The NFL ruled on Monday night that Oakland Raiders’ receiver Michael Crabtree and Denver Broncos’ defensive back Aqib Talib would each receive two-game suspensions following their Week 12 brawl.
You can see the statements issued for both players here.
Predictably enough, Oakland coach Jack Del Rio was not pleased with the decision.
https://twitter.com/coachdelrio/status/935351148407599105
When previously asked about a suspension, Del Rio said the following (per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN).
“That’s for the league to decide. … I would hope not. Based on what I saw, I wouldn’t think there would be that type of reaction.”
Del Rio’s point in regard to the fight between Cincinnati Bengals’ receiver A.J. Green and Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive back Jalen Ramsey has some validity. Their fight (which can be seen here) was certainly ugly.
That said, the NFL made no bones about the fact that Talib and Crabtree’s history with each other entered in to the decision, and it pointed out Crabtree had sucker-punched Chris Harris the play before. Whether that adds up or not is in the eye of the beholder. But while the comparison to the Cincinnati/Jacksonville fight may not be apples and oranges, it’s not exactly apples to apples, either.