Brett Farrey

The game of football is a violent game that includes athletes trying to knock each other out. The media loves to highlight the unsportsmanlike actions from moronic players such as Bill Romanowski, but rarely give credit to players that deserve praise.

Last weekend, Steeler’s defensive end, Kimo Von Oelhoffen, unintentially rolled up on Carson Palmer’s leg, which took him out of the game. Kimo was upset immediately, and seemed to care about nothing except Palmer’s well-being. Kimo realizes football is just game and has a respect for all of the players on the team.

This incident really made me rethink the Warren Sapp hit on Chad Clifton a few years ago. Sapp’s hit was clearly a legal hit, but was it necessary for Sapp to hit Clifton so violently when Clifton was so far away from the play?

The only thing that was on Sapp’s mind was making some media’s highlight reel. Clifton spent weeks in a hospital wondering if he’d even be able to play football again, and did he didn’t even get a phone call from Sapp to see how he was doing, let alone an apology. Kimo stood by Palmer until trainers got to him, and he issued an apology today. It was clearly an accident, but the apology shows his respect for other players, not to mention that he’s a class act.

Warren Sapp may very well be a better football player, but he could learn a few things from Kimo Von Oelhoffen.