Is Pete Rozelle a Little Too Soft on NFL Mayhem?

Greg Townsend of the Raiders lost his temper last month in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs. According to witnesses, he hit one Chief from behind, snatched the helmet off another, and kicked yet another Chief in the back of the head while the Chief was on the ground without a helmet.

A “foot slap” is what Townsend called that last maneuver.

After watching the filmed highlights of that contest, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle suspended Townsend for a game.

“I think Pete Rozelle overreacted,” Townsend said. “It wasn’t like I took a gun out there.”

No, by golly. If Townsend had taken a gun out there, Rozelle would have tacked on a healthy fine. This commissioner is no cupcake when it comes to discipline. Compared to Rozelle, Judge Roy Bean was as soft as the Pillsbury Doughboy.

When William Perry, the famed defensive lineman of the Chicago Bears, put a flagrantly late and cheap hit on St. Louis Cardinal quarterback Neil Lomax last August, Rozelle fined Perry $2,000. Perry, who earned several million dollars last year as a result of football, and who eats hearty, leaves tips that big.

But Perry learned his lesson. I know he did, because when Green Bay Packer lineman Charles Martin knocked Chicago’s quarterback and perhaps Chicago’s football team out for the season last Sunday with a truly classic cheap shot, Perry was indignant. He said that what Martin did was wrong.

Rozelle was indignant, too. He suspended Martin for two entire games. Martin said he will appeal. I suspect his defense might be that he was provoked by having to watch Jim McMahon’s obnoxious TV commercials all summer. For now, though, McMahon gets off scot-free for those commercials. No fine, no suspension, even though his being overweight could have caused Martin to pull a muscle hurling the quarterback to the turf.

In fact, McMahon will be allowed to return to action just as soon as he learns to throw passes left-handed.

In punishing Martin, was Rozelle too tough? Too lenient? Rendering a verdict on that subject, you throw out testimony by the Bears and Packers, citing prejudice, and consult cooler, less-beaten-upon heads, such as the one writing this column.

Martin should be gone for the season. See you next year, old sport. Two games is Wrist-Slap City.

If nothing else, the guy should be dry docked for bad manners. He showed up for the game with a little towel hanging out of his pants. On the towel was a “hit list,” if you will, a list of the uniform numbers of Bears whom Martin most wanted to put out of action.

This is not polite behavior, and it raises questions. Don’t the Packers have a coach? If they do, what did the coach think about one of his players showing up in public with a “hit list” hanging out of his pants?

Did the coach think something like “Boys will be boys?” Did the coach ever consider that a hit-list towel, at a time when the public is being turned off by the crippling and even fatal aspects of the game, might be considered in colossal bad taste?

If I were Rozelle, I would find out if the Packers do have a coach, and if they do, I would put him on the hit list attached to my pants. I would suspend the coach for two games. If nobody is in charge of the team, I would appoint a legal guardian.

Pondering further, I might consider some leniency for Martin. After he planted McMahon like a flag, Martin had the restraint and good taste not to whip out a can of spray paint and X out the No. 9 on his hit-list towel.

But then I would consider Martin’s postgame statement--”I didn’t hear the whistle”--and I would fine him an extra thou.

I would ask Martin: “What whistle didn’t you hear? The one on the little choo-choo chugging around inside your head?”

Martin explained that he was simply trying to block McMahon, whose pass had been intercepted. If this is how Martin blocks, obviously his talents have been wasted on the defensive unit. Another strike against the Packer coach, if there is one.

Now, assuming I’m still NFL commissioner, I would go cheap-shot shopping. I would crack down on the flagrant thuggery, even the subtle stuff that doesn’t show up on the Sunday-night highlights. Starting with Martin, I would send out a message. Attempted murder or felonious assault will be frowned upon.

True, these players are running on adrenaline, emotion and fear, and some excess violence is to be expected. But consider hockey. In Olympic hockey, nobody fights, because they are not allowed to. In pro hockey, everyone fights, because they are allowed to.

I would disallow caveman late hits and cheap shots.

Then I would probably soften and let Martin come back after three or four games. After all, he didn’t use a gun.