This is a really unique case. After a closely contested loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams shoved an NFL employee to the ground out of frustration as he was leaving Arrowhead Stadium.
I guess this was a great lesson for all camera men and their staff: NEVER cut across Davante Adams when he’s leaving the field. And especially don’t do it when you’re at least 100lbs lighter than him as he will shove you into next week.
Okay, being serious, whether or not I think Davante Adams should be suspended, I think it’s obvious that the NFL will suspend him. With the huge national audiences of ESPN and ABC watching on, the NFL can’t allow the image of one of its star receivers shoving aside a much smaller and less imposing camera staff guy.
Davante Adams will be lucky if he only gets a one game ban as the man seemed to be okay, though there are reports that this cameraman assistant is suing Adams. So, it seems there will be an additional fine heading his way in the near future.
Nonetheless, I still don’t think he should be suspended. The man he shoved was not visibly hurt or injured from the fall, while the contact that Adams laid upon him was tame compared to what he could have done. Adams could have punched or violently thrown the guy to the ground, which is not out of the realm of possibility considering these are football players we’re talking about.
They are paid professionals who hit, tackle, and crush men for a living. You can’t tell me that a small minority of these players would be more than willing to lay out someone who crossed their path, especially when they have just lost a close game. I mean, Aaron Donald was braining Bengals players with a helmet in a PRACTICE scrimmage only a few months ago.
Sure, if Adams did lay out that guy with a punch or an aggressive shove, he would rightfully get suspended for the rest of the season. But, seeing as he didn’t, I think a hefty fine would fit the punishment and serve as a reminder against such actions.
Plus, Adams did immediately come out after the game and apologize to the person, which showed that he does have remorse for his actions.
But, seeing as the NFL loves to punish trivial offenses with hefty punishments and hefty offenses with trivial punishments, it wouldn’t surprise me if Adams got a three-game ban because of this. That’s just how the NFL is nowadays.
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