SUSPENDED! Would you suspend me for my role in this hockey brawl?

[WhiteSteve]

I can’t fucking believe they suspended me. I’ve already appealed. This supposedly came down from the big league’s Department Of Player Safety, our specific league’s heads (all players in our league, and the four of them are on the two involved teams) disagreed, they had the two central guys who fought, and one other guy who threw a punch when everyone was in a pile (and he wasn’t suspended at all🤦‍♂️), but instead only the two guys who fought, and then me and one other teammate who only grabbed/tried to grab the other team’s guy who was fighting our guy, got suspended.

Here are the league’s stated rules on fighting and discipline for it:

Side note: also says refs don’t break up fights…so it HAS TO be us, the players

Here’s a gif of the scuffle. I’m #28 in gray. I know I came in kind of hot, but I wasn’t even really mad there, just trying to protect my goalie. If I was mad I would have come in horizontally, airborne and swinging, lmao.

Anyway, my argument is this: the rules are very specific and say a fight is anyone throwing a punch, whether it lands or not. I threw zero punches, and it doesn’t say anywhere in the rules that the DOPS has discretion to guess if I was coming in with bad intentions or not. You have to have that language in the rules if that’s the desired standard. I may or may not have had bad intentions, lmao, but it didn’t get to that point and they can’t just assume. And again, it’s up to us to break the fights up. Look to the left, the ref is just standing there watching like “I’m making $17 a game before taxes, absolutely fucking NOT.”😂 So someone has to get in there, and I’m “the guy” on our team when it comes to anything physical, primarily. Beer league enforcer, my mother would have been so proud🤦‍♂️😂

Anyway, I sent close-up tape to the league showing my hands were open every time I flailed, so they clearly weren’t punches being thrown. Hopefully this gets overturned, because next game is Round 1 of the playoffs!

What’s your call?

Updates

+1 y

UPDATE: Overturned!!!🙌🙌🙌

NOT GUILTY, Y’ALL GOT TO FEEL ME!!!

[NathanDavis]

as someone that spend around 20 years at the amateur-ish soccer fields and some brawls were about a weekly thing going on, lol...

here is what I'd think on THEIR decision

if they saw you going at the rival with any level of intensity, then they would be inclined to think that you were targeting the rivals and this would have been my INITIAL perception as well... if I saw rivals trying to stop and restrain their own team mates then yes, I would assume they are trying to just stop the fight, break it up... however, if I saw them targeting and going after my team mates, then I'd assume they are TARGETING my teammates and not trying to prevent an altercation

but yeah, there were no punches as a punch would be, but the part two of the rule says that "anyone involved in several fights" can get a suspension, and in this one case you are definitely getting involved in a fight between others, maybe you didn't throw a punch, but you sure came out of nowhere lmfao... and you did it to get involved first row into it lmfao... and this is what can cause for fights to get bigger and more problematic

so, I guess that's why... and if they saw this happening often (at other games) maybe that's why they got you like this

personally, I think they're overreacting, lol

[WhiteSteve]

Bruh, I was like last in line for handshakes and the shit jumped off up front😂 I definitely came screamin’ in there from out of left field lmao. If you need to find me in a brawl, just check the middle of it😂😂😂 I was only kind of semi-conscious for the whole thing, I didn’t remember getting that close until I saw the replay. But I actually got a hand on him, I just couldn’t get a fistful of cloth. But in retrospect, I think I do remember a confused moment where I was surprised I got through the crowd and actually had a shot at the kid, simultaneously weighing what I should even do once I had a hold of him, and then a last second realization that he was now engaged in a fight with someone else and I’m looking like 3rd man in. My body was just in full flail mode, mode, lmao, but I think I remember having those kind of instinctual types of thoughts.

The new info I just got is that the Dept. Of Player Safety from the REFEREE organization made this call, not the actual league, and the league just handles the appeal. The refs…. they may know me😅😂 Reputation call, lmao. I never start trouble, EVER…. but I also never walk away if I get fucked with, and it’s EXPLOSIVE, like I’m waiting for a clip of me to end up on the internet lmfao. But everyone likes me in the parking lot after the games. I think I’ve actually managed to strike that rare balance of being both loved and feared with these guys, hahaha

So, the appeal is in, hopefully I’ll hear before the game tomorrow🤞

[NathanDavis]

did they let you play?

[molonski2]

Ohh wear it like a badge of honor Steve , think happy Gilmore :) it is what it is...

I got suspended from AFL for 4 weeks when I was 17 ( there only used to be one umpire ) , I'm not that tall , this gaint guy with a skinhead cut , taller , came up behind play was down the other end and just grabbed by balls and starting squeezing em ( he was heavier and nearly crushed me ) , I was lying on the ground and couldn't move.

When I recovered , which took dinkum 30 minutes , as the ball came towards his head down , I just punched him as hard as I could right at the top of the nose , he was stunning not expecting , so I jumped on top and hit him twice more , before I was dragged off , a giant fight broke out , with spectators and the whole bit , it was full on.

Everything has changed in every sport these days.

[AngryCarl2]

What the hell? They're not even playing, just lining up to shake hands. What a bunch of assholes. It's pretty hard to see what's going on so I guess they decided to throw the book at everyone in the area. Good luck with the appeal.

[WhiteSteve]

Lmao, my goalie is a fucking idiot. I’ve fought him twice myself when we were on different teams. Imagine my surprise when he drafted me this season😂 I dropped him the one time we were able to trade shots before getting broken up, guess he figured if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, hahaha

[AngryCarl2]

Result!

[spartan55]

This is about that last video where you challenged a guy and dropped your gloves?

[WhiteSteve]

No, new incident this week, lmao. There’s a gif down at the bottom of the question👍

[spartan55]

Is it one dude on your team that always gets things started?

[WhiteSteve]

Two or three, really😂

[robocop666]

When people do their jobs they don't care if they do them well. This includes making decisions. The only care if its their friend or money is involved.

[WhiteSteve]

They say the appeal process might take 72 hours. They notified us of the suspensions 48 hours before the game…. because the league hadn’t paid its subscription fee for the camera footage🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤡🤡🤡