# "Clean" hit on a player, but clearly malicious **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 13, 2017, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-hit-on-a-player-but-clearly-malicious/796255 "2017-09-13T17:44:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-hit-on-a-player-but-clearly-malicious/796255/1 "2017-09-13T17:44:41Z")
I recall some comments a while ago (when Colin Kaepernick was still a Niner) that Kap seemed to be getting hit by defenders harder after he began his kneeling-during-anthem protests than before his protests. It’s not hard to envision an alternate reality where gay players get hit harder in football or hockey than straight players, or minorities get hit harder than whites, or Muslims hit harder, etc. Assuming that all of these hits/tackles/checks are clean and legal, by the rules, what could a sports governing body do about it? What could a team coach do? (The coach has much more latitude; maybe, “I noticed that you hit that gay/Hispanic player a lot harder than you hit the straight/white player, you’re now off the roster?” ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-hit-on-a-player-but-clearly-malicious/796255/2 "2017-09-13T20:38:18Z")
I would find it strange to think any player was pulling up on a hit, regardless of who they were tackling. You hit him as hard as you need to, in order to get the tackle. Generally, that’s as hard as you can. That said, some players do seem to go out of their way to lay big hits on certain other players. Clay Matthews sure likes to blow up NFCW quarterbacks for some reason, even if I still don’t agree the aggressive block on Wilson should have been a penalty. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-hit-on-a-player-but-clearly-malicious/796255/3 "2017-09-13T20:55:24Z")
There’s still a penalty for “Unnecessary Roughness” in US football. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-hit-on-a-player-but-clearly-malicious/796255/4 "2017-09-13T20:59:15Z")
Kaepernick played barely over half of last season, and if he took more or greater hits it was because the offensive line has more leaks than the Trump White House. His kneeling protest just want a factor on the field. He started getting targeted a few years before when he became a sudden superstar and giving personal beatdowns to teams like the Packers. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-hit-on-a-player-but-clearly-malicious/796255/5 "2017-09-13T21:55:16Z")
I would need to see a little evidence believe that primarily African American defensive linemen were hitting Kap harder after his protest started. If right-wing, white, billionaire owners were rushing the passer, sure, but in reality, I’m not seeing it. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-hit-on-a-player-but-clearly-malicious/796255/6 "2017-09-13T22:17:55Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I recall some comments a while ago (when Colin Kaepernick was still a Niner) that Kap seemed to be getting hit by defenders harder after he began his kneeling-during-anthem protests than before his protests. > > It’s not hard to envision an alternate reality where gay players get hit harder in football or hockey than straight players, or minorities get hit harder than whites, or Muslims hit harder, etc. Assuming that all of these hits/tackles/checks are clean and legal, by the rules, what could a sports governing body do about it? What could a team coach do? (The coach has much more latitude; maybe, “I noticed that you hit that gay/Hispanic player a lot harder than you hit the straight/white player, you’re now off the roster?” An alternate reality? You mean one where the offensive line steps aside and lets the defense have their way with an asshole like Kaepernick? Is there any evidence of that happening? Something besides an announcer’s/color commentator’s/spokemodel’s opinion of what they think they might have, maybe, seen happened? Have the officials joined this alternate reality? Do they turn off the replay cameras? ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-hit-on-a-player-but-clearly-malicious/796255/7 "2017-09-13T22:19:10Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > giving personal beatdowns to teams like the Packers. I needed a trigger warning before that… ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-hit-on-a-player-but-clearly-malicious/796255/8 "2017-09-16T01:30:08Z")
What about Darius Kasparaitis’s hit on Eric Lindros? The Pens and the Flyers rivalry is one of, if not THE biggest in the league, and Lindros in particular was considered stuck-up, selfish jagoff. I rarely see Pittsburgh fans, let alone _players_ cheer an injury like they did Lindros’s. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-hit-on-a-player-but-clearly-malicious/796255/9 "2017-09-16T14:39:01Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > an asshole like Kaepernick? So you’re saying that men fought and died in wars so that Kaepernick could behave the way YOU want him to? Not a big fan of freedom, are you? ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-hit-on-a-player-but-clearly-malicious/796255/10 "2017-09-16T15:17:11Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > An alternate reality? You mean one where the offensive line steps aside and lets the defense have their way with an asshole like Kaepernick? Is there any evidence of that happening? Something besides an announcer’s/color commentator’s/spokemodel’s opinion of what they think they might have, maybe, seen happened? > > Have the officials joined this alternate reality? Do they turn off the replay cameras? I have to disagree with your characterization of Kaepernick. It takes bravery to suffer for acting one’s conscience and I think none of us want to live in a nation in which one is forced to engage in patriotic symbolism. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-hit-on-a-player-but-clearly-malicious/796255/11 "2017-09-16T17:13:43Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > …minorities… At least in hockey, I’ve never seen any such indication of that. > [@Guinastasia](#): > > What about Darius Kasparaitis’s hit on Eric Lindros? [Formidable](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W61W4NZiRf4), sure, but I think it was the Capitals’ Scott Stevens [hit](https://youtu.be/7JC7xyBuHrc?t=7) that did Lindros in. Then there’s this [little puke](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThlP3tNVsWQ). ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-hit-on-a-player-but-clearly-malicious/796255/12 "2017-09-16T17:56:11Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > At least in hockey, I’ve never seen any such indication of that. > > [Formidable](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W61W4NZiRf4), sure, but I think it was the Capitals’ Scott Stevens [hit](https://youtu.be/7JC7xyBuHrc?t=7) that did Lindros in. > > Then there’s this [little puke](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThlP3tNVsWQ). I didn’t say Kaspar’s hit was the one that ultimately ended Lindros’s career, just that it probably wasn’t an accident. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-hit-on-a-player-but-clearly-malicious/796255/13 "2017-09-16T18:46:55Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I didn’t say Kaspar’s hit was the one that ultimately ended Lindros’s career, just that it probably wasn’t an accident. True - I hear ya. I should’ve re-worded my post that Kasparitis’s hit made Stevens’s hit come to mind. Not too familiar with rugby - came across quite of lot of [dirty rugby hits](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBkV-l-Orkw) vids on youtube. “clean”-hits-a-go-go there! ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clean-hit-on-a-player-but-clearly-malicious/796255/14 "2017-09-16T19:07:52Z")
(missing edit window by a week or two) Then again, if Lindros, in those two plays, hadn’t committed one of hockey’s cardinal sins of not keeping one’s head up (hear that, Taylor Hall? One of these days…), then there’d have been at least two less dings to his head.