Jadeveon Clowney Ruling Sets Bad Precedent for NFL

The Seattle Seahawks' defensive lineman was not fined by the league for what looked like a textbook spearing play against Eagles QB Carson Wentz

If the National Football League is truly serious about legislating late, helmet-to-helmet hits out of the game, then Jadeveon Clowney should have at least been fined for the one he delivered to Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz that knocked Wentz from the game in the first quarter of last Sunday’s wildcard playoff game.

The league talks a good game, but when it comes time to put their money where their mouth is, they came up short in this case.

Clowney escaped a fine for what even the former NFL vice president of officials, Mike Pereira, called a cheap shot.

The hit certainly looked like a textbook spear, yet it was deemed perfectly allowable.

Meanwhile, Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Cody Ford was fined more than $28,000 for what was viewed as a blindside block in last week’s playoff game against the Houston Texans.

Unlike the Clowney hit, where referee Shawn Smith and his crew did not throw a flag, the crew in Houston called the blindside block, which knocked the Bills out of field goal range.

Here are the two plays. Which one looks worse?

One got a fine and penalty. The other didn’t.
https://t.co/JaIqdwPko3

— Louie DiBiase (@DiBiaseLOE) January 11, 2020

Perhaps if Eagles players had taken matters into their own hands and started pushing and shoving with Clowney after his hit on Wentz, things may be viewed differently by the NFL.

Perhaps that is what it will take next time – vigilante justice by players in order to bring attention to the NFL that, hey, maybe they should do something.

Left tackle Jason Peters confronted Clowney verbally and said it was a dirty play. Later in the game, Peters was seen helping up Clowney after a block.

The only player to come to Wentz’s aid after the Clowney hit was lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who helped Wentz to his feet.

Wentz stayed in for a few snaps more, but after playing just nine of them, his playoff debut was over, over really before he could gain any traction.

If the same hit was delivered to what the NFL considers one of its marquee quarterbacks such as Russell Wilson or Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes, to name three, the situation probably would have been handled differently. It’s a bad double standard that the NFL has allowed to happen by turning a blind eye to Clowney’s hit.

Maybe if the Eagles’ organization would have expressed outrage the situation would have been handled differently.

“These are plays we are trying to get out of our game,” said head coach Doug Pederson on the 94WIP Morning Radio Show on Friday. “They’re unnecessary, it’s unnecessary roughness. Should it have been penalized at the time?

"Yeah it probably should have. If it was or wasn’t, it doesn’t change the fact that Carson probably would been out of the game any way because of the hit. It doesn’t change any of that.”

Not exactly an outrageous display by the coach or even general manager Howie Roseman, who had a chance to say something when he and Pederson met with reporters on Wednesday but did not speak up.

Now, the matter is closed. At least as far as the Clowney hit, but what will the league do when it happens again, and happens to one of the quarterbacks they consider the posterchild for their billion-dollar industry?

I’m certain we will see soon enough.

Until then, it is time to move on.