Should Willis be Suspended

[Figaro]

I wonder where the money collected as fines for concussion-related hits goes? I hope it is passed along to a reputable school of medicine doing research into concussions etc and not into the league coffers.

[David]

Yikes. I hope this doesn't become an unnecessary distraction for our game Saturday (and playoff game next week). Personally, I saw it as a shoulder check too and can understand his frustration, but not sure this was the right message to send.




DH

[Gridiron Ernie]

Yikes. I hope this doesn't become an unnecessary distraction for our game Saturday (and playoff game next week). Personally, I saw it as a shoulder check too and can understand his frustration, but not sure this was the right message to send.




DH

Very disappointed in this emotional outburst and most unfortunate verbal misstep from Mr. Willis. So foolish. The talented veteran comes off sounding short-sighted small-minded and juvenile with this. I can't see anyone being happy about this sort of tweet. His "injury" was merely being fined, whereas concussion is a potentially life-altering thing. He needs to gain some perspective on the optics of all this.

[KnowItAll]

unfortunately a lot of these players are not very mature, at any age.

His tweet is basically a threat to intend to do bodily harm outside the rules of the game and should be responded to as such

[Gridiron Ernie]

unfortunately a lot of these players are not very mature, at any age.

His tweet is basically a threat to intend to do bodily harm outside the rules of the game and should be responded to as such

It was/is alarming. Thank goodness he has apologized. But it still leaves me shaking my head that he tweeted it in the first place.
http://3downnation.com/2018/11/01/lions ... ial-tweet/

[JohnnyMusso]

As a Lions fan, very disappointed. Though I agree it looks like he hit Zach with his shoulder not helmet, he still hit him in the head and possibly knocked him out for the rest of the season, not to mention that concussions can affect you the rest of your life; I know for I have had two.

His twitter comment just showed his lack of intelligence and complete lack of remorse. Hope Lions cut him loose in the off season. Not impressed. Maybe CFL next year, will suspend guys for these hits.

[Gridiron Ernie]

I'm not going to go out of my way to defend Odell, but when just now routinely checking LU's twitter account I noticed there's a followup tweet from Willis retweeted wherein he explains he wasn't meaning to come across as angry or threatening in his tone "I'm not at all mad", but rather that it was merely written from a place of confusion and resignation "I just don't get it". The series of "shrugs" (emoji) amplify his confusion and resignation IMO. I get that, and in that light the original tweet does read differently. Not so alarmingly aggressive. But still very foolish and self-centered. Among other things, the guy needs an editor (and I'm not talking about the grammar/spelling). And anyhow, far, far, far more importantly -- my concern lies with Zach Collaros especially given his history. I sure do sincerely hope he is able to participate in the playoffs. What a shame it would be if he's out of action.

[aklawitter]

I'm with the Mayor of Swaggerville on this. Football is a contact sport

[Sir Purrcival]

Odell making a controversial statement? Who would have thunk it. He would have been better to not say anything but I would bet dollars to doughnuts that quietly, behind closed doors, there are a lot of players who are saying the same things. It is football after all, not exactly a sport that is injury free. No player should intend to try and hurt another player but injuries will and do happen. Bodies are flying all around, ball carriers are trying to run, spin, duck etc. sometimes off balance and this is true of defenders as well. Players are going to get their bells rung regardless of fines. Punishment is meant to deter. How do you really deter that which is accidental? Maybe we should make it flag football for the QB's. No hitting whatsoever, just rip the ribbon off the leg. I don't know what the answer is but concussions are not going to go away, just the nature of the game and those that play in this day and age know the risks and consent to them.

It's a little like a chain smoker complaining about lung cancer.

[yukonlion]

i was curious about the hit and thought it could have been shoulder first and his head snapped back because he was in the air when willis hit him. odd they never showed another angle.. surely there were other views.... still shouldnt have tweeted what he did, he's had some pretty bad head hits over the years

[B.C.FAN]

I don't know what was said, but it appears that Odell Willis and Randy Ambrosie had a one-on-one chat this morning and came out smiling.

[WestCoastJoe]

I don't know what was said, but it appears that Odell Willis and Randy Ambrosie had a one-on-one chat this morning and came out smiling.

Like many CFL fans, I think Odell has a good heart. Maybe he loses control of his emotions at times.

[Toppy Vann]

Players on other teams might well look at Willis shock and just decide that BC QBs are fair game. I doubt fans will get too worked up as football "is a contact sport".

The CFL had better wake the bleep up or they'll get legit concussion lawsuits and this league hasn't the money.

To suggest that it's a contact sport to excuse head shots is sad but players - if they were smart - would appreciate that fans don't care about their long term situations in life past the days they are on their team.

I suspect Collaros is done and sadly if I were the Riders, I'd move on next year as he's one hit from out of a game.

[Toppy Vann]

There's a slowed down frame by frame view of the hit here:


http://3downnation.com/2018/10/30/cfls- ... ntroversy/

[Sir Purrcival]

So, it would seem that the only way you are going to tackle someone these days while minimizing this risk is if you tackle standing straight up. And even with that you are going to likely strike the grill first. It really did appear as though he tried to lead with his shoulder. I don't dispute the head contact but if you follow Ambrosie's advice, saying aim low below breast plate. Doesn't that mean that the tackling player will have to duck and likely lead more with his head? And isn't that dangerous for the tackling player? Thought we had been trying to get players to keep their heads up. Which is it? They are trying to find some sensible ground but this stuff is going to happen. I haven't heard anyone non partisan say that this was an intentional attempt to injure or even a reckless hit. That means that it was basically a football play with unfortunate consequences.

Since the CFL has refused to accept a link between concussions and CTE, fining a player tends to hurt their credibility with their assertion of player safety. Because if you take their position, no concrete link exists, therefore, concussions are just passing injuries that players will recover from. The CFL at the very least needs to decide one way or the other. They are going to have to either embrace CTE as a consequence of head shots and deal with players who commit those fouls or they are going to have to stop punishing for accidental injuries. I think it might also be time to look at the head wear too. Those grills stick out quite a bit and even with this hit you can see that the point of contact was actually the grill. One wonders if there might be a way to change the profile of a helmet to either make it more flush or create a design that would deflect an impact more.