DREAMer

What do you guys think?

I personally don't think the NFL should punish him much more than not allowing him to play the rest of this season and fining him. There is a possibility he may be suspended for the first few games of next season.

The reason I don't think he should be punished as severely as in most player/official altercations is as follows:

1.) First he didn't punch or head-butt the ref. He shoved him. I realize it is unacceptable, but not on the worst end of altercations with game officials.

2.) He was not attacking the ref for a call he made or a call he failed to make. His altercation was the result of an injury sustained from the actions of the ref. I feel that the situation was not truly a "player/referee" altercation in the truest sense. It was more of an angry reaction to pain. Had he been a camera man, another player, a coach, or a fan, I believe his reaction would've been the same. I just don't think he was attacking a "ref". I feel he was shoving a guy who had just done serious damage to his eyeball.

I realize that there has to be some boundary between player and official. And I realize that the league needs to punish Brown to keep this sort of thing from happening again. I just believe that this situation is very rare special situation, and should be dealt with accordingly.

Oh, and by the way, I have officiated games in Softball, Basketball, and Flag Football.

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I have a dream.........his name's Hakeem.

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BlastOff

I gotta agree with you, DREAMer. It was clearly an accident on the ref's behalf and heat of the moment anger on the player's part.

The NFL should change the way the refs throw the flags, as they appear to be doing. Nothing more.