as much "stuff" as any jerk decides needs to be handed out? Not just officials, applies to teachers, policemen, virtually anyone who is expected to control a situation.

Police can be spit on, called the most vile names, insulted and just about any response needs to deal with some level of an accusation of brutality or over reacting. I don't comment or express an opinion on how well I think a player performs his duties, and I'm really not interested in a player's opinion of something he knows precious little about.

I understand this is an emotional game, which involves serious physical contact, and am usually willing to ignore emotional, reactive remarks and let the first one pass. I might even try a little humor, empathy or explanation to help difuse a situation, but continued discussion, or ongoing comments are not acceptable.

[MD Longhorn]

Amen.

One day, in my imaginary future, all sports officials will lose their cool and blow up at a coach every time he forgets to send a runner in an obvious steal situation, or pinch hit with the wrong player... and then blow up at every batter who strikes out and every pitcher who fails to strike someone out.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by zm1283

This is not directed at football officials as it applies to all sports. The fact is that a lot of officials, especially at the high school level and below, do not handle situations well. They either take too much crap and get rolled over and make the next guy clean up their mess, or they can't communicate or know when to ignore statements so they look like hotheads and inflame situations that shouldn't be inflamed.

That might be true if this was an upstanding player that never has reacted inappropriately. This is a guy that has a history of situations. Of course we as officials can pour gas on the fire, but we also have a lot of players and coaches that think they can say anything to us and we are just to walk away. And in this situation the official was standing there (likely getting a spot) and the player not likely realizing that this official was not the person looking at the situation Hall was upset about (which is a problem when they have no idea who is the person to yell at) and then takes his helmet off.

And it is in the culture of football for there to be more interaction with players which includes sometimes saucy language the higher you go up. Hall is just a knucklehead and he is looking for anyone to blame by his sorry behind.

Peace

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

That might be true if this was an upstanding player that never has reacted inappropriately. This is a guy that has a history of situations. Of course we as officials can pour gas on the fire, but we also have a lot of players and coaches that think they can say anything to us and we are just to walk away. And in this situation the official was standing there (likely getting a spot) and the player not likely realizing that this official was not the person looking at the situation Hall was upset about (which is a problem when they have no idea who is the person to yell at) and then takes his helmet off.

And it is in the culture of football for there to be more interaction with players which includes sometimes saucy language the higher you go up. Hall is just a knucklehead and he is looking for anyone to blame by his sorry behind.

Peace

Agree with 90% of that. For the record, there was a timeout, so taking off his helmet was not an issue.

[HLin NC]

No where in that interview does Hall ever tell what exactly the official did or said to him to make it equally his fault. NFL officials, unlike MLB umpires, are pretty renown for keeping their cool.

If all that happened was he got no foul and no answer to his "WTF ref?" question, c'est la guerre.