By Greg Frers,
CBC Sports
Football is a nasty, violent sport that has intimidation as its backbone. The faint of heart need not apply.
I am getting extremely tired of the constant media attention given to the comments of Edmonton defensive lineman Rahim Abdullah in regards to B.C. Lion offensive lineman Rob Murphy being the dirtiest player in the CFL.
I agree with Lions head coach and general manager Wally Buono’s perspective on football when he said “You teach players to intimidate. How does Geroy Simon intimidate? How does Brent Johnson intimidate? They intimidate in different ways. Some people do it with brute force, right? I’d rather have an image of tough guys than of guys who wear skirts.”
Murphy was described as a school yard bully, as if that description was an insult or stain on his football resume. As a football coach you want to house a team of schoolyard bullies that intimidate their opponent with both their skilled dominant play and their brute force.
Football is a nasty, violent sport, and if being described as a school yard bully means that Rob Murphy intimidates and dominates his opponents, then he can take that comment as a compliment and know he has accomplished a job well done.
Football is just as much about head slapping, eye gouging and body slamming as it is about throwing, catching and tackling. The violent nature of the sport is what makes football great and is one of its greatest attractions for fans. It is also what drives players to be great.
Alondra Johnson is one of the best linebackers the CFL has ever seen. Was A.J. a nasty and violent player that brought a level of intensity to the field unmatched by most? Absolutely, and that is what made him great. Was A.J. a dirty player? Well, it depends on how you view the game of football.
The Stamps were playing the B.C. Lions one season and receiver Mike Trevathan came back on a play and blind sided Johnson, putting him flat on his back. For the rest of the game A.J. made it his mission to hunt Trevathan down to send a message back to the B.C. great that he did not appreciate the hit. By the half, Trevathan was sidelined with a broken jaw courtesy of Johnson, as he drove his fist up under Trevathan’s facemask. Trevathan was sent off to the emergency room to get his jaw wired back in place.
Mike Trevathan was the individual that relayed this story to me. So what were his thoughts about it? As he was walking off the field he made eye contact with Johnson and said “Nice hit.” Payback. This is a perfect example of two great football players who knew what playing football was all about.
There is a big difference between being a great nasty violent player and being dirty. Does Rob Murphy bend the rules between the whistles? Probably. Would he take a major penalty at an opportune time to send an appropriate message to an appropriate player? Probably. Is he noticeably being flagged for his actions on the field? No. Is he being threatened by the CFL office for unsafe play? No.
There is only one dirty play in football and that is going after an opponent’s knees which could possibly end a player’s career. Any player that I see do something like that doesn’t deserve airtime or a jersey to participate in this game.
Rob Murphy is an intense, nasty and violent player that plays hard between the whistles. It is for these attributes that pushed Buono to aggressively re-sign Murphy in the off-season and it is these qualities that Buono hopes will rub off on the rest of his team as they set out to repeat as Grey Cup champions.
It is not often that we get to witness the play of a “throw back” player. Enjoy!
Greg Frers played 10 seasons in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and B.C. Lions and has been a panelist on the CFL on CBC since 2003.
(The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily of the Canadian Football League)
