“Hawk:” Fined More Because I Make More Money
April 26th, 2014
Here’s an interesting side note to the end of the Bucs’ three-day voluntary minicamp this past week at One Buc Palace. While hard-hitting safety Dashon “Hawk” Goldson seemed unavailable for media, he found time to talk a lot about fines with FoxSports.com.
In this Ross Jones interview, Goldson (rightly) bemoaned how good defensive football has changed, and he talked about the New Schiano Order, new Bucs coach Lovie Smith and the overhaul of the roster.
But in this interview, Joe doesn’t think Goldson did himself any favors by claiming the NFL is targeting him with big fines not because he is running afoul of the new politically correct NFL, but because Hawk makes a lot of money.
The seventh-year veteran makes no excuses for his aggressive nature. In fact, he cites his all-out effort as one of the reasons he was able to land a lucrative contract and make a name for himself in the league. He believes that the amount of money each player is fined shouldn’t be dictated by the amount that player makes.
“You can’t fine a guy X amount of dollars because he makes X amount of money, while another guy is doing the same thing and is getting fined less because he makes less money,” Goldson said. “That definitely happens. I was getting suspended and fined hundreds and thousands of dollars and there were other guys who were making illegal hits and they’d only get fined $30k or $50k. I get fined more because I make more money. That’s not fair.”
Actually, it is fair. So the NFL should run a lower-paid player into bankruptcy? If all fines were equal, then that wouldn’t be much of a deterrent to the higher-salaried players.
Look, Joe likes Hawk. He loves how he hits. But this is simply downright whining and dodging the real problem: That unlike the vast majority of other NFL defenders, either Goldson cannot, or was/is, unwilling to adjust his game.
Given how Goldson worked out with his old youth league football coach this offseason to relearn tackling, in order to save money and maybe his career, Joe thinks it speaks to a disconnect Goldson possibly had with the New Schiano Order.
April 26th, 2014 at 12:11 pm
The percentage of the fine in relation to the player salary should be the same. The dollar value absolutely should not be the same.
April 26th, 2014 at 12:27 pm
Translation: “Expect me to get suspended again this year.”
April 26th, 2014 at 12:28 pm
Just a month ago we were told he was learning how to hit properly. This guy is no good at all for the team. Unfortunately, unless Licht would trade him (year right) we’re stuck with him this year.
April 26th, 2014 at 12:29 pm
A fine is a fine. Should be a fixed amount. A guy driving 20 over the speed limit in an Austin Martin is going to get the same amout of ticket as a guy driving 20 over in a Honda Civic.
April 26th, 2014 at 12:29 pm
Goldson was a two-time pro bowler before coming to the Bucs. Something changed – the scheme or position the Bucs required him to play (SS vs FS), his own over zealousness to prove his contract value, or the referees targeting a team or coach (victory charge) they perceive to not having respect for NFL rules.
Whatever it is, the new coaches, Goldson, et al, need to fix this problem or we have a highly paid valuable player taking up a key roster position that will not be on the field. I want Goldson to lower his aim, not change his attitude. He should be able to fix this!
April 26th, 2014 at 12:36 pm
Simple, learn how and when to hit. We are paying you big money. Earn it.
April 26th, 2014 at 12:43 pm
“The percentage of the fine in relation to the player salary should be the same. The dollar value absolutely should not be the same”…..Karl Marx…..Obama Meh
April 26th, 2014 at 12:45 pm
Percentage of salary sounds fair to me. Traffic tickets should be the same way! Everybody should be treated equal.
Connor Shaw is coming to Tampa.
April 26th, 2014 at 12:45 pm
The disconnect will be addressed.
April 26th, 2014 at 1:02 pm
RastaMon Says:
“The percentage of the fine in relation to the player salary should be the same. The dollar value absolutely should not be the same”…..Karl Marx…..Obama Meh
Ha ha ha. Yep. 100% correct thought the same thing while reading it.
Goldson is right everyone pays the same money for the same penalty. Just like everyone in America should pay the same % of taxes. Not a higher % if you make more. That’s like stealing.
April 26th, 2014 at 1:09 pm
Bottom line the NFL is Turing into flag football, and Goldson is standing up for what the game should be. All these players know the risk they are taking and putting on the uniform means they understand the risk and know what can happen. Keep up the great work HAWK.
April 26th, 2014 at 1:28 pm
Had such high hopes when the Bucs overpaid for Goldson last season. What a let down this guy turned out to be. Doubtful he will still be a Buc next season
April 26th, 2014 at 1:29 pm
RastaMon Says
“…..Karl Marx…..Obama Meh…”
Yeah, right….because you would love being fined $100,000 because Goldson did.
It works both ways. What if that fine was a set amount? And it was the amount he paid. Would the players making less be willing to play for free because their entire salary went toward a fine?
Percentage is fair to all parties. Goldson doesn’t want fines? change his game.
April 26th, 2014 at 1:31 pm
Macabee Says
“Goldson was a two-time pro bowler before coming to the Bucs. Something changed…”
The rules changed, along with the tolerance and power of refs. Now they have the ability to target individuals in order to decide the outcome of games.
Seahawks committed penalties all season long and got away with it.
April 26th, 2014 at 1:32 pm
Really, if you think it thru, WRs could lower their heads while about to be tackled in order to get the benefit of a penalty. I wouldn’t doubt that its happened already.
April 26th, 2014 at 1:35 pm
Buccaneer Bonzai ….saw it many times with RB’s last season and the flag came out. I thought they we’re supposed to call it on the offense as well, but I never saw a flag come out during any games that I watched Bucs or any other team.
Did anyone else watch a game last season and see a RB get flagged for lowering his head? I’m really curious, because I think the whole thing BS.
April 26th, 2014 at 2:16 pm
Its simple it was schianos bad rep with the league and bull rushing the lines at the end of the game.
April 26th, 2014 at 2:32 pm
As far as I’m concerned, (like JOE doesn’t seem to have any sympathy), is not everyone of his fouls were legitimate calls. In fact most were pretty cheesy compared to how many other fragrant fouls that were not called throughout the league on any given Sunday. There was a target on his back whether JOE admits it or not. JOE interprets these things to black and white and gives the benefit of the doubt to the officials and then tries to crucify Goldson all over this here corner of the inter-web, all the while knowing that a lot of those calls were BSpit and unjustifiably targeted.
April 26th, 2014 at 2:34 pm
I just wish he could cover, or just wish we had any safety who could cover. We don’t. The day’s of the hard hitting safety’s (like J. Lynch) are over. Now you need safety’s who can cover. Did I mention we don’t have any?
April 26th, 2014 at 2:58 pm
Bruce:
Oh, Goldson was probably targeted. That just underscores the questions Joe has: Was Schiano and his staff not helping Goldson out or was Goldson jsut stubborn or did Goldson just tune out Schiano? Clearly Goldson came to grips he had to change as he was working with his youth league coach to try to adjust. Why didn’t he adjust much earlier?
April 26th, 2014 at 3:20 pm
Joe he didn’t adjust earlier because he had no idea the league would be sissified in one year.
Joe you are foul for those comments. Anyway Major Wright is his replacement Less money, younger, and hit just as hard. Its a business remember! If we draft Mike Evans bye bye Vincent. Saves all the big Money we spent with Dom. Now crash my PC JBF for spilling on y’all!
April 26th, 2014 at 6:06 pm
He’s also a repeat offender so his fines will go up as well.
April 26th, 2014 at 6:08 pm
One more year and then his cap number will be expendable…
April 26th, 2014 at 6:32 pm
Sorry, no. The real problem is not that the hard-smacking clean throwback safety isn’t adjusting his game. Others can more easily because they just plain aren’t as good. The real problem is the way this game is officiated. It has hurt this great sport immensely and unjustly forced good football players to arbitrarily empty their pockets to pay for bad governance in the past. A past having to do with dirty players, systemic head injury and looking the other way. Shameful subject. Not Goldson’s fault. He’s just being fleeced for it.
April 26th, 2014 at 6:41 pm
Penalties are called against the Bucs when other teams are allowed to make the same plays. Its BS – Goldson is right.
April 26th, 2014 at 11:40 pm
I agree that the refs were targeting Goldson and were overlooking others but it is also true that Goldson did not make the effort he should have to hit just as hard with his shoulder below the opposing player’s head. As a result it is my belief he failed to show any regard for how his failure to do so hurt the Bucs.and he also was poor in coverage, missed some tackles and he did not produce at the level he is paid. So I am surprised Licht didn’t already try to trade him back to the 49ers.
April 27th, 2014 at 7:04 am
If you are being unfairly singled out( and he was!)
Then shining the light on the situation helps- if only a couple people start to agree- the refs will back off.
Big problem is- why did we draft a pro bowl strong safety, and move him to Free safety? Makes him play in space far more often, thus more opurtunity to excellerate into tackles, with less control.
The problem is Barron.the Defense is forced to play out of position, to cover his inadequacies.
Hopefully Lovie can Address this
April 27th, 2014 at 7:05 am
Um, sign- not draft. Goldson was sought out and signed by us- as a Free agent
April 27th, 2014 at 11:00 am
They take the Hawk’s money because in a couple years, he’ll be wandering around in a stupor, unable to find his way home.
He won’t have any use for $.
April 28th, 2014 at 2:31 pm
@Back….i would rather keep Barron and move on from Goldson in a year if a good formula for using both can’t be found. maybe one of them is the nickel LB next to lavonte this year, but both of them at Safety at the same time is a vulnerability. Barron is younger, cheaper (goldson was another big ticket player at a consensus lower-value position), and has more upside. Goldson can be cut next year with no cap ramifications
April 28th, 2014 at 2:37 pm
goldson is not a bad player, and reports are that he is superb in the locker room, but he is costly to the team financially as well as in penalties and suspensions. this system has been run to great success with the likes of dexter jackson and dwight smith at FS….guys who are in no danger of hall of fame consideration, but could cover alot of ground and knew their role in the system. you’ll go farther with WLBs, DEs, and DTs deserving of top 5 money in this scheme than you will with DBs deserving top 5 money. we got rid of one such guy and i think even if goldson made the pro bowl like revis did his contract has punched his ticket out of town next spring