A day after Steelers safety Troy Polamalu flattened Bengals receiver Terrell Owens after T.O. made a key catch late in Monday night’s game between their respective teams, Polamalu will visit with T.O. and teammate Chad Ochocinco on The T. Ocho Show.
The show airs at 10:30 p.m. ET on Versus.
Among other things, Polamalu will reiterate his misguided talking point regarding the procedures for fining players as a result of in-game rules violations, arguing that the fines are appealed to the same entity that imposed the sanction. As we explained earlier today after Polamalu’s appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, Polamalu is factually inaccurate. The appeals are handled by former coaches Art Shell and Ted Cottrell, men who were jointly selected -- and are jointly paid -- by the NFL and the NFLPA.
And this system works to protect the interests of players. A $10,000 fine imposed on Chiefs defensive tackle Shaun Smith for grabbing an opponent’s crotch was overturned via this process. (Then again, this system doesn’t do much to protect the interests of the players whose crotches have been grabbed.)
In response, T.O. makes a rare lucid point: “This is where players should use our voices. . . . This is just one of many topics. . . . Our voices, especially mainstream guys . . . these are guys of power that can help us with our union.”
He’s right, as long as the “mainstream guys . . . of power” get their facts straights before they start banging the drum for a change that isn’t needed.
So why is the normally reserved Polamalu spending so much time in the spotlight? Based on his segment with Dan Patrick, it’s obvious. Polamalu’s appearances are part of his deal with Head & Shoulders shampoo.