PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward lashed out Wednesday at the NFL for what he calls its hypocritical stance on player safety, arguing the league recently toughened its stance only because it wants to expand to an 18-game season.
Ward said there is considerable confusion among players about which hits are legal and which aren't since the league stepped up its policing of dangerous hits. Steelers linebackerJames Harrison has been fined $125,000 for four separate hits since mid-October, two of which weren't penalized.
“”-- Hines WardThey don't care about the safety of the game. If the league was so concerned about the safety, why are you adding two more games on? You talk about you don't want players to drink ... and all you see is beer commercials. You don't want us to gamble, but then there are [NFL-endorsed lottery scratch-off games].
"The league doesn't care about us anyway," said Ward, a 13-year veteran and the leading receiver in Steelers history. "They don't care about the safety of the game. If the league was so concerned about the safety, why are you adding two more games on? You talk about you don't want players to drink ... and all you see is beer commercials. You don't want us to gamble, but then there are [NFL-endorsed lottery scratch-off games]."
The NFL is currently pushing for an expanded season during ongoing labor negotiations with the players union.
"It almost seems like the more flags we throw, the more fines we dish out, we can say we're protecting the game," safety Ryan Clark said, reflecting his opinion of the league's stance. "Now, we can have 18 games because look how we're protecting [the players]."
Ward also predicted a team will lose a game -- possibly in the playoffs -- because an official makes an incorrect call out of fear of being disciplined by the league for not adhering to its new policy