Yesterday Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward retired and although it was a sad day in Pittsburgh, one of the Steelers opponents was happy to see him go. Safety Chris Crocker, always an outspoken critic of Ward's approach, reiterated Tuesday via Bengals.com he thinks Ward played a dirty game and that "he tried to end people's careers and that's not the way the game is supposed to be played." But Crocker also said he respected Ward and believes he deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. "He's probably the first receiver to make blocking such a big part of his game; he was an all-around receiver," Crocker said. "He was a dirty player, but he made a lot of plays. They used him perfectly to suit his abilities and he was a big-time player for them. Some people might think of him as a borderline Hall of Famer, but I think the fact he helped them win two Super Bowls and all the things he did for that team make him deserving." Crocker joined the Bengals less than two weeks after Ward's most famous hit, a 2008 blindside block that broke Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers's jaw and ended his rookie season. In 2009, Crocker said Ward punched him in the face at the snap of the ball. "Stuff like that, it's just not right," Crocker said. "And I'm not the only guy that thinks it." Source: The Redzone
Crap that could be every receiver Thai played for the Bengals during wards career. Dude was physical as hell and it came off as dirty because he was basically playing guard out there on the edge. lol. I'm sure a lot of defensive backs are glad to see him go.
