Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield took a big shot to the ribs from Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu near the end of Sunday’s loss and he said after the game that he wasn’t feeling too great.
Mayfield also said that X-rays on his ribs were negative and it doesn’t look like the issue is going to interfere with his availability for the team’s Week 18 game against the Panthers. Head coach Todd Bowles said at a Monday press conference, via multiple reporters, that Mayfield is sore but that he will be “fine” in time to play on Sunday.
The Buccaneers will win the NFC South if they beat the Panthers. If they lose, the winner of the game between the Saints and Falcons will be the division champions.
Mayfield was 22-of-33 for 309 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in Sunday’s 23-13 loss.
In 2009, the NFL fined Titans owner Bud Adams $250,000 for firing off a double-barreled middle finger at a game. For Panthers owner David Tepper, $250,000 should be the starting point for determining the proper punishment for throwing a drink into the stands at Jacksonville on Sunday.
The NFL has said it is aware of the video. The Panthers declined comment. (Most notably, the Panthers did not deny that the video shows what it appears to show.)
Whatever the NFL does, it needs to act swiftly and decisively. Tepper didn’t just cross the line. He jumped over it with both feet.
Sure, he probably had been hearing all day long from the fans below his suite that the Panthers stink and that he’s not a very good owner, to say the least. That’s no excuse for what he did. Not even close.
Even if it was only water, it was in a cup from which he presumably was drinking. In post-COVID America, there’s something inherently unsettling about sending germs mixed with liquid indiscriminately into the eyes, noses, and/or mouths of anyone and everyone within the splash zone.
Technically, Tepper could be charged with assault and battery. He could be sued in civil court for assault and battery, too. Throwing a drink onto someone is no different than throwing a punch at them, in the eyes of the law.
The damages most likely wouldn’t be significant, even if the person could convince a jury that the liquid did indeed get in his or her eyes, nose, or mouth and created reasonable fear of being infected by whatever virus Tepper might have been carrying. Tepper’s wealth and disposition won’t help him, however, when it’s time to face the music from a cross-section of average Americans who resent the notion of the rich and powerful treating them like a garbage can.
Then there’s the potential for punitive damages. Again, Tepper’s wealth will work again him. What would it take to properly punish someone like Tepper and to deter other thin-skinned multi-billionaires from doing what he did?
What Tepper did in and of itself isn’t a significant offense. The fact that Tepper is one of the richest men in America and a member of the most exclusive club of sports owners in the world makes it a bigger deal. If the NFL is going to fine an owner $250,000 for merely showing a middle finger or two, the punishment for throwing a drink onto paying customers should be significantly higher.
The Personal Conduct Policy applicable to non-players specifically encompasses “assault and/or battery.” It also covers “violent or threatening behavior toward another employee or a third party in any workplace setting,” “disorderly conduct,” and “conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity of, or public confidence in, the NFL, NFL clubs, or NFL personnel.”
Any, some, or all of those categories would seem to cover throwing a drink onto a crowd of paying customers. If the NFL wants to preserve the integrity of, and public confidence in, the NFL, it needs to take quick and clear action against Tepper.
If the NFL fails to do so, it will once again confirm that The Shield provides protection and cover for the periodic misconduct of the wealthy owners who hide behind it.
The Buccaneers came into Sunday’s game with the Saints on a four-game winning streak that put them in position to clinch their third straight NFC South title with another victory, but the division remains up for grabs on Monday.
New Orleans opened the game with a touchdown drive that ate up nearly eight minutes and they ran their lead to 20-0 before the Bucs were finally able to muster a little fight. Their slow start and four turnovers proved to be too much to overcome, however. That left head coach Todd Bowles lamenting a missed opportunity when he spoke to reporters after the game.
“The coaches have got to come up with a better game plan on both sides of the ball and the players have got to play it better,” Bowles said, via the team’s website. “We were off kilter from the start. They did a good job manufacturing a drive down the field and keeping us off balance. They did a good job getting turnovers. They did what they were supposed to do, came in here and did it, and we didn’t.”
The good news for the Buccaneers is that they came into the final two weeks of the season needing one win to secure the division crown. Their second chance comes against the 2-14 Panthers in Week 18 and a better effort than they put forth this weekend should be able to get them the victory.
On Sunday afternoon, a video emerged that seemed to show Panthers owner David Tepper throwing a drink into the stands in Jacksonville. On Sunday night, a Panthers spokesperson declined comment on the matter.
The fact that the Panthers declined comment can fairly be interpreted as an acknowledgement that the video shows what it seems to show. If Tepper had any basis for denying that he threw a drink into the stands, the team would have issued his denial.
The NFL has acknowledged awareness of the video, but the league had no further comment.
It’s hard to imagine the NFL doing nothing about it. He’s an owner. He is the league. If he’s not punished, the league can never again claim with a straight face that owners are held to a higher standard than players.
On Sunday, a video emerged of what appears to be Panthers owner David Tepper throwing his drink into the crowd at Jacksonville. We’ve asked both the NFL and the Panthers for comment.
The league said it is “aware of the video,” but that it has “no further comment at this time.”
The Panthers have not yet responded to a request for comment.
It’s unclear what, if anything, the league will do. The NFL at times says that owners are held to a higher standard than players. If that’s the case, Tepper should face some sort of punishment, if the video shows what it seems to show — Tepper dumping the contents of his drink indiscriminately onto Jaguars fans.
