The Controversy of NFL Consequences

On a Thursday night NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns, a fight between players blew up and has become a controversial topic. The altercation occurred when Myles Garrett sacked Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph, who then attempted to pull off Garrett’s helmet.

Following this, Garrett was kicked in the groin by Rudolph. Garrett then proceeded to chase him as he was being pulled off the ground. Players rushed to the scene, either involving themselves or trying to split up the fight. In a moment of chaos, Garrett managed to pull off Rudolph’s helmet and hit him over the head with it. The physical violence ended shortly after and both players were removed from the playing field.

Clearly, none of the events that occurred were justified and neither player acted appropriately. Miles Garrett was suspended indefinitely and will not play for the rest of the 2019-2020 season. Both teams were fined $250,000 for the events that occurred. Interestingly, Rudolph did not receive any suspensions his despite his instigation and involvement in the fight.

Crime and Punishment

So the question must be asked: Does Mason Rudolph deserve to be penalized for his actions? The quarterback is certainly not innocent. Rudolph will most likely be fined by the league for his involvement. Interestingly, there has been no talk about whether he will be benched during a future game.

Yes, Mason Rudolph does deserve to be suspended for his inappropriate conduct and instigating the issue. However, when determining the consequences of the players, the league used their actions rather than their motives to judge where they had gone wrong.

For example, Rudolph’s only physical involvement included grabbing Garrett’s helmet and kicking him in the groin area. Garrett, on the other hand, reacted by hitting Rudolph over the head with his own helmet. This is seemingly much worse and has the potential to do much more damage.

Actions vs Intentions

The problem with this investigation is that the NFL is judging the physical actions of the players. One factor that they are not taking into consideration are the intentions. This is the only way to resolve the case so that both players get what they deserve. The only problem is that both could say whatever they want if asked about their motives.

Take Myles Garrett’s situation. From a viewer’s perspective, his part of the brawl could be described as an act of revenge or retaliation. But if one were to ask Garrett, he could claim that it was an attempt to defend himself. He could also make the case that it unintentionally got out of hand.

In Mason Rudolph’s case, a viewer may claim that he was trying to provoke Garrett, causing frustration. It is difficult to justify the act of kicking Garrett and say that it was an accident. Rudolph could still claim that the actions were not intended to cause tension. Since one cannot tell either player what their thought process was at the time, finding out their true motives is almost impossible.

As a solution, both players should be fined and suspended based upon their actions. Despite any declared motives or reasoning, Rudolph and Garrett were both guilty of acting inappropriately through physical violence. They may receive different punishments for the extent of their misconduct. It is all up to the NFL to decide their fate at this point. In an ideal situation, both players will receive what they deserve.

Homeschooler in the Real World

Emma Folts, a sophomore at Wheaton College, shares her experience about her transition into college and how homeschool has both helped and hindered her.
How has your homeschool experience benefitted you, especially in your transition into college?
I think the one thing that homeschooling did that was really helpful as I entered college was that it taught me time management. As a homeschooler I had the same freedom as a college student has to put things off during the day and go see a friend instead. Since I had that experience, I knew the cost of that.
Also, personal responsibility and accountability with assignments. I feel like a lot of the other students had more expectations for gentler grading and that the professor would give them retakes or extensions, but that wasn’t something that ever happened to me in school. That learning curve wasn’t added because I never had it the other way. I think another thing was that because I was homeschooled, I was familiar with the format of teaching and then studying on my own.
Did you see any issues with your transition socially?
I think that homeschooling had two ramifications for me socially. One was helpful, one was hurtful.
It was really helpful because as a homeschooler, I had spent a lot of time realizing and developing who I was as a person and learning to recognize people who were being themselves, and those were the people I sought out as friends. Friendship as a homeschooler takes a lot more investment. I knew I was choosier with my friends which made me a lot less anxious and a lot more content.
The only real negative impact of the social bit was that I was really used to getting to choose the time I got to spend with people. As a homeschooler I spent a lot of time with people, but that time was controlled by me. As a college student, I found that you can’t really control the time you spend with people and alone time is not really available. Learning to deal with that was a lot harder than anticipated.
Any last comments on homeschool and how it has affected your college experience?
I think homeschooling is really helpful, however it does take a slightly increased amount of advocacy with your peers when you’re entering into college. I think a lot of people come in with certain assumptions about homeschool, especially students. You’re going to get a lot of, ‘oh my gosh, you don’t seem like a homeschooled person!’ [You can’t] take that too personally and explain your experience so that friends can understand it’s an important piece of you, though it might not look like the homeschooling that they’ve seen.
My encouragement to anyone who is a homeschooler transitioning into college is to realize the benefit that you have having been homeschooled, and to realize that the bit of advocacy and explaining that you need to do with your peers is totally normal and that it’s not a big deal. Once they understand your experience, it’s not something I’ve experienced being looked down on for.