The NFL is facing an image problem, as the league acted in poor taste when photos were sold on NFL.com earlier this week of Sunday’s illegal hits.
After the negative response from the media and fans, by Wednesday morning, they were removed.
NFL spokesperson Greg Aiello tweeted Wednesday, “On NFL Photo Store: We regret mistake. Those photos will be removed ASAP & we will ensure no photos of illegal plays are available again.”
On a deeper level, the NFL now faces a dilemma, because truth be told, violence sells. Nearly half of the NFL photos involve big, arguably devastating hits. More importantly, will the league still be as marketable on TV if players tone down their actions in fear of harsher penalties?
Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who was fined $75,000 for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Browns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, doesn’t think he can work around the new rules.
“I’m going to sit down and have a serious conversation with my coach tomorrow and see if I can actually play by NFL rules and still be effective,” Harrison said on Fox Sports Radio. “If not, I may have to give up playing football.”
Even former players are upset.
“You take the contact away, and it’s soccer,” added Mark Schlereth during a rant on ESPN.
As of now, no new rules have been announced, but they are expected to be released soon.
Aiello also tweeted, “A communication will go to the clubs, coaches, and players [Thursday] about the increased discipline for violations of player safety rules.”
