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Thursday, Jan. 13, 2000
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'FedEx
Field Fiasco'
Redskins’ fight with Lions draws fines but also builds feisty playoff attitude
By Keith Schleiden, Managing editor
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| Last weekend’s most memorable play? It’s obvious — the
celebrated lateral in overtime from Titans TE Frank Wycheck to WR Kevin Dyson, who took
the ball 75 yards up the sideline for the winning score. In fact, the play was almost
instantly dubbed "The Music City Miracle." It was such an improbable ending
that people are now using the words "destiny" and "Titans" in the same
sentence.
I’ve got another incident that deserves naming, and I believe it will be of great
importance in this postseason. It happened just hours after the Music City Miracle. I
shall call it the "FedEx Field Fiasco."
A melee broke out on the field during last week’s wild-card game between the Lions
and Redskins. The brawl started after Lions DE Robert Porcher threw a hard block at
Redskins QB Brad Johnson during an interception return — which was perfectly
legal. Johnson, however, took exception to the move and pushed Porcher to the ground.
After that, all heck broke loose.
Players from both teams got into the mix. Pushing. Shoving. Yelling. Screaming. Arms
swinging. Redskins OG Tré Johnson even made contact with a game official, knocking his
hat off his head, in an effort to hit an opponent. It wasn’t a pretty scene.
As expected, the NFL came down hard on the participants in this incident. The league
levied $154,000 worth of fines, a new record. Tré Johnson also drew a one-game
suspension, although that will not be served until next season. It will be a costly game
to miss, though, as Tré Johnson will earn about $135,000 per game next season.
The funny thing about this whole mess is that Redskins players are saying that it has
brought them together. Yes, the players aren’t happy about the fines, which ranged
from $1,500 to $50,000. And most of the players plan to appeal the fines.
But they say that what happened on the field — the "FedEx Field
Fiasco" — was a positive. It brought them together has a team. It showed
that they stick up for one another. And in the playoffs, when every game is a fight to the
death, this attitude is needed.
"Looking back at it, it was a positive in a way," said FB Larry Centers.
"It shows the mentality we have to have in order to stay alive in the playoffs.
It’s going to be a fight every week."
I couldn’t agree more.
I don’t like to see fighting on the field. It’s not part of the game. But the
Redskins’ players have a point. They have one thing in mind, and that’s winning.
If it means they have to brawl a bit when challenged, so be it. |
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