8/29/2007 8:35:44 PM
Fight the Good Fight

Much has been made about our defensive captain A.J. Gass, fighting the league’s decision to suspend him for a game without pay for his actions the last time we played Calgary in Commonwealth. It is well known that during a melee, A.J. threw the helmet of another player down the field some 30 yards or so. Needless to say, this is not an act that should be condoned by the league, and A.J. himself has been the most outspoken about how wrong his actions were, no matter what the provocation was. People will have very differing views on this issue as to whether a hefty fine and being kicked out of three plus quarters of that game is enough, or should he also have been suspended for a game without pay. Honestly, that’s not for me to decide and I’m not even willing to comment on it. To me it’s a matter of opinion and unless each of us was thrust into the situation that A.J. was in the heat of the battle with your manhood being treated like a stress ball, I don’t think that we can rightly judge.
I do however hold the belief that he was completely right to exercise every possible channel available in disputing what he felt like was too steep of a punishment. I think that too often the masses may see a situation and judge it based on face value without putting much stock into the circumstances surrounding it, or even the precedents that may have come before. This is not the first time a helmet has been thrown into open space in this league, and I’d be shocked if it was the last. Because of that, there should be a process by which each instance is held to the same punishment as those that came before it, assuming that they are the same situation. To me, this is only fair. In fact, to penalize one player or one person more harshly or leniently for a transgression or crime that was previously committed by another, is the definition of unfair practice.
This is why I applaud A.J. for taking this thing the distance. He was initially willing to serve the suspension as it was handed out, until he found out that another player had done the same thing previously and had not been suspended…only fined. It was not until then that he realized that his punishment may be over the top. Many have said he should “take the punishment like a man” but in my opinion that’s precisely what he has done. Every step of the way he has condemned his own actions and said wholeheartedly that what he did was terribly wrong. He’s apologized to his teammates and coaches, as well as his fans. If that’s not accepting responsibility like a man…I’m not sure what is. It takes a man to admit when he was wrong, and also takes a man to stand by his convictions when he feels as if he’s been wronged. Both of these cases fit A.J. in my opinion, and I think he handled this situation the best that he could.
Whether or not you believe that the punishment is enough to fit the indiscretion to me, is really not relevant. The relevance in this circumstance lies in the degree of fairness with which that punishment is dealt. Being that this is not the first time this has happened, I think it only fair that the punishment in this case should be equal, not greater than, those that came before it. If this was the first time a player had thrown a helmet into open space during a game, then I could see trying to make an example of him through his punishment. At that point, you would set a precedent for all those to follow, thereby showing that this type of action will warrant that type of punishment.
In my opinion…this is justice at work. I for one am thrilled that it worked so well. ©

KP8