Brandon Meriweather and the Player Safety Paradox

Brandon Meriweather knocks himself unconscious on this helmet to helmet hit.

It's no secret that the NFL has made player safety a top concern. In the wake of the findings on concussions and mental health of former players, the league has gone as far as to blatantly advertise this fact.

However, their efforts have in many ways changed the way the game is played. Defensive players frequently complain that the league is merely making it easier on offense because fans (read: paying customers) prefer exciting scoring displays. Shut-down defenses just aren't as sexy.

Efforts have been made to protect defenseless players and prevent helmet to helmet contact. Advocates in the union (along with many who never have played the game) feel like its a simple solution: establish a legal "hitting zone" (much like an MLB strike zone) that defensive players must abide by. However, enforcement of these new "targeting" penalties has been inconsistent at best, as it is difficult for an official to judge the intent of the defender. It is also very difficult for a defender to pick and choose a spot on a moving target when he is closing at 20+ miles-per-hour.

Despite their reluctance, defensive players have been forced to adapt their style of play to abide by these new rules.

Recently, Green Bay WR Randall Cobb took a hit to his lower leg that left him sidelined for several weeks with a broken fibula. QB Aaron Rodgers immediately took issue with the play, and ran down the field to confront Raven's safety Matt Elam face-to-face.

"I just felt like from my vantage point he had plenty of time to not take out a guy's legs in that situation," Rodgers said. "I think he could have hit him in the proper hitting zone and that's what I told him."

The play rekindled the debate on enforcement of a "legal hitting zone" and many current and former players chimed in.

Cobb's teammate Jordy Nelson sympathized with the difficulty of the issue. "It's tough. Defensive guys are given a small target zone to make plays and make hits," he said. "If they can't go high, there's only one other way to go."

Other receivers, including Tony Gonzales and Keyshawn Johnson, admitted they would rather take a shot to the head than a career-threatening blow to the knee.

Future Hall-of-Fame receiver Tim Brown chipped in some advice about how he used to go about his business. "There were times when I made deals with guys on the field," he said. "'Look brother, if you want to save your knees, you better not take my head off when I come across the middle'... That's just how the game was played." It is worth mentioning that Tim Brown holds the NFL record for most consecutive games played by a receiver, and is fifth all-time in career receptions.

"The bottom line is football is a hard game," he finished. "You can tell very quickly who is playing dirty and who is playing hard."

This week, Brandon Meriweather chose to weigh in on the issue.

Meriweather leading with his head.
Eddy Lacy was concussed on this play.

The Washington safety has been flagged multiple times this season for illegal "helmet-to-helmet" hits. He was fined $42,000 just last month for one such hit on Green Bay RB Eddy Lacy, and was finally suspended after committing two such penalties in the same game, a recent contest against the Chicago Bears. An appeal reduced the suspension to one game, sending mixed messages about the NFL's toughness on repeat offenders. More questionable, however, were the comments he chose to make on the first day after returning to practice.


"I guess I just have to take people's knees out," Meriweather said. "You just have to go low now, man. You've got to end people's careers. You got to tear people's ACLs and mess up people's knees. You can't hit them high anymore."

It is clear that Meriweather feels frustrated by the rule changes that prevent him from doing what he was taught to do: propel himself at high-speed into opposing players in an attempt to jar the ball loose. However, any credibility to his point was obliterated by his remorseless attitude and his troubling history.

His reputation off the field is as concerning as on. He has been arrested once for suspicion of DUI, and he was involved in a separate incident in which he was shot in the buttocks. In college, he was also suspended for his involvement in an on-field brawl after he was caught stomping on players from the opposing team.

This year he has repeatedly committed vicious helmet-to-helmet hits. Not only that, but the remorseless and deferential attitude he displayed during the interview makes you wonder whether his warnings, suspensions, and fines have taught him anything at all.

"I guess it's better other people than me getting suspended," he concluded.

Meriweather drew a penalty and a suspension for this hit,
but managed to break up the touchdown. 

Brandon Marshall, the victim of one of Meriweather's latest brain-busters, spoke on the hit and displayed some remarkable maturity for someone who has had his own share of off-the-field issues.

"I understand big hits, that is part of our game," said Marshall. "But when you have a guy that does it week in and week out, that’s when it becomes a problem... Guys like that really don’t understand that there is life after football. I respect the league trying to better our game and guys like that, maybe he needs to get suspended or taken out of the game completely."

Meriweather evidently did not appreciate the opinion. "He feels like I need to be kicked out of the league? I feel like people who beat their girlfriends should be kicked out, too," he responded. "You tell me who you’d rather have: Somebody who plays aggressive on the field, or somebody who beat up their girlfriend."

Marshall has been involved in numerous domestic disputes but has been acquitted of all charges each time. His handling of the debate, like his play on the field, simply goes to show the progress he has made.

Sleeping in the bed he made. 

"I told him that I was more concerned about him and his health, because I think a few weeks before our game I saw him lying on the field just out cold. It was a scary situation. I never want to see him or any player lay out like that," Marshall continued. "As far as what he said today, you can only pray for someone with those feelings. So that's all I have to say about that."

So today, when I learned that DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFL Player's Association, had spoken with Meriweather about his comments, I was hardly surprised.


"I spoke to Brandon," Smith said in a statement. "He is passionate about the game, and I know he is sorry for what he said."

What was not surprising was the conclusion of the ESPN story: "Asked Thursday about Smith's statement, Meriweather said he had no comment."

Brandon Meriweather is not sorry for his actions. He will pay his fine and return to the field none the wiser.

Just don't be surprised the next time you see him lying there unconscious.