"The Blurred Lines OF Sports: Dirty Plays, Or Criminal Assault?"

Intensive, hard core, often blood-curdling physical contact in sports such as basketball, hockey and football is a natural expectation in game plays. There is an expected risk of injury to the players in the normal hustle and bustle of the sport. But with the rise of flagrant fouls, penalties, scandals and serious injuries to other players resulting in fines and game suspensions, have the game plays crossed the line of 'good intense sports" to criminal assault? 

Cincinatti Bengals' linebacker Vontaze Burfict makes a deliberate beeline for Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receiver Antonio Brown's head, while Adam Pacman Jones responds to Assistant Coach Joey Porter's illegal presence in the sidelines with violence, in addition to previous infractions--such as deliberately removing the helmet of Oakland Raiders' Amari Cooper and banging Cooper's head on the helmet while on the field--clearly are not moves or actions necessary to play great football. Under any other circumstances, this would be a prosecutable offense, and the immediate throwing of the multiple flags on the field tells that they were flagrantly foul actions.. even by the NFL's guidleines. However, the NFL punished one of those actions while overlooking the other.

When does a player's actions on the field go beyond the scope of "great sports maneuvers" and turn into acts of assault?  Are fines and game suspensions adequate punishments for repeat offenders? Tune in tonight at 10:30 pm EST by calling 347-327-9967.