Should Justin Smith have been ejected from the game?

It appears the NFL office agrees that the penalty/ejection was unnecessary. Justin Smith did not receive a fine for the incident, which would probably be the first time that an ejected player did not also get fined.

http://www.csnbayarea.com/12/24/10/NFL-No-fine-for-49ers-Justin-Smith/landing_niners.html?full_args=12/24/10/NFL-No-fine-for-49ers-Justin-Smith/landing_niners&blockID=379490&feedID=5936No Fine for Justin Smith

Originally posted by mr2324jgf:

Originally posted by Ceadderman:

Originally posted by mr2324jgf:
I know a ref in the NFL. I know his entire family...

Bottom line, he's there to do a job... keep order. Regardless of what we think of the calls and this and that... it's his job to make sure the players in in check..

that said... It's wrong of Justin Smith to put his hands on a ref and shove him around...he outweighs him, by a whole lot...

Well goody for him, he's an NFL Ref.

Does he handle himself with the unprofessional manner in which that fool handled himself on Thursday night?

Does he intentionally deliver a forearm shiver to the ball carrier or does he do everything possible to avoid contact?

I got no problem with enforcing the rules that are on the books. But if you instigate contact and then get "shoved" aside then that's on you for instigating contact. Much like the stupid penalty on Reggie Smith for delivering a shot out of bounds. Dude already left his feet and their Receiver made his exit AFTER the guy was off his feet. Sorry dude got hurt but this is a game of impact. You know you're going to get dusted up. You don't see Alex whining to the Refs after taking late hit after late hit do you?

Personally I think all NFL Refs need pink slips in the offseason and replace them all with Professional Refs. These fools we have now suck ass in a major way.

I doubt that your acquaintance handles himself in the manner that guy did, but personally I'm fed up with Refs in general. When you make the game about you, than the teams that are playing it then you change the dynamics negatively. This is not just about my team. This is about all teams. The Steelers last two Lombardis' were gift wrapped. Second one not as blatant as the 1st one but the Refs had a hand in the outcome nonetheless.

~Ceadder

your responses are lame. That ref was getting in the middle of the scuffle on the field, that Justin Smith shouldn't have been a part of anyways. He then shoved the ref out of the way, while he was looking at him....

give me a f**king break.

Alice Smith fans have nearsidedness on all topics apparently eh?

What game were you watching?

Originally posted by SonocoNinerFan:

Originally posted by mr2324jgf:

Originally posted by Ceadderman:

Originally posted by mr2324jgf:
I know a ref in the NFL. I know his entire family...

Bottom line, he's there to do a job... keep order. Regardless of what we think of the calls and this and that... it's his job to make sure the players in in check..

that said... It's wrong of Justin Smith to put his hands on a ref and shove him around...he outweighs him, by a whole lot...

Well goody for him, he's an NFL Ref.

Does he handle himself with the unprofessional manner in which that fool handled himself on Thursday night?

Does he intentionally deliver a forearm shiver to the ball carrier or does he do everything possible to avoid contact?

I got no problem with enforcing the rules that are on the books. But if you instigate contact and then get "shoved" aside then that's on you for instigating contact. Much like the stupid penalty on Reggie Smith for delivering a shot out of bounds. Dude already left his feet and their Receiver made his exit AFTER the guy was off his feet. Sorry dude got hurt but this is a game of impact. You know you're going to get dusted up. You don't see Alex whining to the Refs after taking late hit after late hit do you?

Personally I think all NFL Refs need pink slips in the offseason and replace them all with Professional Refs. These fools we have now suck ass in a major way.

I doubt that your acquaintance handles himself in the manner that guy did, but personally I'm fed up with Refs in general. When you make the game about you, than the teams that are playing it then you change the dynamics negatively. This is not just about my team. This is about all teams. The Steelers last two Lombardis' were gift wrapped. Second one not as blatant as the 1st one but the Refs had a hand in the outcome nonetheless.

~Ceadder

your responses are lame. That ref was getting in the middle of the scuffle on the field, that Justin Smith shouldn't have been a part of anyways. He then shoved the ref out of the way, while he was looking at him....

give me a f**king break.

Alice Smith fans have nearsidedness on all topics apparently eh?

What game were you watching?

The one where Justin Smith was scuffling with a player from the opposite team, then when the ref tried getting in the middle of them, as per his job description, he shoved said ref out of the way. He first glanced at the ref and then shoved him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7RDNBAgdBk 0:13 in the video.

He's looking at him as he grabs his arm.

He then got ejected, and rightfully so.

What else you got?

Originally posted by mr2324jgf:

Originally posted by SonocoNinerFan:

Originally posted by mr2324jgf:

Originally posted by Ceadderman:

Originally posted by mr2324jgf:
I know a ref in the NFL. I know his entire family...

Bottom line, he's there to do a job... keep order. Regardless of what we think of the calls and this and that... it's his job to make sure the players in in check..

that said... It's wrong of Justin Smith to put his hands on a ref and shove him around...he outweighs him, by a whole lot...

Well goody for him, he's an NFL Ref.

Does he handle himself with the unprofessional manner in which that fool handled himself on Thursday night?

Does he intentionally deliver a forearm shiver to the ball carrier or does he do everything possible to avoid contact?

I got no problem with enforcing the rules that are on the books. But if you instigate contact and then get "shoved" aside then that's on you for instigating contact. Much like the stupid penalty on Reggie Smith for delivering a shot out of bounds. Dude already left his feet and their Receiver made his exit AFTER the guy was off his feet. Sorry dude got hurt but this is a game of impact. You know you're going to get dusted up. You don't see Alex whining to the Refs after taking late hit after late hit do you?

Personally I think all NFL Refs need pink slips in the offseason and replace them all with Professional Refs. These fools we have now suck ass in a major way.

I doubt that your acquaintance handles himself in the manner that guy did, but personally I'm fed up with Refs in general. When you make the game about you, than the teams that are playing it then you change the dynamics negatively. This is not just about my team. This is about all teams. The Steelers last two Lombardis' were gift wrapped. Second one not as blatant as the 1st one but the Refs had a hand in the outcome nonetheless.

~Ceadder

your responses are lame. That ref was getting in the middle of the scuffle on the field, that Justin Smith shouldn't have been a part of anyways. He then shoved the ref out of the way, while he was looking at him....

give me a f**king break.

Alice Smith fans have nearsidedness on all topics apparently eh?

What game were you watching?

The one where Justin Smith was scuffling with a player from the opposite team, then when the ref tried getting in the middle of them, as per his job description, he shoved said ref out of the way. He first glanced at the ref and then shoved him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7RDNBAgdBk 0:13 in the video.

He's looking at him as he grabs his arm.

He then got ejected, and rightfully so.

What else you got?

Smith was looking DIRECTLY at #88 as he swiped the red-a$$ referee's arm away . . . then he quickly realized it was a zebra. I had no problem with the penalty, but I agree with about 90% of the comments on that video that the ejection was a dick move.

At least there was some justice in that Smith didn't get a fine . . . I wonder why?

Justin Smith touched the ref, so the rule says hes done for the night.

however, when a ref jumps in a scrum, and gets brushed aside by a large man who wasnt paying 100% attention to who he was brushing, i think its ridiculous for anyone to say he "shoved" him. he clearly brushed the ref aside, and then the ref actually shoved Smith backwards much more forcefully than Smith did to him.

Originally posted by fryet:
It appears the NFL office agrees that the penalty/ejection was unnecessary. Justin Smith did not receive a fine for the incident, which would probably be the first time that an ejected player did not also get fined.

http://www.csnbayarea.com/12/24/10/NFL-No-fine-for-49ers-Justin-Smith/landing_niners.html?full_args=12/24/10/NFL-No-fine-for-49ers-Justin-Smith/landing_niners&blockID=379490&feedID=5936No Fine for Justin Smith

It's nice to see them make a good decision.

It is obvious to most of us that Justin had no bad intentions in his contact with that referee.

I didn't see the same in the eyes of the referee. Too much anger for someone in the role of an impartial judge. Especially considering this isn't the first incident involving this specific official.

I understand that they are only human, but some jobs require specific skills and mindsets. It appears to me that Garth DeFelice does not possess these.

The automatic ejection is only if the refs rule the contact was intentional. Was there contact, yes. So the 15 yard penalty is given. but to then rule that was intentional and say "Oh we HAD to eject him, it's a rule" is just stupid. It's also one thing to seperate two players going at it, it's something else to single out one of those players and shove your elbow in his chest. I really think Smith, once he realized he was being tossed, should have shown the official what a REAL shove looked like.

This seems like it's been a really bad year for refs, and has had me thinking. i think they really need to institute a rue that says you can't be an NFL ref unless you have PLAYED in the NFL. Maybe that way the ref would realize that a 300 pound man running at a 4.4 speed can't stop on a dime. Maybe that same rule should apply to NFL execs (looking at you, Goodell...looking at you!).

Originally posted by Niners99:
Justin Smith touched the ref, so the rule says hes done for the night.

however, when a ref jumps in a scrum, and gets brushed aside by a large man who wasnt paying 100% attention to who he was brushing, i think its ridiculous for anyone to say he "shoved" him. he clearly brushed the ref aside, and then the ref actually shoved Smith backwards much more forcefully than Smith did to him.

No. For touching the ref, the penalty is required. Ejection is up to the discretion of the ref. This has been clarified by Barrows and the such.

-9fA

Originally posted by RDB4216:
The automatic ejection is only if the refs rule the contact was intentional. Was there contact, yes. So the 15 yard penalty is given. but to then rule that was intentional and say "Oh we HAD to eject him, it's a rule" is just stupid. It's also one thing to seperate two players going at it, it's something else to single out one of those players and shove your elbow in his chest. I really think Smith, once he realized he was being tossed, should have shown the official what a REAL shove looked like.

This seems like it's been a really bad year for refs, and has had me thinking. i think they really need to institute a rue that says you can't be an NFL ref unless you have PLAYED in the NFL. Maybe that way the ref would realize that a 300 pound man running at a 4.4 speed can't stop on a dime. Maybe that same rule should apply to NFL execs (looking at you, Goodell...looking at you!).

Yeah, the penalty was automatic, but the ejection was automatic based on the ruling that it was intentional. Pretty obvious that the league does not agree with that ruling. So, Justin Smith really should not have been ejected from that game. I think that DeFelice was being a hot head and he literally pushed the issue. I agree that you can't single out a player like that, especially after they are already separated.

I was so pissed watching the game on my 54'' plasma because in high definition I could see the refs eyes and he wasn't thinking straight. He was trying to start s**t with Justin, in my opinion. Just the way he came back to get in Justin's face after the contact made it obvious that DeFelice was not under control and Justin was because Justin backed off as soon as he saw it was a ref.

I'm proud of Justin, even if he did lose his temper with the TE and that's what caused the separation and "tunnel vision" that lead to him touching the ref. I know I would have lost it if that pompous prick did that to me. I really did half expect Justin to rip DeFelice's head off all Sub-Zero fatality style. A small part of me hoped he would, but rationally... it wouldn't be worth it. Damn rationality.

I think the refs being former players is an interesting idea. It would be tough, though... former players would probably be even more hot headed. I totally agree with the idea that these clowns don't understand the game. You'd think they would get it if us fans can, yeah? I never even played myself (organized, anyway), so it's a bit absurd that you see penalties like the one Lawson got because that little b***h Orton dropped to the ground in the middle of a perfect form tackle.

As far as Goodell, he's made some good decisions (trying to clean up the image of NFL players, mostly), but it looks like he's making a lot of really bad ones now. I don't think the helmet contact rule actually had anything to do with safety concerns. It was more related to the press covering the effects of concussions and their increased frequency, which forced his hand to maintain the image The League wants and also because it will be an issue with the CBA, especially negotiations about medical care after retirement. Obviously Goodell doesn't give a s**t about player safety if the reports are true that The League and owners won't budge on the negotiations until the Players Union gives in to the 18 game season. We all know that's just asking for more injuries and shorter careers. Bunch of bulls**t....

Sorry to rant on about something so negative....

Happy Holidays! Hope all goes well for you and for the NFL in the new year!

Originally posted by Wodwo:

Originally posted by RDB4216:
The automatic ejection is only if the refs rule the contact was intentional. Was there contact, yes. So the 15 yard penalty is given. but to then rule that was intentional and say "Oh we HAD to eject him, it's a rule" is just stupid. It's also one thing to seperate two players going at it, it's something else to single out one of those players and shove your elbow in his chest. I really think Smith, once he realized he was being tossed, should have shown the official what a REAL shove looked like.

This seems like it's been a really bad year for refs, and has had me thinking. i think they really need to institute a rue that says you can't be an NFL ref unless you have PLAYED in the NFL. Maybe that way the ref would realize that a 300 pound man running at a 4.4 speed can't stop on a dime. Maybe that same rule should apply to NFL execs (looking at you, Goodell...looking at you!).

Yeah, the penalty was automatic, but the ejection was automatic based on the ruling that it was intentional. Pretty obvious that the league does not agree with that ruling. So, Justin Smith really should not have been ejected from that game. I think that DeFelice was being a hot head and he literally pushed the issue. I agree that you can't single out a player like that, especially after they are already separated.

I was so pissed watching the game on my 54'' plasma because in high definition I could see the refs eyes and he wasn't thinking straight. He was trying to start s**t with Justin, in my opinion. Just the way he came back to get in Justin's face after the contact made it obvious that DeFelice was not under control and Justin was because Justin backed off as soon as he saw it was a ref.

I'm proud of Justin, even if he did lose his temper with the TE and that's what caused the separation and "tunnel vision" that lead to him touching the ref. I know I would have lost it if that pompous prick did that to me. I really did half expect Justin to rip DeFelice's head off all Sub-Zero fatality style. A small part of me hoped he would, but rationally... it wouldn't be worth it. Damn rationality.

I think the refs being former players is an interesting idea. It would be tough, though... former players would probably be even more hot headed. I totally agree with the idea that these clowns don't understand the game. You'd think they would get it if us fans can, yeah? I never even played myself (organized, anyway), so it's a bit absurd that you see penalties like the one Lawson got because that little b***h Orton dropped to the ground in the middle of a perfect form tackle.

As far as Goodell, he's made some good decisions (trying to clean up the image of NFL players, mostly), but it looks like he's making a lot of really bad ones now. I don't think the helmet contact rule actually had anything to do with safety concerns. It was more related to the press covering the effects of concussions and their increased frequency, which forced his hand to maintain the image The League wants and also because it will be an issue with the CBA, especially negotiations about medical care after retirement. Obviously Goodell doesn't give a s**t about player safety if the reports are true that The League and owners won't budge on the negotiations until the Players Union gives in to the 18 game season. We all know that's just asking for more injuries and shorter careers. Bunch of bulls**t....

Sorry to rant on about something so negative....

Happy Holidays! Hope all goes well for you and for the NFL in the new year!

Good rant. Well written as well.

But people need to realize that Goodell is a pawn in all of this. He merely does what the owners ask him to do. The new penalties for player safety have been enforced primarily because owners don't want to see their multimillions dollar investments go down. As the poster above mentioned, if it was all about image they wouldn't be trying to expand the season since it is contradictory. It is ALL about the money.