Anyone catch the fight Saturday?
No, not the Joey Spina beating by Peter Manfredo Jr., but rather
the Miami-Florida International brawl that erupted midway through
their game. It was like watching the preview for The Rock’s
new movie ““ full of thugs and cheap shots.
For those of you that didn’t see the footage, it was a
bench-clearing, mama-dissing, “hit ’em where it
hurts” duke out. And it was all inspired by a post-touchdown
bow to the fans by Miami receiver James Bryant in the third
quarter. I’m sure there were also words exchanged between the
teams, but I have no idea what was said. The printable version is
probably something along the lines of “You throw like a
girl.”
“Well, your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of
elderberries.” And that’s where it went bad.
In retaliation for this unforgivable act of mockery by Bryant,
FIU receiver Chris Smith took the Miami holder to the ground and
punched him in the head.
At that point, all hell broke loose.
Both sidelines emptied within seconds, converging into the
middle of the field and acting as if they didn’t have a dozen
cameras capturing their every move from every possible angle.
There was Miami safety Brandon Meriweather doing his best Albert
Haynesworth impersonation, stomping on a FIU player who was curled
up on the ground and surrounded by at least five Hurricanes. Too
bad coaches look at that whole “character” thing on
Draft Day. Meriweather used to be one of the top safeties in the
country and a high first-round draft choice. I wonder how it feels
knowing you just lost out on guaranteed millions because you had
the urge to kick someone?
Then there’s Miami sophomore Anthony Reddick who had the
brilliant idea of using his helmet as a weapon. He charged across
the field, brandishing his piece of equipment like an oversized set
of brass knuckles and laid into FIU defensive back Robert Mitchell.
Hey, he’s still got two more years before the NFL to rebuild
that whole integrity thing, right?
All in all, it was like a fisticuffs version of
“Where’s Waldo?” If you looked hard enough, you
could see body slamming, kicks to the head, and even an injured FIU
player threatening some Canes with a crutch.
The difference is nobody wanted to see this.
This game was an embarrassment not only to the players involved
and their schools but also to the integrity of their sport. It
makes you wonder if these players know that football is still a
game.
To them, it’s no longer good enough to win. You gotta win
big and with style, and humiliating the opposition is just about
necessary. This twisted logic is seriously detracting from what
collegiate sports are about ““ the spirit of the game. Score a
touchdown? Great. I don’t care if you can do the worm
too.
As of Sunday night, 31 players from both teams have been
suspended for at least one game. One game? What kind of a message
is that? You stomp someone in the back or smash a helmet into
someone, I want to see jail time. If you do that, I guarantee you
that Saturday’s “incident” will be the last fight
of the season.
However you look at it, football is not the main concern here.
How many kids will think it’s OK to strap on their cleats,
kick someone in the face and expect to be back in school the
following Monday? Football is a sport, not an excuse for assault
with a deadly weapon.
After the game on Saturday, FIU coach Don Strock promised the
media that this “would never happen again.”
How can he be so sure? The same guys who belong behind bars are
going to be out on the gridiron next Saturday, and the other team
will know exactly what to say.
E-mail Jason at jfeder@media.ucla.edu if you can sell him a
ticket to the Notre Dame game to see some teams play with class.
Oh, and check out the extreme display of sportsmanship at
espn.com.