Gronk: one-game suspension

Is Gronk Suspended?


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    239

Light-Tower-Power

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Not only did Dorsett touch him down, but half of White's body was lying out of bounds so there's no argument for thinking the play was still ongoing. He definitely took the time to line up the hit with some baby steps and then unload on the guy. That should be a suspension, and I think that if anything Gronk is lucky that White isn't hurt worse than he is. That's a lot of force applied to the head/neck area.
 

Ed Hillel

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Dec 12, 2007
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ESPN talking heads all calling for four games, so be prepared. We know how this goes.

I will now say he gets 3, appealed down to 2. Possibly costs them homefield and the Superbowl. I’d be pleasantly surprised if he’s playing in Pitt at this point.
 

BigSoxFan

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Not only did Dorsett touch him down, but half of White's body was lying out of bounds so there's no argument for thinking the play was still ongoing. He definitely took the time to line up the hit with some baby steps and then unload on the guy. That should be a suspension, and I think that if anything Gronk is lucky that White isn't hurt worse than he is. That's a lot of force applied to the head/neck area.
Agreed. I think Gronk is quite lucky that he didn't injured White even more. Obviously, a concussion is not trivial but he could have done permanent damage given how big and strong he is and how defenseless White was. If someone did this to Butler or Gilmore after an INT, we'd all be going nuts.
 

RedOctober3829

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I don't think there is anybody that disagrees with him getting suspended disagrees that it was a stupid and dirty play that is out of the norm for Gronkowski. It was selfish and he deserves discipline from the league office by way of a heavy fine. The media takes and some takes here are quite hot.
 

rodderick

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ESPN talking heads all calling for four games, so be prepared. We know how this goes.

I will now say he gets 3, appealed down to 2. Possibly costs them homefield and the Superbowl. I’d be pleasantly surprised if he’s playing in Pitt at this point.
A four game suspension is Vontaze Burfict territory. This is Gronk's first offense, I'd be shocked if he got two games.
 

wiffleballhero

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Mar 28, 2009
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ESPN talking heads all calling for four games, so be prepared. We know how this goes.

I will now say he gets 3, appealed down to 2. Possibly costs them homefield and the Superbowl. I’d be pleasantly surprised if he’s playing in Pitt at this point.
Maybe they should throw in a 1st and 4th round pick.
 

Ed Hillel

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A four game suspension is Vontaze Burfict territory. This is Gronk's first offense, I'd be shocked if he got two games.
Burfict never got more than 3, I think, but usually the ESPN rage is a strong indicator. My hope is 2, followed by a couple anxious days reducing it to one.
 

bsj

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ESPN talking heads all calling for four games, so be prepared. We know how this goes.

I will now say he gets 3, appealed down to 2. Possibly costs them homefield and the Superbowl. I’d be pleasantly surprised if he’s playing in Pitt at this point.
He was being fined last night. It was a game this morning. Now Im hearing 3 or 4.

I still say a game.
 

edmunddantes

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ESPN talking heads all calling for four games, so be prepared. We know how this goes.

I will now say he gets 3, appealed down to 2. Possibly costs them homefield and the Superbowl. I’d be pleasantly surprised if he’s playing in Pitt at this point.
for on field ramifications this is why it was a truly stupid play. It opens up the Patriots to the vagaries of the NFL discipline system.
 

lexrageorge

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Jul 31, 2007
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4 games would be ridiculous given the precedents. There is absolutely no way it would stand up on appeal, either.
 

djbayko

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I don't believe he should get a suspension but if I had to bet, I'd say that he will. The hit has received a lot of attention from the media and public, and we all know how the front office makes its decisions...
 

tims4wins

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Jul 15, 2005
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NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart (on Gronk): "Review is ongoing. As a broad point, when it comes to suspensions, we do our very best to try to let the team know as early in the week as we can. Monday is our internal goal. So I would say, on this one, if there is some news from the league office, we would hope to get it to you by the close of business today."
 

MikeM

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Flipping around this seems to be the headliner in every cable sports outlet today.

Guessing he (rightfully) gets a bring-the-hammer-down 2 games.
 

soxin6

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The only reason they could rationalize a two game suspension is because they penalize all Patriots more than the rest of the league. This should be one game.
 

BaseballJones

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Burfict never got more than 3, I think, but usually the ESPN rage is a strong indicator. My hope is 2, followed by a couple anxious days reducing it to one.
I think this is probably the winning answer. Two games, which will be seen by some as a strong move by the commissioner to look after player safety. But to some others, it will seem like too much. Then there will be an appeal, and the suspension will be reduced to one game.

But don't be shocked if it's 2 and stays 2. I mean, again, article 46 allows RG to do pretty much whatever he wants.
 

bankshot1

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How many egregious and dirty cheap shots did Vontaze Burfict dish out before he finally sat a game?

it seems he was doing this on a weekly basis, (or against the Steelers) before it drew attention

Gronk is a 1st timne offender and immediately apologized for the play.

IMO a fine is more appropriate for a first offense.

4 games?

Screw ESPN.
 

The Big Red Kahuna

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Isn't the Mike Evans/Lattimore hit the most comparable (in terms of danger to recipient) and recent similar ruling?

1 game.
 

fairlee76

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It behooves us to separate issues when making normative discernments.

Willfully muddying the waters by shoving them all together encourages feelings to bleed across and, well, make a muddy mess,
But, but, but...HER EMAILS!

He should absolutely get suspended for that hit. And the people lauding it as a display of his "intensity" ought to do some reflecting. It's a dangerous enough game as it is; throwing in cheap shots like that is completely asinine.
 

Tyrone Biggums

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I haven't watched a snap this year because Colin Kaepernick has yet to be signed by any team. So after watching a clip on youtube, Gronk deserves a few games for this. Shocked by his behavior but maybe it helps long run for the team since he can't play 16 games during a season.
 

DJnVa

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Dec 16, 2010
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NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart (on Gronk): "Review is ongoing. As a broad point, when it comes to suspensions, we do our very best to try to let the team know as early in the week as we can. Monday is our internal goal. So I would say, on this one, if there is some news from the league office, we would hope to get it to you by the close of business today."
That's the same Joe Lockhart that used to be Bill Clinton's Press Secretary.
 

DJnVa

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Dec 16, 2010
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The only reason they could rationalize a two game suspension is because they penalize all Patriots more than the rest of the league. This should be one game.
It's awesome because on twitter last night people were talking about how he wasn't ejected because the officials and NFL protect the Patriots.
 

PC Drunken Friar

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ESPN talking heads all calling for four games, so be prepared. We know how this goes.

I will now say he gets 3, appealed down to 2. Possibly costs them homefield and the Superbowl. I’d be pleasantly surprised if he’s playing in Pitt at this point.
Is this an Ed H overreaction special? By God, I think it is!
 

pdaj

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Suh didn't even get fined for that. No discipline at all.
I think the after-whistle-stuff that occurs face-to-face between players -- basically everything other than a legit fistfight -- is difficult to evaluate as suspension worthy. Typically these types of scrums lead to flags, and at most, an ejection; but few result in anything more than that. (Keeping it Miami-related -- McCain got tossed vs. NE for an elbow/punch after the whistle, but wasn't suspended.) I think that Suh play looks worse as a still photo; plus, there's the fact that he throat-shoved a skinny, white QB. If that's an OL, it's a flag, and it gets close to zero attention.

When it comes to defenseless players, however, suspensions seem to be more likely. Taking a shot at someone who is defenseless that causes injury and/or appears as though the intent was to cause injury gets much more league attention. In the incident with Gronk, as others have already noted, the Buffalo player was prone on the ground when Gronk laid the hit several seconds after the play. Had he hit him face-to-face, with both players standing, this isn't even an issue today.

Gronk doesn't have a reputation for this sort of thing, which also seems to factor into league decisions regarding suspensions. As a non-Pats fan, I'd be okay with a heavy fine and/or 1 game suspension. Anything more than that would definitely seem excessive.
 

snowmanny

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Dec 8, 2005
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I haven't watched a snap this year because Colin Kaepernick has yet to be signed by any team. So after watching a clip on youtube, Gronk deserves a few games for this. Shocked by his behavior but maybe it helps long run for the team since he can't play 16 games during a season.
The problem with your statement is the word "deserves." In one sense the hit was awful and awful hits should get multiple games, but if you compare his hit to other "bad" hits and the punishments/non-punishments handed out for those it is less clear that he "deserves" a single game. You can't just completely take it out of the context that you've ignored.
 

Mugsy's Jock

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The only reason they could rationalize a two game suspension is because they penalize all Patriots more than the rest of the league. This should be one game.
So this'll be an unpopular opinion -- but precedent need not be the be-all-end-all in deciding the punishment. It would not be a terrible thing if the NFL elected to take steps to make its discipline harsher for injury-causing cheap shots, and the legacy of past decisions shouldn't prevent the league from deciding to step it up at some point.

Now... should that point be between seasons and not just the moment a Patriot stepped out of line and the tears flooded down from the heavens? Of course. But bad precedent doesn't need to be endlessly repeated.
 

Tyrone Biggums

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The problem with your statement is the word "deserves." In one sense the hit was awful and awful hits should get multiple games, but if you compare his hit to other "bad" hits and the punishments/non-punishments handed out for those it is less clear that he "deserves" a single game. You can't just completely take it out of the context that you've ignored.
Fair point. As mentioned I've boycotted the NFL all season because of the social injustice about Kaepernick being blackballed so I'll take your word about other bad hits this year.
 

Dogman

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Greeeeeaaaaatttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt.

Unless you have other NFL things you are capable of discussing, please stop posting the same thing over and over.

Thanks.
 

heavyde050

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Nov 17, 2006
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Good job by the NFL. They gave him a suspension (hits like his have no place in the game), and they didn't overreact and suspend him 4 games because of the media takes.
 

TheoShmeo

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Schefty and Reiss saying one game suspension.

Edit: Oops, late by a few seconds. Wonder if/when we hear he is not appealing. Rather he did not with the Stillera coming up.

Edit 2: So he IS appealing. Let’s hope it’s resolved before this coming Monday.
 

joe dokes

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Goodell gets one right. With a Patriot. With the added bonus of probably making Jerry Jones's head explode some more.
 

lexrageorge

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Very clear and defensible line of reasoning from the NFL. Really, noone should complain.

While I would prefer that Gronk not appeal, I can see why he would, as it seems par for the course these days. I am expecting that any appeal would be filed almost immediately and be ruled on soon after that. I'm guessing this appeal may fail, however.

And as usual in these things, there are always mediots that start spouting off for penalties far in excess of reason. Just recall those that wanted Brady and Belichick suspended for the Super Bowl against Seattle. As usual, their bleatings are just noise.
 

RedOctober3829

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Very clear and defensible line of reasoning from the NFL. Really, noone should complain.

While I would prefer that Gronk not appeal, I can see why he would, as it seems par for the course these days. I am expecting that any appeal would be filed almost immediately and be ruled on soon after that. I'm guessing this appeal may fail, however.

And as usual in these things, there are always mediots that start spouting off for penalties far in excess of reason. Just recall those that wanted Brady and Belichick suspended for the Super Bowl against Seattle. As usual, their bleatings are just noise.
Gary Myers wants Gronk suspended for the rest of the regular season. As I said before, tons of hot takes out there on this because Gronk is a Patriot. If this were any other team, this would not be a big of an issue. It'd be talked about, but not to the point of 4-game suspensions.