larry fitzgerald has been outed as the nicest guy in football. This story is about how he understands that it is difficult for defensive players to adjust to the new tackling rules of the game. He has been found to be a cool guy who shoots great commercials for ESPN, and now he is setting the mind of a defensive player at ease. This is a good story if you like football, understand the new tackling rules are complex and hate to see guys get fined for a hit they had to make.
Adjusting is hard
Bodies move on the field as guys are falling and running, and the clean hits that Football Players think they have can turn out to be gut-wrenching to watch.
They did not know that the other player would shift or move like that, and they could end up in a really bad situation where they were aiming for one part of the body while they actually hit another.
They go low
Players have to go low because they are afraid of being fined or flagged and possibly suspended for hits that could be at the head. They have resorted to low hits because they know it is safer for them, but it will result in more injuries to knees and ligaments. A guy could lose a whole season to one of these hits, and he could lose his whole career if his leg is broken the way that Joe Theismann had his leg broken so long ago. This is where Larry Fitzgerald comes in to save the day when facing a less experienced defensive back.
I will pay your fine
Fitzgerald recently told a defensive back that he wanted to be hit high. He also told this younger player that he would pay that man's fine if he was fined. That is very good of him to do because he is protecting himself while also providing for the guy who could be fined for the hit. He is letting that guy know that he will not be hung out to dry because of the hit, and he is proving that he understands how terribly hard it is to make the right hit in today's league.
The NFL is making it very hard for players to play the game safely, and they could give a lot of effort and still be fined. Fitzgerald's offer to pay the fine is the best thing he could have done.
Honor on the field
Honor on the field is an important part of the game, and it has been used for good between these two guys. It is important that other players have an understanding that we have not heard about, and it will keep more people safe over the course of the many years we will play football. Football players have to look out for each other because they cannot always remain safe unless they talk about it.
