DeAngelo Hall could face a possible suspension from the NFL after he was ejected from Sunday’s game following an incident with an official.
But the veteran Washington Redskins cornerback says – guess what – the official “was equally at fault.”
Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports that Hall said head linesman Dana McKenzie was verbally abusive during the confrontation that the NFL is now reviewing. Hall could be suspended or he could get off with just a fine. He was ejected from the game and has a history of issues. According to Maske, the NFL is reviewing the situation. Hall is seeking a meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to explain his side and the entire incident started after he felt Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders delivered a cheap shot to him. There was no penalty called on Sanders.
“From that particular camera angle you can’t see what that ref’s saying to me,” Hall said on 106.7 The Fan, according to the report. “So it looks like I’m just out there giving him a piece of my mind and he’s smiling and walks away. And that’s not the case at all. He’s dishing it out just as much as I’m dishing it out.
“That’s why we want to sit down with the commissioner. We want to tell our side of the story, just like them. It shouldn’t be a situation where he’s saying I said one thing, I’m telling you I said this and it’s he said, she said. I’m not a criminal. I’ve never been in trouble with the law. I’m a great guy. Like I said, off the field I’m a different person, you know what I mean, than I am on the field.
“We’re just trying to get every point of view, make sure we get as much proof as possible that happened in that situation and bring it to the forefront so we can come up with the right solution handed down to both sides.
“Looking back on it, you’d obviously change everything, you know what I mean? That’s kind of how it works in society. If you could go back and change things, you would. But there’s nothing I can do to take that particular play back or what happened after the fact. All we can do from my point of view and from the referee’s point of view, and the NFL and NFLPA, is try to figure out a solution so that problem doesn’t happen again. They’re the good cops and we’re the criminals. It has to be an even playing field, a level playing field. If they want us to go out there and respect them, they have to do the same thing.”
It’s going to be difficult for Hall to win this argument. If he’s lucky, there is only a fine involved and not a suspension. That would be very damaging to his team. The wheels of justice are spinning slowly because the NFL office has been closed the previous two days because of Hurricane Sandy.
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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune