Sunday, Aug. 16 (AM) — NFL’s Anti-Fighting Edict: A Case of “Do As We Say, Not As We Market”
Who does the NFL think it’s fooling?
Last week, the league issued a stern warning to all 32 teams: no more fighting — not in practice, not during games, and not against your own teammates or opponents. Violators will face punishment. Period. End of story.
From a public relations standpoint, the move makes sense. After all, the league doesn’t want its product turning into a pay-per-view brawl, or worse, losing a starting quarterback — as the Jets just did when a locker room scuffle left Geno Smith sidelined for 6–10 weeks, thanks to a punch from a linebacker whose name sounds better suited for a spelling bee than a depth chart.
But let’s be honest: this whole “anti-fighting” stance feels a little like cigarette companies slapping warning labels on their packs while quietly hoping customers keep puffing away. The NFL thrives on controlled violence. The league was built on physicality — and yes, the occasional fight. The truth is, brutality sells. Always has.
Without that edge, the NFL wouldn’t be the multibillion-dollar juggernaut it is today. Fans love the hard hits, the jawing, the grudges. League execs may issue press releases decrying brawls, but behind closed doors, they know full well that those clips light up social media, drive up ratings, and keep fans talking long after the final whistle.
Think about it. When Hall of Famer Frank Gifford passed away recently, what memory surfaced first for many fans? Not a game-winning touchdown. Not a championship moment. It was the ferocious hit he took from Chuck Bednarik in 1960 — a moment so brutal, it likely would have earned Bednarik a year-long suspension in today’s league.
That hit is still part of NFL lore. What’s forgotten? That same 1960 season ended with the Eagles winning their last championship. The violence outlived the victory.
Cleveland fans have their own iconic moment: Joe “Turkey” Jones pile-driving Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw into the turf in 1976. Ask around, and nearly everyone can picture that hit. But almost no one remembers the Browns actually won that game, 18–16.
Even a decade ago, when Jones returned for a Browns game and gave a video interview, he made a beeline for the exact spot on the field — now FirstEnergy Stadium — where the infamous hit occurred. He recalled every detail. He even joked that former Steelers still bring it up during charity golf outings.
Doug Dieken, now in his 28th year as the Browns’ radio color analyst, still talks about the brawl in 1975 at old Cleveland Stadium. “Mean” Joe Greene, frustrated and angry, kicked Browns guard Bob McKay in a rather sensitive spot. It triggered a full-on, bench-clearing melee. The memory stuck.
“I didn’t know much about Tom DeLeone at the time,” Dieken recalls, referring to the team’s newly signed center. “But when he tore off his jacket, ran straight into the fight, found Mean Joe, and clocked him, I thought, ‘Okay, I like this guy.’” That punch made an impression that lasted decades — maybe more than any pancake block or snap.
Fighting is part of the league’s DNA, even if the NFL now wants to pretend otherwise.
Which brings us to Monday and Tuesday, when the Browns will hold joint practices with the Bills in Rochester, N.Y. Browns head coach Mike Pettine had the quote of the weekend when he said, “We’re not going up there to have a pillow fight.”
Pettine has always had a knack for winning the press conference, and he didn’t disappoint. Everyone in football knows these joint practices are ripe for skirmishes. Just ask the Texans and Commanders — their joint session earlier this summer quickly turned into an all-out brawl.
Still, that was nothing compared to what went down in 1989, when Bud Carson’s Browns squared off with Buddy Ryan’s Bears during a practice in London ahead of their preseason opener. Fights broke out after nearly every snap. Even Carson and Ryan traded words. And yes, Ryan’s son Rex — now the head coach in Buffalo — will be on hand this week for the Browns-Bills reunion.
So go ahead, NFL. Say all the right things. Make your policies. Send your memos. But don’t pretend the league doesn’t benefit — at least a little — from a well-timed scuffle. Because while the league might claim it wants pillow fights, fans (and networks) are secretly hoping for punches.
And you can bet the NFL will be watching what happens in Rochester. So will the rest of us.
Steve King
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