Getty Oakland Raiders OL Richie Incognito.
When Myles Garrett decided to bash Mason Rudolph in the head with a helmet during Thursday, a couple of Oakland Raiders immediately found themselves in the news. The first was Vontaze Burfict as many thought that Garrett should receive a similar suspension. Richie Incognito’s name also popped up as he found himself in a similar situation back in 2013 when Antonio Smith ripped his helmet off and took a swing at him. Fortunately, the blow didn’t land and Incognito left the scuffle unscathed.
The “ban him for life” crowd might want to lower expectations on Garrett’s punishment. Antonio Smith was suspended two preseason games and one regular-season game for this helmet swing. Bigger stage for Garrett… and a more violent swing… but here’s perhaps closest precedent:
Smith didn’t get nearly as long of a suspension as Garrett has received, but the NFL has become more strict about player safety in recent years. Incognito didn’t have any interest in talking about the Garrett incident but did talk to the Las Vegas Review-Journal about what happened with Smith.
“He got my helmet off and he swung it at me — thank god he didn’t come close — and that was it,” Incognito said. “It was in the competition of the game. Obviously, it’s a dirty move. But it is what it is.”
Incognito has gotten in trouble for his fair share of questionable plays in the past and it’s interesting to see him on the other side.
Lyle Alzado Rule
Ironically, former and current Raiders’ names are all over the Garrett fight. In addition to Burfict and Incognito, Antonio Smith played for Oakland the season after his incident with the current Raiders offensive lineman. Also, the man who turned using a helmet as a weapon into an issue was a former Raider. Lyle Alzado was as fiery a player as there has ever been and naturally, he found himself on the Raiders of the 80s.
35 years ago, 1/15/1983, #Raiders temperamental DE Lyle Alzado vs Jets OT Chris Ward clash occurrence.
It wasn’t always written in stone that a player can take a helmet and swing it at another one. During a game versus the New York Jets, Alzado ripped off Chris Ward’s helmet and launched it at him. From then on, “The Lyle Alzado Rule” was put into effect and there haven’t been many incidents since.
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Vontaze Burfict Doesn’t Think His Suspension Is Comparable
As previously mentioned, Burfict’s name came up quite a bit during the height of the Garrett controversy. Though he’s been out of football for several games at this point, he had a chance to speak with Vic Tafur at The Athletic and compare the play that got him suspended to Garrett’s fight.
“The NFL had to suspend somebody for that last night, since that wasn’t a football act,” Burfict told The Athletic on Friday. “My suspension was a football act. I was hitting somebody. I wasn’t taking a helmet off and swinging it at somebody.”
Burfict has done some questionable things on the football field, but never took it even close to as far as Garrett did. Most of what the linebacker has gotten in trouble for involves questionable hits during plays. There’s obviously a new precedent in the NFL where egregious on-the-field conduct will get a lot more than a slap on the wrist. Players are going to need to be much more careful going forward.