Sal "Loser" Alosi

[Philly Fin Fan]

What really ticked me off is that this was several plays after the hit on Bess, after he called for a fair catch on a punt. That hit was not called, and then the refs did nothing on this play.

I had to sit there and think to myself- can the ref's give some sort of unsportsmanlike conduct call on the sidelines? As far as I know, they can. I've seen them give unsportsmanlike conduct flags to a coach for things a lot less serious than tripping a player. But they didn't. That really ticked me off.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

^^^ I am pretty sure the ref didn't see the contract.  At least not well enough to see it was intention.  If the ref had the coach would have been ejected from the game. 

If something pretty serious is not done, I don't know how the league can ever say, "we consider player safety to be our highest priory" with a straight face?

Here is PFT's view....

1.  Jets, NFL face dilemma regarding Sal Alosi.

On December 29, 1978, Ohio State coach Woody Hayes lost his cool and punched Clemson defender Charlie Bauman after Bauman intercepted a pass during the Gator Bowl.  Hayes promptly lost his job.

On September 22, 1997, Steelers coach Bill Cowher wisely restrained himself from tackling Chris Hudson of the Jaguars after a blocked field goal attempt at the end of the game transformed a potential 24-23 win by Pittsburgh into a 30-21 defeat.  If Cowher hadn’t kept from reprising his playing days, who knows what would have happened to him?

Though Jets strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi threw no punches on Sunday when Nolan Carroll of the Dolphins ran by him while covering a punt, Alosi likewise showed no restraint, succumbing to the moment of temptation occasioned by the opportunity to subtly slide a knee into Carroll’s leg.  Apparently oblivious to the fact that cameras were on and rolling, Alosi successfully tripped Carroll.

After the game, once it became clear that any explanations premised on the notion that the incident occurred accidentally or inadvertently would be met with scoffs and/or harrumphs, the Jets issued a statement from Alosi in which he accepted responsibility for his actions “as well as any punishment that follows.”

As Rodney Harrison of Football Night in America said in our weekly look at selected NFL topics, we’ll learn a lot about the Jets based on how they handle this.  In September, the franchise was criticized for allowing receiver Braylon Edwards to play only days after a DUI arrest.  In January, however, coach Rex Ryan was fined $50,000 for shooting a middle finger at Dolphins fans who were heckling him at an MMA event in South Florida, even though Ryan was on his on time and his team’s season was over.

The punishment, whatever it may be, needs to be severe.  The statement from Alosi, which surely was written and/or edited by the team, likely was intended to take some of the sting out of the situation, in the hopes of allowing the Jets to give the man who gave Carroll the Charlie Brown treatment something other than the Woody Hayes treatment.  That said, plenty of people (including Dolphins linebacker Karlos Dansby) will call for Alosi to be fired.

At a minimum, a suspension through the end of the 2010 season must be imposed.  Alosi crossed a line on Sunday, and a severe consequence is necessary to ensure that others who have the privilege of being on the sidelines won’t do the same thing.

What if it had been a photographer or a member of the media who had tripped Carroll?  Surely, that person would already have been fired.  At a minimum, that person never would be permitted to appear on an NFL sideline again.

So why should Alosi be?

Regardless of what happens, the players and their union will be watching.  At a time when players face stiff fines and possible suspensions for accidentally inflicting injury by inadvertently using their helmets while trying to tackle defenseless players, anyone who deliberately takes a cheap shot at a player should face at least that much scrutiny, if not a lot more.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Comment from a Patriots board:

It a good thing that it was Sal's knee and not Rex Ryan's gut....otherwise Nolan would be on IR.   

[Philly Fin Fan]

take a lesson from Dansby there Chowder, let your play do the talking.

Dansby also commented on it, as did many other players. You can dislike Crowder, but in a situation like this, all the players are going to talk.


"He's just taking after the head coach, man. It all trickles downhill," Dansby said after the Dolphins' 10-6 win in East Rutherford, N.J. on Sunday. "That's how I look at it, it trickles downhill. The head coach, he opened a can of worms over there and now he's got to fix it."

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/14437393/league-jets-reviewing-sideline-tripping-incident

Read several other Dansby quotes as well. Like I said, a lot of players are being vocal about this.

[Pappy13]

I was actually quite happy to see that Carroll himself showed a lot of restraint and said he'd have to see it on tape before commenting.  Nolan just made me a believer.  Let your actions on the field do the talking.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/news/story?id=5913168

Make sure you vote in the poll of the day.....

Right now its

fire him 49
suspend him 39
move on 11.

[Dave Gray]

I chose "suspend him".  I think that he should be done for the season.  I think that what the guy did was completely bush-league, but it wasn't premeditated or anything.  He got caught in the moment.  It is absolutely inexcusable, but since no harm was done, I think the guy dodged a bullet.  Had Carol been injured, that's another story.

The guy apologized immediately (probably realizing that any other action would make him look even more foolish, but whatever) and has taken responsibility.  I think that suspension for the remained of the season is a fair punishment.

[dolfan13]

^^^ i think that's probably the most appropriate way to look at it.

it's a totally douche move, even more magnified because it was from some spectator on the sidelines. hopefully this guy learns from this, and can put it behind him as a mistake that was out of character.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

The more I think about it,  the more I think this was organizational problem. 

1. Watch this video and then tell me that the organizational goal of the New York Jets special teams unit is field position and not the injury of opposing team players.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYvmbPh49Jo&feature=related

2.  Look at how those guys are all lined up, right on the white line.  Hands in their pockets.  They look like they are a soccer team getting ready for a penalty kick on goal. 

3. I don't think this is the first time an opposing player has been injured or tripped up running down the Jets sideline.  I just think it is the first time the cause of the injury was captured on film.
 

[CF DolFan]

The guy was forced to admit it. He was denying it was purposely done and in fact was getting ready to go before tv cameras to say as much when a Jets official dragged him off to show him the video. They then wrote his apology. The guy should not get any credit for his apology or the fact Carol did not get hurt. Woody Hayes got booted for life for throwing a punch and this is no different.

[dolfan13]

i heard the same thing from a couple of callers on the radio...

i mean i dunno... maybe im more forgiving as i have gotten older

i want to think that these guys are all human beings first, and aren't approaching things to purposefully injure unsuspecting players. maybe that is just a naive way of looking at things, but i can't believe this is a systemic approach.

[Dave Gray]

The guy should not get any credit for his apology or the fact Carol did not get hurt. Woody Hayes got booted for life for throwing a punch and this is no different.

I think this is very different.

First off, the fact that this is pro football vs. college football is a big, big deal.  I think that you have to have zero tolerance when dealing with students, because of the disparity in power (students have none), as well as the fact that they aren't being paid and it is literally the job of the school to protect them.  I don't think they're comparable for that alone.

Also, I don't think that the knee-out vs. a punch are the same either.  The knee was a result of circumstance.  Woody Hayes reacted out of anger with a intentionally violent act.  The knee was stupid and dangerous, but the intention was to slow the progress of the play (I assume), not to attack a player.

I am in no way defending the guy that put his knee out.  I'm outraged by it.  But I don't see it as the same ballpark as a coach punching an opposing student on the field of play.

[Spider-Dan]

I think another good point was made in the PFT article:

What if a reporter or photographer had done this?  They'd clearly be fired and/or banned from the sideline for life.

You cannot have bystanders cheap-shotting players during the game.  It's absolutely intolerable.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I think another good point was made in the PFT article:

What if a reporter or photographer had done this?  They'd clearly be fired and/or banned from the sideline for life.

You cannot have bystanders cheap-shotting players during the game.  It's absolutely intolerable.

I think banning him for life from the sidelines would be appropriate.  If the Jets want to keep him employed, that is their business.  His job doesn't require him to actually be at games, just the weight room between games. 

[StL FinFan]

I just can't get that worked up over this.  He wasn't injured, the Dolphins won, and the Jets were shown as the classless frauds they are.  Doesn't get much better.