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At Least Two Redskins Fined for Melee

11/11/2009 5:00 PM ET By Matt Snyder

    • Matt Snyder
    • Matt Snyder is an NFL and MLB Blogger for FanHouse
Mike Smith and DeAngelo HallIn light of a brief brawl that broke out Sunday on the Atlanta sideline between a few Redskins and what seemed to be a large group of Falcons -- whom were protecting their quarterback who had just been hit late -- it is no surprise that some fines have been handed out.

Jason Reid of the Washington Post has learned that both Albert Haynesworth and LaRon Landry have been fined for their roles in the skirmish. He's also reporting that Landry -- who was fined for starting the issue with his hit on an out-of-bounds Matt Ryan -- plans to appeal the decision.



The incident itself seems to have brought on a bit of a divide in the Redskins' locker room. DeAngelo Hall, who was right in the middle of the melee is and likely to be fined as well, took issue with so few of his teammates getting involved.
"I can't speak for those other guys that's out there on the field, but whoever's out there with me, I'm ready to go to battle for 'em," Hall said on "The Lavar Arrington Show" on 106.7 The Fan. "That's just how I am, whether it's a verbal sparring or a physical sparring, I'm always ready to mix it up. And to see those guys kind of linger over there, yeah, I don't know what was going through their minds."
Haynesworth apparently agrees.
"That's my teammate. I'm not going to let my teammate get jumped or beat up or anything like that," Haynesworth said today. He cracked a smile and continued: "I mean, [Atlanta coach] Mike Smith did have him pinned up over there. I can't let the old man beat up my cornerback, so I had to go over there and save him."
On the other hand, not many guys in the league make as much money as Haynesworth. Defensive end Phillip Daniels doesn't, and he was one of the guys who didn't go get involved.
"The fewer guys over there the better. I really feel that way," Daniels continued. "I know D-Hall wanted the guys to come support him and everything, but you have to look at the whole picture. They say if you go over there you could get kicked out of the game or get fined. Of course, he explained what happened. I was on the sidelines, so I wasn't going to come over there. Albert came over and helped out. It really wasn't about that. It was about getting off the sideline. I saw their coaches putting their hands on our guys. You put your hands on your own guys.

"I'm just glad it didn't escalate into something bigger. If more guys would've went over there, it would've," Daniels said.
Both Daniels and Haynesworth have legitimate points. Sure, Atlanta had every reason to be upset about Landry's hit, but it wasn't so egregious that they needed to have coaches in the middle of a fight over it. The flag -- which was correctly thrown by the officials -- was all they needed. Ryan got up unscathed. Instead, Smith and a few other coaches were right in the middle of what easily could have become a full-scale brawl. It's hard to blame Haynesworth for standing up for his teammate and it's equally hard to blame the Redskins who weren't in the game for not sprinting all the way across the field, which would have surely resulted in harsh penalties.

No word yet on any possible Atlanta fines, though Smith is expected to take a hit to the wallet.

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