To punish for a hit or not set to be a grey area

When the NFL dropped the hammer this past week on vicious and illegal hits, its website was selling a photo of Pittsburgh's James Harrison drilling Mohamed Massaquoi, the Cleveland receiver, with his helmet.

The league fined Harrison US$75,000 (Dh275,250). At the same time, it was profiting off - or, at least, promoting - the play.

In declaring war on excessive brutality, which includes the threat of suspensions, the league is standing on a slippery slope. It knows that high-speed collisions, even those that warrant a penalty flag or worse, are part of pro football's visceral appeal.

With so much focus on concussions, the league is forced to react. Its worst nightmare is a sequel to the 1976 hit that permanently paralysed Darryl Stingley. Suspensions would get players' attention, more so than fines, because each missed game would cost them 1/16th of their salary.

Another preventative measure is ejection from games. The rules allow for it, but no player has ever been tossed.

Distinguishing between violent and illegal hits is difficult enough even with the benefit of video.

There was vast disagreement on whether the Falcons' Dunta Robinson deserved his $50,000 fine for knocking out the Eagles' DeSean Jackson, plus himself.

Obvious premeditated strikes aside, the flagrant hits that have triggered the league crackdown fall into a gray area. Expect weekly controversy over whether to slap a player's wrist, come down hard on him ... or sell a photo of the hit.