NFL Punishments: Fair Or Not?

Dec 29, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals linebacker John Abraham (55) against the San Francisco 49ers at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The offseason is finally over, the Packers travelled to Seattle on Thursday to open up the season and embarrassed themselves. The offseason has been very depressing for the most part. We have had the usual rash of injuries, knocking players out for the year. Our own Darnell Dockett suffered a torn ACL injury that will keep him out for the year. On the other hand it seems as though, more than ever, the NFL punishments that have been handed out by commissioner Roger Goodel have been called into question.

It all seem to start on the 2nd day of the draft last May, when it was reported that Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon had failed yet another drug test. Since this was not for the first time, a lengthy suspension was likely. It took many months for the ruling on Gordon but ultimately he was hit was a full season suspension for a marijuana incident. Let us remember that it is very difficult to believe that marijuana is in any way performance enhancing. It is also a drug that like it or not is now legal in some states.

The league has rules on this and they are clearly stated. The players getting caught using marijuana know what is coming, and therefore they are rightly punished accordingly.  Where I have a problem, however, is in some of the finer details of the suspension and how reflective the NFL punishments are when viewed alongside other incidents.