During last weekend’s game against LSU, Mississippi State center Dillon Day very clearly stomped on the stomach of an LSU player, and he was promptly suspended for one game by the SEC. Basically everyone agrees that this was a dumb thing to do and that a suspension was warranted, especially since Day was suspended for half a game last year for doing the same thing against Auburn.
Mississippi State fans petition the SEC over stomping suspension
It’s probably not going to work.
But not all Mississippi State fans agree. One of them started a petition to the SEC, claiming that the conference should be “held accountable for punishing all schools and players [unequally].” Below that declaration is a statement:
I, and many others believe that the Southeastern Conference should hold all schools equally responsible for the actions taken by players on and off of the field. While there is much debate on whether the "stomping" incident by Mississippi State's Dillon Day was intentional or not I see it as unjust and unfair to suspend a player for an incident that occured on the field and could be considered accidental while other players have similiar or much worse actions that go unpunished.
While there are countless offensives that could be compared to this situation I would like to bring to attention an onfield incident that occured in 2010 in the Auburn-Georgia football game. Nick Fairley was flagged multiple times for blatantly intentional late hits on Georiga quarterback Aaron Murray. The Southeastern Conference took no action. Associate Commissioner, Charles Bloom, of the SEC was quoted as saying "We're handling the matter internally with the institution" yet Fairley was allowed to play in the Iron Bowl football game next week.
A second incident I would like to address is an off field issue. On May 4, 2014 LSU Safety Jalen Mills PUNCHED A WOMAN knocking her unconcious and was arrested. Jalen was suspended from the team for the entire off season then was reinstated in time for the first pre season practice of the season. Why is a player allowed to punch a woman and face no consequences from the Southeastern Conference but a lineman who stepped on another player during a game suspended for a game?
While I will not state my opinion on whether I agree or disagree with the suspension of Dillon Day, as it is besides the point I am trying to make, I hope this petition gets enough support where the Southeastern Conference MUST start disciplining all schools and players on equal and fair standards.
We are looking at you, Mike Slive.
A late hit is different than stomping on a player, and conferences generally only hand down suspensions for on-field incidents, so the Mills incident -- for which he will plead not guilty -- is on Les Miles (and there is certainly an argument he should do more), not the league.
So far, 220 people have signed the petition, and according to the person who started it, only 280 are “needed” to enact change, which SEC commissioner Mike Slive might dispute. But this is America, so everyone has a voice.
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