After last weekend’s NFL games, an interesting little story emerged when Browns center Alex Mack informed the public that Chiefs defensive end Shaun Smith grabbed his package during a game. Mack understandably retaliated and drew a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty from the officials after the play.
One week later, San Francisco 49ers tackle Anthony Davis drew the exact same penalty after retaliating when Smith pulled the exact same stunt and grabbed his genitals, according to Davis. The penalty on Mack a week ago led to a missed field goal for the Browns. The penalty to Davis on Sunday created a second-and-22 for the Niners after they had just converted a first down.
“He tried to feel me,” Davis said. “That’s weird, right?”
While the penalty may have been costly for San Francisco at the time, Niners coach Mike Singletary seemed understanding of the reaction from Davis. “I think he got hit inappropriately,” Singletary said. “After a while, there’s only so much you can take. He (Davis) was wrong for retaliating and he knows that.”
It’s obvious this little perverted tactic Smith has developed can help his team and be costly for the opposition, but it’s completely out of line. You can’t expect a guy to allow someone to grab a handful of his man zone and not do anything about it. The NFL should strongly consider looking into it and slapping Smith with a fine if they determine he’s made a habit of grabbing balls on the gridiron.
