Mike Smith Fined $15,000, DeAngelo Hall Not Fined In Wake Of Altercation

by Dave Choate on Nov 12, 2009 12:39 PM EST in Angry Rant

Now that the fine has been handed down, please go here if you're so inclined. This fund, set up and run by Falcons fans, is a symbolic gesture in support of Mike Smith and is set to go toward a charitable foundation, though one has not yet been selected.

Buckle up.

Today, the NFL announced that our coach is being fined $15,000. That's twice as much as Albert Haynesworth was fined, bizarrely, for coming to the aid of one DeAngelo Hall. You may remember Hall as the guy who talked himself out of Atlanta despite his talent and the guy who slammed the Falcons throughout the week leading up to the game. The fine is also three times as much as LaRon Landry, whose late hit on Ryan wasn't all that egregious to begin with.

Guess who didn't get a fine? If you said DeAngelo *&@#$ing Hall, you would be correct.

This is absolute garbage. I kind of expected Smith to be fined, and it's clear that as awesome as his player protection skills are, he overstepped his bounds on Sunday. A group of fans are raising money which will go to the charity of Smith's choice and as a gesture for him, which I support. If a charity can benefit, at least something good comes out of this. I know he came in with a shove, but Haynesworth's fine seems excessive to me given that he was trying to bail out a guy who had gotten himself in way over his head. More to the point, it seems excessive because Hall made it out smelling like a loud, contact-avoiding rose.

Watch this again. Hall goes over to the sideline to get Landry out, supposedly, and yet Landry and Matt Ryan take off on their own accord. Your view on what happens next may vary, but Hall supporters would say he's held there against his will by an ever-growing group of Falcons, while those who either do not like Hall or are familiar with his history suspect he's getting into a trash-talking streak with the Falcons. At more than one point, it looks like Smith may have swung at Hall, tried to get his arm free, or tested the tensile strength of his helmet. At another point, it looks like Hall might be gearing up for a swing or trying to get his arm free.

UPDATE: Director of Athletic Performance Jeff Fish fined $2,500, according to Adam Schefter.

My point is, it's not extremely clear what happened on that sideline. A reasonable person could argue that Smith was a villain, Hall was a villain or they both were at fault. Occam's Razor states, roughly, that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. Thus anyone in the league office assigned to review this fracas and come up with a fair decision probably should have decided on the simplest expanation: DeAngelo Hall should not have been on the sideline stirring up crap as he is wont to do, and Mike Smith should have defused the situation and not contributed to it. That brings down fines for both parties, and whether there's a difference in how much Smith gets and Hall gets or not, at least it recognizes that this kind of incident does not happen in a vacuum.

Instead, the league has chosen to go a route that creates its own Occam's Razor, by making everyone involved but DeAngelo Hall a bad guy. I would have preferred that Haynesworth got little to no fine and that some of that had headed Hall's way, but there's no chance that'll happen now. The only bright spot in this is that Hall is left to wonder why his teammates took so long to come to his rescue, something I doubt the majority of Falcons fans have to think very long and hard about.

Your thoughts?

Poll

Was the way the fines were doled out fair?

Yes, it accurately reflected what happened

29 votes

No, Mike Smith should have been fined less

25 votes

No, DeAngelo Hall should have be fined

279 votes

No, Albert Haynesworth deserved less

13 votes

No, the whole situation is a crock

131 votes

477 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Total Garbage

I understand fining Mike Smith for being in the middle of the situation. That’s all well and good, coaches held to higher standards, yadayadayada.

But not fining Hall for this is absurd. The guy shouldn’t be anywhere close to our sideline. Maybe Smith shouldn’t have been in his face, but Hall shouldn’t have been where he was and shouldn’t have been mouthing off.

This is a weak move by Goodell who I normally find to be rational and reasonable. To not levy any penalty on Hall here is absurd. It only encourages people like him to whine and moan and make a scene in the papers even further even though their statements are frivolous.

by LetsGoFalcons on Nov 12, 2009 12:52 PM EST reply actions

I watched several times

on my DVR. It was obvious Hall was lurking on the sideline well after Landry was out of there looking for an opportunity to act like the punk he is. I’m sure he was jawing up a storm too.The league is just asking for trouble giving in him. I couldn’t really say whether Smith deserves a fine or not. I’m sure they interviewed the refs to find out what was said but you really couldn’t a whole lot from the video even with zoomed all the way in and in slo mo.

by zooker on Nov 12, 2009 12:58 PM EST reply actions

ugh...

Smith deserved some sort of a fine, and so did Hall.

I hate how the NFL is making SheAngelo look like the good guy in this situation…

I really have nothing else to say. It’s really frustrating altogether, but I’m glad to know our team is more concerned with facing the Panthers in a few days rather than what happened a few days ago.

know what you believe in and why you believe in it

by MentallyMIA on Nov 12, 2009 1:03 PM EST reply actions

Me too

The team is moving ahead, but as a fan I can’t help but zoom back to this one. It really crisps my bacon.

by Dave Choate on Nov 12, 2009 1:07 PM EST up reply actions

The inequity in fines is the biggest insult

Nothing for Hall? That really steams my stubby shillelagh.

by tom slick on Nov 12, 2009 3:57 PM EST up reply actions

Agreed

It pan-fries my pork chop.

by Dave Choate on Nov 12, 2009 4:12 PM EST up reply actions

this really oodles my noodles

complete and utter bull hockey!

Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don't like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that. - Bill Shankly

by armchair quarterback on Nov 12, 2009 5:15 PM EST up reply actions

Quite a bunch of iceholes over at the NFL offices

by Dave Choate on Nov 12, 2009 5:22 PM EST up reply actions

Next thing you know they'll fine Smitty

for his nude PETA ad coming out next week. No Fun League, indeed.

by tom slick on Nov 12, 2009 5:38 PM EST up reply actions

I be putting out my mind's eye now. Thanks.

How many more days, Lord, must I walk through the wilderness?
GO FALCONS!!!

by AnOldBird on Nov 12, 2009 6:12 PM EST up reply actions

Good point

It’s over now. Who cares. We’re in the midst of the wild card hunt and don’t have any more time to waste on an overpaid loudmouth who remains the laughing stock of the league.

by LetsGoFalcons on Nov 12, 2009 1:08 PM EST up reply actions

Hall was on the Raiders

and now she’s on the Redskins, that is punishment enough.

In Dimitroff we trust

by Bonhoffer on Nov 12, 2009 1:24 PM EST reply actions

Is it? He's a stain.

De-Stain-Jello Hall

How many more days, Lord, must I walk through the wilderness?
GO FALCONS!!!

by AnOldBird on Nov 12, 2009 6:15 PM EST up reply actions

Smith, typically classy:

Acknowledges fine and says he’s moving on to game Sunday. We really, really need to get him a top hat.

You have opinions. We all do. Some of yours may have to do with the Falcons. Sign up today and share them.

by Adam Schultz on Nov 12, 2009 1:29 PM EST reply actions

MAKES GODDELL LOOK LIKE A JOKE!

This makes the league office of the NFL look like a joke. The Commissioner could not look anymore impotent than the position he put himself in. Hall looks like a weak no tackling
baffoon that he is. If he feels vindicated for all his whining, he should remember—- it is the only thing he got a good lick on last week!
We move on towards the playoffs. Hall moves on towards his career as a cartoon character.
“Mr Close Your Eyes and Grab Air”

by Gjmoody on Nov 12, 2009 1:45 PM EST via mobile reply actions 1 recs

The Commish lost credibility on this one

Hall was the instigator

by WarWolf on Nov 12, 2009 6:57 PM EST up reply actions

For a fine so one-sided

should the NFL have stated why it felt the amount should be so high? Do they think Smitty was the instigator? I can’t think of a better reason (from their perspective).

It’s wise to move on, but 8 weeks from now it might be interesting to look back and see if this incident had any impact on the Falcons’ season. The similar incident with Tampa Bay last year was arguably a rallying point, at least for a short time.

by tom slick on Nov 12, 2009 1:46 PM EST reply actions

Let's ride the anger all the way to the Lombardi!

I like the way you think, sir.

You have opinions. We all do. Some of yours may have to do with the Falcons. Sign up today and share them.

by Adam Schultz on Nov 12, 2009 1:52 PM EST up reply actions

The impetus the League is trying to impart...

…is that the Head Coach must remain above this sort of sideline fracus.

The truth is: Smittycould no more remain aloof while this was happening a few feet from him than gravity can cease for polital reasons. No head coach worth a nickle would tuck their tail and walk away.

I expect an envelope from the players will be slid under his door to cover the fine. He has their back, and they have his.

How many more days, Lord, must I walk through the wilderness?
GO FALCONS!!!

by AnOldBird on Nov 12, 2009 6:04 PM EST up reply actions

Good Point!

I agree! This could build team cohesion in the end. One things for sure—- it’s a small amount of money, whether justified or not, to make our players want to bleed and die for their coach. We win either way as Falcons fans!

by Gjmoody on Nov 12, 2009 1:55 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Money well spent!!

Hate that Coach got fined while that whiney, no class, waste of flesh Hall got nothing but there could be a big upside to this. Gjmoody might be right that this could fire up the team. A very similar thing happened in ATL last year and the player rallied around Coach.

Watch out Carolina!!

by mwalex on Nov 12, 2009 2:04 PM EST reply actions

It sucks that Smitty got fined...

But I’m glad he’s not suspended for a game. That would have been really bad. As for Meangelo, he’s on a team that is going nowhere fast. He talked himself out of Atlanta and is paying for it now.

Its true. I'm a Falcoholic! I just can't live without Falcohol!

by phoenix falcoholic on Nov 12, 2009 2:25 PM EST reply actions

Sometimes, karma works!

How many more days, Lord, must I walk through the wilderness?
GO FALCONS!!!

by AnOldBird on Nov 12, 2009 6:05 PM EST up reply actions

I'm NOT OK with this, but time to move on ...

The fine has been assessed. I’m sure Smitty isn’t fazed, and I’m fairly sure that the players gained respect for Smitty due to this whole ordeal, which is probably worth substantially more than 15K.

In the end, Sheangelo plays for a crappy team and he’s already starting to alienate his teammates. He’ll get his in the end.

Reporter: How will you address all of the dropped passes?

Mike Smith: I don’t think that we were as sharp as we have been catching the football. It’s something that is very fixable. It’s VERY fixable.

by FrankyWren on Nov 12, 2009 3:00 PM EST reply actions

I'm just waiting now

for the article about how the team rallies up to pay his fines…

I mean, Turner and Ryan bought EVERYBODY LCD TVs for Christmas last year… Roddy White has that new contract to spill from too. I’m sure the story will be heartwarming by the time it is said and done with.

know what you believe in and why you believe in it

by MentallyMIA on Nov 12, 2009 3:22 PM EST up reply actions

Nah

No one else is allowed to pay the fine, players or fans. But at the same time, it shows how much Smitty cares about his players. And it makes me love him as a coach even more.

by ChickenLay on Nov 12, 2009 8:54 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Dude

(or lady, who knows these days…) That is one of the most awesome profile pictures. I mean, seriously, who goes fishing in full football gear? Haha, I love it!

"This is America, if we can’t self-righteously look down on others and blame them for our faults, the commies win."-----Cormican on Bleeding Green Nation w/r/t fans overreacting to the Eagles signing of Michael Vick

by Jesse28 on Nov 13, 2009 9:50 AM EST up reply actions

Norwood's crazy about fishing

Pretty sure they have a lake stocked with fish at Flowery Branch. Bet that’s a training camp picture.

by tom slick on Nov 13, 2009 11:40 AM EST up reply actions

To quote Coach Smith.

“I want to reiterate that I’m always going to have my players’ backs and I’m going to take care of them.”

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4647447

See for yourself. I gotta be honest. In my lifetime, I’ve never seen any coach do or say anything like this, and as a fan, I must admit that I love this fiery awesomeness our Coach exhibits. This team is going to become something fierce before all is said and done in the Comrade/Smith era.

by Zippo729 on Nov 13, 2009 1:24 AM EST reply actions